Perilla seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Perilla seed oil has a saponification value of 192.25 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.137 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.192 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.137052 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19225 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 192.25 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 200
- INS
- -8
- INCI name
- Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Perilla seed oil with no superfat needs 13.7 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.2 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are linolenic (62.8%) and linoleic (15.5%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 99.4% of the profile.
On its own it scores 6 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 94 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 6 : 94.
Very high in alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3); oxidises quickly, so soaps may develop rancid spots (DOS). Keep it to a small share of the recipe.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 3.2% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 2.5% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 15.4% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 15.5% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 62.8% | conditioning |
Basis: Chang et al. 2026 Table 1 (perilla seed oil, PSO); lauric/myristic not detected.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 6 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 94 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 6 |
| Iodine | 200 |
| INS | -8 |
Each score adds up certain fatty acids, the way Soap Ledger scores a whole recipe. They are for comparing recipes; they don't predict how a bar will feel, and they say nothing about safety or skin.
Sources
SAP value: 192.25 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid (no Codex/pharmacopoeia standard found)), from Physical Properties of Fats and Oils (compiled from Ullmann's, Bailey's, AOCS and AFCEG handbooks), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF). Printed value: 188 - 197 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 188 - 197 mg KOH/g — Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF)
- 185 - 200 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- 187-197 mg KOH/gr mg KOH/g — Skinchakra (German cosmetic oil supplier)
- 191-193 mg KOH/g — Parchem Fine & Specialty Chemicals (distributor)
Fatty acids and iodine: Chang J. et al. (2026) Systematic Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality, Elemental Safety, and Preventive Effects of Perilla Seed Oil on Hyperlipidemia and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats. Nutrients 18:2149. doi:10.3390/nu18132149, MDPI (open access, peer-reviewed). Also checked: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF) (Iodine value table); Skinchakra (German cosmetic oil supplier).
NaOH and KOH values are converted from mg KOH/g with the molar masses 39.997 and 56.106 and rounded to 6 decimals, exactly as in the Soap Ledger app. Real oils vary by origin, grade and lot: check your supplier's certificate of analysis. Verify every weight before you make this, and follow lye safety. Not a safety or compliance certification.
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