Poppy seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Poppy seed oil has a saponification value of 193 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.138 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.193 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.137586 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.193 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 193 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 136.5
- INS
- 57
- INCI name
- Papaver Somniferum Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Poppy seed oil with no superfat needs 13.8 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.3 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are linoleic (65.3%) and oleic (20.6%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 100% of the profile.
On its own it scores 14 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 86 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 14 : 86.
High in linoleic acid; soft, slow to harden. One supplier chart prints 163, which looks like an error; the other sources agree on about 191–194. Published sources for this oil differ by more than 3%, so checking your supplier's certificate of analysis matters more than usual.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 11.1% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 3% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 20.6% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 65.3% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0% | conditioning |
Basis: USDA FDC SR Legacy 171423, converted to % of total fatty acids.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 14 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 86 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 14 |
| Iodine | 137 |
| INS | 57 |
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: 193 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid, excluding the FNWL outlier (163)), 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 - 195 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 188 - 195 mg KOH/g — Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF)
- 189-197 mg KOH/gr mg KOH/g — Skinchakra (German cosmetic oil supplier)
- 189-198 mg KOH/g — Parchem Fine & Specialty Chemicals (distributor)
- 163 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
Fatty acids and iodine: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171423: Oil, poppyseed, USDA Agricultural Research Service. 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.
Last updated .