Pumpkin seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Pumpkin 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
- 117
- INS
- 76
- INCI name
- Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Pumpkin 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 (44%) and oleic (37%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 98.8% of the profile.
On its own it scores 18 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 81 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 18 : 81.
Dark green and mostly linoleic and oleic acids; can tint soap green or brown. 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 | 0.1% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 11.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 5.9% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 37% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 44% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.2% | conditioning |
Basis: Dean 2025 Table 1, commercial cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil; lauric not reported, recorded as 0.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 18 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 81 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 18 |
| Iodine | 117 |
| INS | 76 |
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 (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: 187 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 188 - 198 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- NaOH 0.1389 / KOH 0.1956 g alkali per g oil — Certified Lye
- 194 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- 187 mg KOH/g — Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF)
- 190.69 mg KOH/g — Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University (peer-reviewed)
Fatty acids and iodine: Dean L.L. (2025) Lipid composition and nutritional quality of some commercially available cold pressed oils. Front. Nutr. 12:1721761. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1721761, Frontiers (open access, peer-reviewed; USDA-ARS author). Also checked: Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University (peer-reviewed) (Table 3); Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF) (Iodine value table).
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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