Red palm oil / butter (unbleached palm oil): SAP value and fatty acids
Red palm oil / butter (unbleached palm oil) has a saponification value of 199.5 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.142 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.200 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.14222 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1995 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 199.5 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 52.5
- INS
- 147
- INCI name
- Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Example: 100 g of Red palm oil / butter (unbleached palm oil) with no superfat needs 14.2 g of 100% NaOH, or 20.0 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are palmitic (43.1%) and oleic (39.8%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 100% of the profile.
On its own it scores 50 for hardness, 2 for cleansing and 51 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 50 : 51.
Red palm is palm oil that has not been bleached, so it keeps its carotenes (orange colour). Its lye value is the same as palm oil. It can stain soap and tools orange.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0.3% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 1.3% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 43.1% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 4.8% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 39.8% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 10.4% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.3% | conditioning |
Basis: Codex CXS 210 Table 1 (palm oil) midpoints; Codex range midpoints; 'ND' = 0, 'ND–x' or '<x' = x/2; scaled to 100% from 100.6%.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 50 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 2 |
| Conditioning | 51 |
| Bubbly lather | 2 |
| Creamy lather | 48 |
| Iodine | 53 |
| INS | 147 |
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: 199.5 mg KOH/g (Midpoint of Codex CXS 210 palm oil range (Codex covers crude, i.e. unbleached/red, palm oil)), from Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999, Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Table 2: chemical and physical characteristics), FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Printed value: 190-209 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 190-209 mg KOH/g — FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
- 190 - 202; 195 - 205; 190 - 209 mg KOH/g — Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF)
- 190 - 205 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
Fatty acids and iodine: Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999, Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Table 2: chemical and physical characteristics), FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Also checked: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (SR Legacy release 2018-04 (bulk CSV food_nutrient.csv); fatty acids in g/100 g food).
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 .