Sea buckthorn oil (fruit and seed): SAP value and fatty acids
Sea buckthorn oil (fruit and seed) has a saponification value of 191.25 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.136 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.191 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.136339 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19125 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 191.25 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit/Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Sea buckthorn oil (fruit and seed) with no superfat needs 13.6 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.1 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are palmitic (26.8%) and oleic (17.8%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 63.3% of the profile.
On its own it scores 29 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 35 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 29 : 35.
Both sources describe fruit (berry) oil; no number specific to a seed-plus-berry blend was found. Strongly orange; can stain. Use at low levels. 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 | 0.3% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 26.8% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 1.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 17.8% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 10.7% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 6.1% | conditioning |
Basis: Mean of two commercial seed/berry-pulp oil blends (SBO2, SBO4; softgel supplements) in Correa et al. 2026 Table 1.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 29 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 35 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 28 |
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: 191.25 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid (no Codex/pharmacopoeia standard found)), from Saponification Chart, From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier). Printed value: 180 - 195 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 180 - 195 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- NaOH 0.139 / KOH 0.195 g alkali per g oil — Supplies for Candles (UK supplier)
Fatty acids: Correa M. et al. (2026) Palmitoleic acid content and composition-based nutritional quality of commercial omega-7 oils and supplements. Front Nutr. doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1871452, Frontiers (open access, peer-reviewed). Also checked: Wiley (open access, peer-reviewed) (Table 10, 'US, obtained from the seeds and skins' column).
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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