Sea buckthorn seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Sea buckthorn seed oil has a saponification value of 190 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.135 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.190 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.135448 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 190 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Sea buckthorn seed oil with no superfat needs 13.5 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.0 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are linoleic (46.5%) and oleic (21.4%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 95.8% of the profile.
On its own it scores 13 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 83 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 13 : 83.
Only one weak source: a supplier table that does not say whether it means seed or fruit oil. A 2017 study of Indian seed oils (Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 6(2)) reports only maximum values of 217–232, which do not fit a linoleic/linolenic oil, so it is not used. Use your supplier's COA if you have one. Only one published source was found for this value; confirm it against your supplier's certificate of analysis.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.1% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 10.2% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 2.9% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 21.4% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 46.5% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 14.7% | conditioning |
Basis: Datuashvili et al. 2025 Table 10, column 'Sea Buckthorn seed oil sourced from the US' (commercial).
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 13 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 83 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 13 |
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: 190 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid (no Codex/pharmacopoeia standard found)), from What are SAP Values in Soap Making? (SAP table), The Soapery (UK soap supplier). Printed value: 190 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
Fatty acids: Datuashvili L. et al. (2025) Chemical Composition Analysis of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae) in Georgia and Development of Innovative Valorization Technologies. Food Sci Nutr. doi:10.1002/fsn3.70507, Wiley (open access, peer-reviewed).
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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