Palm oil in soap making
Published by The Soap Brain Team
Palm oil is a hardening soap-making oil rich in palmitic acid (44%). A gram of it turns to soap with about 0.142 g of NaOH (lye). It firms up a bar with a stable, creamy lather and blends well with conditioning oils. Most soapers use it at 15–50% of their oils.
Fatty-acid profile
Palm oil is mainly a hardening oil: its saturated fatty acids give a firm, long-lasting bar with a stable, creamy lather, and it is usually blended with more conditioning oils to keep the finished soap mild.
Palm oil is about 49% saturated fat and 49% unsaturated — that saturated majority is what lets it firm up a bar and hold a stable lather.
| Fatty acid | Share | What it does in soap |
|---|---|---|
| Palmitic acid | 44% | a saturated fatty acid that builds a hard, long-lasting bar with a stable, creamy lather |
| Oleic acid | 39% | a monounsaturated fatty acid that makes a gentle, conditioning, moisturising bar with a slick, lower lather and a slower trace |
| Linoleic acid | 10% | a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is very conditioning but oxidises readily — a driver of DOS (dreaded orange spots) at high levels |
| Stearic acid | 4% | a saturated fatty acid that adds hardness and a thick, stable lather; a large share can speed up trace |
| Myristic acid | 1% | a hard, cleansing, bubbly saturated fatty acid that usually travels alongside lauric acid |
Palm oil in the bar
Expect a dense, low-bubble, creamy lather from Palm oil — rich and steady rather than foamy. Pairing it with a bubbly oil adds the fluffy bubbles it lacks.
Because it is rich in palmitic and stearic acids, Palm oil tends to bring a batch to trace quickly and set up fast, so work briskly and keep fragrances that accelerate trace in mind. The upside is a firm bar that usually unmoulds within a day or two.
In a blend Palm oil is a hardening, bar-firming component. Use it in small amounts; combine it with conditioning liquid oils so the bar stays mild rather than brittle.
Closest substitutes for Palm oil
Out of Palm oil? These oils behave most like it in a bar — ranked by how close their hardness, cleansing and conditioning profile and lye (SAP) requirement are. The numbers are predicted properties for a 100% single-oil bar, not a safety guide; always recalculate the lye when you swap an oil.
| Oil | Hardness | Cleansing | Conditioning | SAP (NaOH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm oil (this oil) | 49 | 1 | 49 | 0.142 |
| Mango butter | 48 | 0 | 49 | 0.136 |
| Tallow (beef fat) | 52 | 3 | 46 | 0.138 |
| Lard (pork fat) | 42 | 2 | 54 | 0.139 |
| Cupuaçu butter, deodorized | 50 | 0 | 41 | 0.135 |
Using Palm oil in a recipe
One gram of Palm oil needs about 0.142 g of NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to turn fully to soap, within a documented range of 0.135–0.149 g/g across sources. The calculator below uses this value; always confirm the lye weight before you mix.
Its iodine value is about 53 — a moderate value, a good all-round balance of hardness and conditioning. Iodine value is only a rough guide, not a hard rule, but it gives you a feel for how a bar built around this oil will wear.
Most soapers use Palm oil at roughly 15–50% of their oils.
Maker's note: Hardness + stability, mild lather, long bar life. Prefer RSPO/sustainable.
Calculate lye for Palm oil
The calculator below is pre-loaded with Palm oil. Enter your weights, add other oils, and it works out the exact NaOH (lye) weight, water and quality numbers. Always weigh lye, oils and water — never measure by volume, wear gloves and eye protection, and add lye to water (never the reverse).
Loading the calculator…
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is backed by at least two independent references, listed below — so you can check our work instead of taking our word for it.
- Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999 — Named Vegetable Oils (Tables 1–2) — SAP 190–209 mg KOH/g
- SoapCalc oil list — SAP, iodine
- From Nature With Love — Saponification Chart — SAP range
SAP data last updated · 51 oils covered.
Palm oil soap FAQ
- Can you make soap with 100% Palm oil?
- It is not recommended. Palm oil shows its best in a blend, usually up to about 50% of the oils. On its own the bar would be unbalanced — too soft or low-lathering for everyday use.
- What superfat should I use with Palm oil?
- A 5% superfat is a safe, common starting point for recipes using Palm oil; adjust to taste once you know how the finished bar feels. Never drop to 0% or below without a deliberate reason — the calculator will ask you to confirm it.
- Does Palm oil speed up or slow down trace?
- Because it is rich in palmitic and stearic acids, Palm oil tends to bring a batch to trace quickly and set up fast, so work briskly and keep fragrances that accelerate trace in mind. The upside is a firm bar that usually unmoulds within a day or two.