Soapmaking Oils Properties and Chart

This helpful reference chart covers 45 soapmaking oils and their characteristics, including hardness, conditioning, bubbly, cleansing, and longevity properties.

It will be helpful to use as a guide when you want to swap out oils in a natural soap recipe!

Before we get into the chart, let’s cover what each column means, as it relates to soapmaking.

I want to stress though that numbers aren’t everything! I often see newer soapmakers get hung up on making their recipe fit neatly into recommended numbers, at the expense of the creative process and sometimes miss out on making some really great recipe ideas!

Just use these numbers loosely as informational aids, since soap calculators don’t take into account things such as sodium lactate or salt for hardening, aloe or honey or milk for extra lather or creaminess, the amount of your recipe’s superfat, extended cure times, discounted water amount, our unique personal preferences that we look for in a soap, and more.

Property Definitions

In the Oil/Butter column, I have the oil’s name, Latin name or INCI (name that it’s internationally known as), a brief line on how it is in soap, and suggested usage rates. (They are suggestions only, based on my personal experiences and preferences – feel free to experiment outside of those numbers!)

Hardness indicates how well the oil adds to the overall hardness of the soap. A higher number makes for a harder soap. As mentioned above, the numbers don’t tell the whole story here though. Olive oil has a low hardness number of 17, but after an extended cure time, can become a really nice hard soap.

Conditioning is how nice and soothing the oil feels on your skin when made into soap. Oils with a low conditioning number, such as coconut oil or babassu oil, can make your skin feel more tight or dry if used in excess, and/or with a too-low superfat. Oils with a high conditioning number feel nice on your skin, but note that too much total conditioning may come at the price of lower lather and soft soap.

Bubbly is pretty self-explanatory. A higher number means that the oil helps produce or support lots of bubbles when used in soap. A low number or zero, means it doesn’t really contribute to overall lather, but that doesn’t mean your soap will have zero lather. A soap that’s not bubbly can still clean your skin.

Cleansing is based on how well the oil-turned-into-soap will dissolve in hard or salt water, but it also indicates its effectiveness at stripping moisture and oil from your skin. A high cleansing number (such as coconut oil) might feel very harsh on many skin types, unless balanced with a higher superfat and/or other conditioning ingredients. If an oil has a low or zero cleansing number, that doesn’t mean it won’t clean your skin. It means that it’s not as likely to strip your skin or leave it feeling tight and dry after use.

Longevity indicates a rough idea of how long the soap will last when used. A higher number is longer lasting, but a trade-off is that if a soap’s overall longevity number is too-high, it may affect lather/bubbles. If you want your soaps to last longer, look for oils with a higher longevity number.

How to Use the Oils Properties Chart

Print the chart out (look for the green print friendly button at the bottom of this article, and select which parts you want to print) and use it to help you figure out oil substitutions or recipe tweaks, or as a reference when creating your own recipe.

For example, if you make a soap and find it’s not bubbly enough, try checking through the list and finding oils that have a higher bubbly number, then experiment with higher rates of those in your recipe.

Related: My article, How to Make Test Batches of Soap, might help you plan out mini test batches while you dial a recipe in, and my digital Soapmaking Journal is a great way to record all of your soapy experiments!

If you don’t see a favorite oil listed here, no worries! I only picked out the oils I had the most personal experience with using in soap, but you can head over to the Soapee Lye Calculator, click on the desired oil name in box 6, and you’ll see its properties listed to the right of that box.

Reference Chart of Soapmaking Oils & Their Properties

Characteristics & suggested usage rates are sourced from my personal experience and notes, while the property numbers are sourced from Soapee Lye Calculator.

Oil/Butter	Hardness (1-100)	Conditioning (1-100)	Bubbly (1-100)	Cleansing (1-100)	Longevity (1-100)
Almond Oil, Sweet (Prunus amygdalus dulcis) nice for dry skin, use 10 to 20% in recipes	7	89	0	0	7
Aloe Butter (Coconut oil; aloe barbadensis leaf extract) adds bubbles, use abt 10% in recipes	74	9	63	63	11
Apricot Kernel (Prunus armeniaca) nourishing, use 10 to 20% in recipes	6	93	0	0	6
Argan Oil (Argania spinosa) adds luxurious quality to body & shampoo bars, use 5 to 10%	15	81	1	1	14
Avocado Butter (Hydrogenated avocado oil) lovely moisturizing feel, use 10 to 20%	31	61	0	0	31
Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima) moisturizing, nice for dry skin or eczema, use 10 to 20%	22	70	0	0	22
Babassu Oil (Orbignya oleifera) bubbly, good sub for coconut oil, higher amounts may feel drying, use 10 to 25%	85	10	70	70	15
Oil/Butter	Hardness	Conditioning	Bubbly	Cleansing	Longevity
Camelina Seed (Camelina sativa seed) nourishing, moisturizing, use 5 to 10%	8	88	0	0	8
Camellia Seed (Camellia oleifera seed) gentle for aged or sensitive skin, use 5 to 10%	11	85	0	0	11
Canola Oil (Canola oil) affordable sub for olive oil, use up to 25%	6	91	0	0	6
Castor Oil (Ricinus communis) supports lather, use 3 to 7% in soap; up to 12 to 15% in shampoo bars	0	98	90	0	0
Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) adds hardness, creamy lather; use 5 to 20%	61	38	0	0	61
Coconut Oil (76°) (Cocos nucifera) solid below 76 degrees F, melts to liquid at hotter temps, adds bubbles, very cleansing; use 10 to 30% (increase superfat with higher amount)	79	10	67	67	12
Coconut Oil, fractionated (Cocos nucifera) liquid even at cold temperatures, can feel harsh & drying, not usually recommended for soap, or use a small percentage, abt 3%	100	0	100	100	0
Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter) adds some hardness and nice feel, similar to shea and mango; use 5 to 20%	43	44	0	0	43
Oil/Butter	Hardness	Conditioning	Bubbly	Cleansing	Longevity
Grapeseed Oil (Vitis vinifera seed oil) conditioning, but may have shorter shelf life; use 5 to 10%	12	88	0	0	12
Hazelnut Oil (Corylus avellana seed oil) feels nice on skin, may have shorter shelf life in soap, use 5 to 10%	8	85	0	0	8
Hemp Oil (Cannabis sativa seed oil) may help dry or problem skin types, dark green unrefined lightly tints soap, use 5 to 15%	8	90	0	0	8
Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) excellent for shampoo & facial bars, may extend shelf life, use 5 to 10%	0	12	0	0	0
Kokum Butter (Garcinia indica) similar to cocoa butter, hardens soap, use 5 to 20%	60	37	0	0	60
Kukui Nut Oil (Aleurites moluccanus) nourishing lovely feel, use 5 to 10%	8	91	0	0	8
Lard (Pig Tallow) makes a hard soap with low lather, use to replace palm oil, use 5 to 35%, or more	42	52	1	1	41
Laurel Fruit Oil (Lauris nobilis fruit oil) used in Aleppo-style soap, adds some color, scent & lather, lovely for skin, use 20 to 30% with the balance of the recipe as olive oil	42	58	26	26	16
Oil/Butter	Hardness	Conditioning	Bubbly	Cleansing	Longevity
Mango Butter (Mangifera indica) adds some hardness, nourishing feel, use 5 to 20%	49	48	0	0	49
Meadowfoam Oil (Limnanthes alba) conditioning, may extend shelf life of soap, use around 10%	0	95	0	0	0
Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum murumuru) good sub for coconut oil, use 5 to 20%	82	18	73	73	9
Neem Seed Oil (Melia azadirachta) used for troublesome skin or flea/insect repellant, strong smell, not for pregnancy, use 5 to 7%	39	58	2	2	37
Olive Oil (Olea europaea) starts out soft, but hardens with a long cure, low lather, use from 5 to 100%	17	82	0	0	17
Palm Kernel Oil (Elaeis guineensis) similar to coconut oil, hardens, adds bubbles, can feel drying if too high, use 5 to 20%	75	18	65	65	10
Palm (Fruit) Oil (Elaeis guineensis) hardens soap, long lasting, can be replaced with tallow or lard, or a mix of butters, use up to 35%	50	49	1	1	49
Oil/Butter	Hardness	Conditioning	Bubbly	Cleansing	Longevity
Peach Kernel (Prunus persica) nourishing for sensitive or dry skin, use 5 to 10%	8	91	0	0	8
Pumpkin Seed (Cucurbita pepo) rich in essential fatty acids, use 5 to 15%	19	83	0	0	19
Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) great sub for all or part of the olive oil in a recipe, try around 15 to 25% in a recipe	26	74	1	1	25
Rosehip (Rosa rubiginosa) luxury oil for mature or sensitive skin, use 5 to 10%	6	89	0	0	6
Safflower, high oleic (Carthamus tinctorius) makes a nice sub for part or all of the olive oil in a recipe, use 5 to 20%	7	92	0	0	7
Sesame Oil (Sesamum indicum) may have a slightly shorter shelf life in soap, use the light kind – not the toasted strongly scented kind, use 5 to 10%	15	83	0	0	15
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii or Vitellaria paradoxa) nourishing, slightly hardens soap, use 5 to 20%	45	54	0	0	45
Oil/Butter	Hardness	Conditioning	Bubbly	Cleansing	Longevity
Soy Wax (Hydrogenated Soybean Oil) used to add hardness to soap, try around 2 to 3% for cold process soap, can use higher amounts in hot process and shave soap	98	0	0	0	98
Stearic Acid used to add hardness to soap, try around 2 to 3% for cold process, higher amounts in shave soap and hot process	99	0	0	0	99
Sunflower, high oleic (Helianthus annuus) low silky lather, nice for dry or sensitive skin, use 10 to 20%	7	88	0	0	7
Tallow (Beef) adds hardness, use to replace palm oil, use 5 to 35% in recipes	58	40	8	8	50
Tamanu Oil (Calophyllum inophyllum) excellent for various skin conditions, use around 5%	25	73	0	0	25
Tucuma Butter (Astrocaryum tucuma) adds hardness and bubbles, use 5 to 15%	77	13	71	71	6
Ucuuba Butter (Virola Surinamensis) hardens soap, try 3 to 5% in recipes	100	0	92	92	8
Wheat Germ Oil (Triticum vulgare) nourishes dry, mature, or damaged skin, use around 5%	19	75	0	0	19