Coconut Oil
The workhorse lathering oil. High lauric acid creates abundant bubbly lather and hardness, but over 33% can be drying.
INCI: COCOS NUCIFERA OIL
Hard OilsVeganFeatured
Expert-reviewedPublished Mar 2026Updated Mar 2026
SAP (NaOH)
0.1900
SAP (KOH)
0.2670
Recommended Max
33%
Comedogenic
?/5
Cost Tier
Budget
Coconut Oil (COCOS NUCIFERA OIL) is a soap-making oil used in handmade soap recipes. Its SAP values are 0.1900 for NaOH and 0.2670 for KOH, which helps dial in accurate lye amounts.
Typical usage stays below 33% of total oils. In practice, it is beginner-friendly in balanced formulas, vegan, usually easy to source at budget-friendly pricing.
Coconut Oil has an NaOH SAP value of 0.19000 and a KOH SAP value of 0.26700, meaning 190g of sodium hydroxide is needed to saponify 1kg of this oil. It is typically used at 0–33.00% of total oil weight in cold process soap recipes.
Fatty Acid Profile
Lauric (48.0%)
Myristic (18.0%)
Palmitic (9.0%)
Stearic (3.0%)
Oleic (7.0%)
Linoleic (2.0%)
Soap Qualities Contributed
Hardness
79(29–54)
Cleansing
67(12–22)
Conditioning
10(44–69)
Bubbly Lather
67(14–46)
Creamy Lather
12(16–48)
Longevity
79(5–35)
Shaded areas show the ideal range for balanced soap. Values outside these ranges may still produce good soap depending on the overall formula.
Formulation Guidance
Recommended range:0% — 33%
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Recipes using Coconut Oil
Triple Butter Luxury
An ultra-rich bar with three butters: shea, cocoa, and mango. This is a showcase bar — silky lather, incredible skin feel, and a beautiful hard bar. The 7% superfat leaves plenty of unsaponified butter on the skin.
Published Mar 19, 2026
Charcoal Detox Bar
A deep-cleansing bar designed for oily and acne-prone skin. High coconut for maximum cleansing, palm for hardness, and a low 3% superfat to keep the bar from feeling greasy. Activated charcoal draws impurities.
Published Mar 19, 2026
Honey Oatmeal Bar
A soothing, skin-loving bar perfect for sensitive or dry skin. The olive-shea base conditions while coconut provides lather. Sweet almond oil adds a delicate, skin-softening quality.
Published Mar 19, 2026
Tallow & Cream
A rich, creamy bar built on beef tallow — the original soapmaking fat. Higher superfat at 8% leaves extra conditioning oils on the skin. Castor oil boosts the lather from the tallow-coconut base.
Published Mar 19, 2026
Related Ingredients
Saw Palmetto Oil
Saw Palmetto Oil is a soap-making oil used in handmade soap that supports hardness and creamy lather while adds bubbly lather and cleansing power. Typical usage stays below 33% of total oils. It is beginner-friendly in balanced formulas and vegan.
Saw Palmetto Extract
Saw Palmetto Extract is a soap-making oil used in handmade soap that supports hardness and creamy lather while adds bubbly lather and cleansing power. Typical usage stays below 33% of total oils. It is beginner-friendly in balanced formulas and vegan.
Palm Kernel Oil
Similar to coconut oil in behavior. Can substitute coconut oil 1:1 in most recipes.
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Fractionated Coconut Oil is a soap-making oil used in handmade soap that adds bubbly lather and cleansing power while supports hardness and creamy lather. Typical usage stays below 33% of total oils. It is beginner-friendly in balanced formulas and vegan.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin Coconut Oil is a soap-making oil used in handmade soap that supports hardness and creamy lather while adds bubbly lather and cleansing power. Typical usage stays below 33% of total oils. It is beginner-friendly in balanced formulas and vegan.