skin and keep it soft.

A range of 44 to 69 is satisfactory for

Soap Bar Qualities this soap quality.

FAQ number 4. What are the best values for Hardness, Bubbly lather - This refers to the soap’s ability to lather up
Cleansing, Condition, Bubbly and Creamy? and get bubbly. A typical range of values would be 14 to
46. The higher Bubbly numbers will tend to produce a
The number ranges are meant to be a relative indicator of
foamy, fluffy lather rather than a creamy lather with littler
the soap's qualities and are general guidelines, not absolute
or no bubbles.
standards. The numbers are based on the combined fatty
acid content of your recipe (the "All" column) . Each fatty Creamy lather - This value indicates the stability and
acid contributes certain qualities to the soap as shown in creaminess of the lather. Usually, increasing Bubbly will
chart below. decrease Creamy and vice versa. A range of 16 to 48 is
common here. The higher Creamy numbers will tend to
  Hardness  Cleansing  Bubbly Lather Creamy Lather Conditioning produce a creamy lather with lesser amounts of bubbles or
Lauric  Yes  Yes  Yes        foam. Soap made with oils that do not contain Lauric,
Myristic  Yes  Yes  Yes        Myristic or Ricinoleic acids will produce a soap with just
creamy lather. An example would be 100% olive oil soap.
Palmitic  Yes        Yes    
Stearic  Yes        Yes     Iodine - As a general rule, the lower the number, the
Ricinoleic        Yes  Yes  Yes  harder the bar and the less the conditioning qualities and
vice versa. A recipe with iodine values higher than 70 will
Oleic              Yes 
tend to produce a somewhat soft bar of soap. Definition:
Linoleic              Yes  number of grams of iodine that will react with the double
Linolenic              Yes  bonds in 100 grams of fats or oils.

The ranges of numbers below represent typical

INS - A measure of the physical qualities of the soap based
values. They are suggested guidelines. As you gain
on the SAP and iodine value. This value was introduced by
experience, you will lean where you can color outside the
Dr. Robert S. McDaniel in his wonderful book "Essentially
lines so to speak.
Soap". The exact origin of the value is unclear but INS is

derived from Iodine value and the SAP value; hence INS -
Hardness - This refers to the hardness of the soap
"Iodine ’n SAP" If the value is not in "Essentially Soap", it is
bar. Higher is harder. A range of 29 to 54 is satisfactory
estimated by subtracting the Iodine Value from the KOH
for this soap quality. A low Iodine value also contributes to
SAP. It is used to predict the physical characteristics of the
hardness (see below).
soap bar - the ideal being 160. Experience has proven a
Cleansing - This refers to the soap's ability to grab on to range of about 136 - 170 will gennerally be acceptable.
oils. A soap molecule is a chain of carbon atoms. One end Summary of values:
of the chain attracts water, the other end attracts oil. When
Hardness 29 to 54
you wash your skin with soap and water, multiple chains will
gather around a droplet of oil (which contains, for lack of a Cleansing 12 to 22
better word, dirt) with their oil-hungry ends attached to the Condition 44 to 69
oil droplet. The water hungry ends are surrounded with
Bubbly lather 14 to 46
water. To make this happen you need to mix up (scrub or
rub) the soap and water on your skin. When you rinse, the Creamy
16 to 48
oil droplets with the attached soap molecules are washed lather
away.
Iodine 41 to 70 (lower = harder bar)
more info here
136 to 170 (higher = harder
INS
Some soap molecules can have a very hungry oil grabbing bar)
end. Soap made with too much Lauric and/or Myristic Acid  
can irritate the skin by washing away not only the top dirty
layer of oils, but also the protective layer of surface oils on
the skin. Generally speaking, keeping the total of coconut
So, what is the secret to the best
and palm kernel in your recipe to no more than 30-35% is
considered the norm. However, when using large or very
large percentages of coconut and palm kernel the strong
soap recipe?
cleansing can be compensated for by superfating with an oil
or butter that has a high conditioning value. A typical range
Learning your fatty acid profiles,
for Cleansing would be 12 to 22. understanding your oil properties,
and tweaking a formula to your
Condition - Conditioning refers to the liking is the name of the game.
soap’s emollient content. A soap’s emollients are left on the
skin. They help the skin retain moisture. They sooth the Additive Testing – Lather Lover’s Swap 
2012 (Check out the results right here!)
If you are looking to increase the size of the bubbles or the  Personally, I prefer instead to formulate based on the fatty
amount of lather, try: acid profile of the formula itself. For a general purpose
body soap, I tend to follow these fatty acid ranges:
 Increasing the percentage of oils that contribute to bubbly
lather, like coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and babassu oil Fatty Acid  Range 
 Decreasing the superfat of the total oils, as too many free 月桂酸+肉荳蔻酸 
oils can cut down on lather 20 to 30 
Lauric + Myristic 
 Using a lather increasing additive like sodium citrate,
sodium lactate, sugar, or rosin 棕櫚酸+硬脂酸 
20 to 30 
 Replacing the water with a lather booster that contains Palmitic + Stearic 
sugars, like beer or wine. 油酸 Oleic  32 to 41 

If you are looking to stabilize or sustain lather, try: 亞油酸 Linoleic  7 to 14 

亞麻酸 Linolenic  0 to 1 

 Using castor oil at 5% to 10% of your recipe. (Be
forewarned, using more than 15% castor oil tends to make 蓖麻油酸 Ricinoleic  4 to 7 
the bar sticky, tacky, and rubbery.)  Most formulas that fall in these guidelines for fatty acids
 Adding or increasing oils that support lather, like almond will also check out with SoapCalc’s Soap Quality numbers
oil, lard, tallow, cocoa butter, palm oil, shea butter, or and their recommended ranges. The above beginner soap
sunflower oil. formula comes pretty close to most of my fatty acid ranges
 Decreasing oils that do not contribute a lot to lather (or as well.
hinder it), like olive oil.
 Now, it’s important to note that what the soap will be used
If you are looking to increase conditioning in a soap recipe,
for will largely influence the fatty acid ranges you aim for.
try:

 For instance, a soap for oily skin might have higher

 Replacing the water with alternative liquids, like goats milk
saturated fatty acids while a soap for dry skin might have
(or other milks), yogurt, or aloe vera juice.
more unsaturated fatty acids. In terms of SoapCalc’s Soap
 Increasing the superfat of the total oils, to condition the
Quality numbers, this means that the soap for oily skin will
skin.
have a higher cleansing number and a lower conditioning
 Adding or increasing nourishing oils, like apricot kernel oil,
number. The dry skin formula will be opposite.
avocado oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, or sunflower oil.
 Adding “luxury oils” at 5% to 10%, like argan oil, evening
primrose oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, jojoba oil,  Shampoo bars might have higher ricinoleic acid content,
meadowfoam oil, pumpkin seed oil, or wheatgerm oil. so the SoapCalc numbers for lather will be hugely inflated.
For shaving soaps that contain higher palmitic and stearic
If you are looking to increase bar hardness, try: acid, the hardness and creamy numbers will look out of
this world.
 Increasing your hard to soft oil ratio, by using a higher
percentage of hard oils (oils that are solid at room  Keep in mind that variables outside of your fatty acids
temperature). affect how your soap will perform, including the type of
 Adding stearic acid at 0.5% to 1% of the total formula. water it’s used in, how much of a superfat or water
 Adding beeswax at 1% to 5% of the total formula. discount you use, how the soap is stored, how long the
 Adding sodium lactate at 1% to 3% of the total formula. soap is cured, and so much more. SoapCalc’s Soap
Quality numbers (and my own fatty acid ranges) don’t
account for all those extra variables! You, as a formulator,
Want a soap recipe to start off with? should understand and account for all those extra factors
when formulating.
Check out my soap making tutorials to see if a recipe strikes
your fancy, like this recipe featuring silk or this one using  SoapCalc’s Soap Quality numbers are great guidelines for
cambrian blue clay. If you want to give it a go in formulating a beginner soapmaker, and they will serve you well when
your own soap recipe, try this basic builder soap formula: formulating. But it’s even better to understand how they
are calculated and what to consider when using them as a
 60% Hard Oils (Solid at Room Temperature) formulating tool!
 30% to 45% Lathering Hard Oils
 15% to 30% Conditioning Hard Oils    
 40% Soft Oils (Liquid at Room Temperature)
 20% to 30% Nourishing Soft Oils
 5% to 10% Luxury Soft Oils
 5% to 10% Castor Oil
 there’s also a decent myristic acid content in the more common
The Most Popular Fatty Acid Profiles, Coconut and Babassu Oils.

determined by survey! And the survey says…

The survey asked for the fatty acid profiles of their favorite
formulas, as well as if they would classify the formulas as a body
soap, facial soap, or specialty soap (so we aren’t comparing
apples to oranges!) And I closed up the survey by asking
soapmakers to rate their favorite formula’s cleansing ability,
amount of lather, and size of the bubbles on a scale of 1 to 5.

I received a fantastic 99 responses to the survey, and am here

to share the results! I’ve created the following bits and pieces of
information from the survey responses that detailed body
soap as the formula type. We’ll run through each fatty acid
individually, so you can compare your fatty acid profiles to
popular opinion!

Lauric Acid The average percentage of myristic acid in the favorite soap
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 7%. Most recipes
clocked in at 4% to 7% myristic acid, but there were a few
Lauric is a saturated fatty acid that contributes hardness, outliers with slightly higher percentages of myristic acid.
cleansing, and big fluffy lather. Babassu, Palm Kernel, and
Coconut Oil are all extremely high in lauric acid. As we all know,
My favorite formulas tend to fall in the same ranges, between 4%
too much lauric acid in a formula can feel drying unless properly
and 7% myristic acid.
balanced with a high superfat or high unsaturated fatty acid
content.

And the survey says…

Palmitic Acid

Palmitic is a saturated fatty acid that contributes hardness and

stable creamy lather. Most soapmakers immediately think palm
oil (and yes, palm oil contains a boatload of palmitic acid).
However, there are plenty of animal fats that contain a heaping
serving of palmitic acid, such as tallow, lard, rabbit fat, and duck
fat. Not into animal fats? Cocoa butter is a great alternative to
palm oil and animal fats for your contribution to palmitic acid.

And the survey says…

The average percentage of lauric acid in the favorite soap

recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 15%. Most recipes
clocked in at 7% to 20% lauric acid, but there were a few outliers
with much higher percentages of lauric.

My favorite formulas tend to fall in the mid teens, between 14%

and 17% lauric acid.

Myristic Acid
Talk about a widespread range, right?!

Myristic is a saturated fatty acid that contributes hardness,

The average percentage of palmitic acid in the favorite soap
cleansing, and fluffy lather. A lot of exotic oils contain high
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 15%, despite a huge
amounts of myristic acid, such as Murumuru Butter, Tucuma
range. Most recipes clocked in at 10% to 20% palmitic acid.
Seed Butter, Monoi de Tahiti Oil, and Cohune Oil. However,
My favorite formulas tend to fall in a much lower range, between
4% and 8% palmitic acid. This is likely due to the fact that I’m a
palm-free, vegan-friendly soapmaker who doesn’t like cocoa
butter because it messes with my nose. (Yes, even when it’s
deodorized!)

Stearic Acid

Stearic is a saturated fatty acid that contributes hardness and

stable lather in soapmaking, similar to palmitic acid, except that it
has a longer carbon chain. A plethora of butters contain high
amounts of stearic acid, including Kokum, Illipe, Sal, Mango, and
Shea butters. A commonly missed oil that contains a gigantic
Again, we see a huge range of values, which actually surprised
amount of stearic acid (more than any butter!) is hydrogenated
me a bit – especially those lower percentages!
soybean oil (sometimes referred to as soy wax or soy
shortening).
The average percentage of oleic acid in the favorite soap recipes
of soapmakers polled rounds in at 36%. Most recipes clocked in
And the survey says…
at 32% to 41% oleic acid.

My favorite formulas tend to fall in the low end of that range,

between 30% and 34% oleic acid. I don’t tend to use olive oil or
any of the other high contributors to oleic acid content, though!

Linoleic Acid

Linoleic is an unsaturated fatty acid that contributes to the

conditioning/moisturizing levels, and is often a contributor to the
silkiness of the lather. Luxury oils like Evening Primrose, Passion
Fruit, Watermelon, Wheat Germ, and Hemp oils are loaded up
on linoleic acid, but are usually too expensive to use in high
amounts (and have ridiculously short shelf life.)
The average percentage of stearic acid in the favorite soap
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 7% (is anyone else And the survey says…
noticing a trend here?!) The two super high percentages of
stearic acid completely bumped the average out of proportion,
most recipes clocked in at 3% to 8% stearic acid.

Now, this is where I make up for my low palmitic acid

content! My favorite formulas tend to fall in high ranges, too,
between 11% and 16% stearic acid.

Oleic Acid

Oleic is an unsaturated fatty acid that contributes to the

conditioning/moisturizing abilities of a soap. Oleic acid is what
makes olive oil loved by soapmakers far and wide. Ironically,
there are plenty of oils that contain far more oleic acid than olive
oil does, including high oleic Sunflower, Safflower, and Canola The huge spread of numbers hitting above 15 surprised me,
oils and the more expensive luxury oils like Hazelnut, Marula, honestly. One of the early “rules” (I’m using some air quotes
Moringa, and Buriti oils. here!) I learned about fatty acids in soapmaking is to limit your
linoleic and linolenic sum to 15% or less, as you have
an increasingly larger risk above 15% to see DOS. As I’ve said
And the survey says…
about soapmaking rules before, there are no real rules (except

safety practices!!!!), there are just guidelines.

The average percentage of linoleic acid in the favorite soap
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 10%. Most recipes
clocked in at 7% to 14% linoleic acid.

My favorite formulas tend to fall in the high end of that range,

between 10% and 14% linoleic acid.

Linolenic Acid

Linolenic is an unsaturated fatty acid that contributes to the

conditioning/moisturizing levels, and is typically very low in soap
formulas. (Linolenic is not the same thing as linoleic!) Again, it’s
found in high percentages in luxury oils such as Pomegranate
The average percentage of ricinoleic acid in the favorite soap
Seed oil, but it’s also found in Flax, Kukui, and Hemp oils.
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 5%. Most recipes
There’s a small amount of linolenic acid in common soapmaking
clocked in at 4% to 7% ricinoleic acid.
oils, such as Olive, Rice Bran, Canola, and Sunflower oils.

My favorite formulas tend to fall in the high end of that range and
above, between 6% and 10% ricinoleic acid. Yup, I love me
some castor oil in soap.

So, there we have it: the most popular fatty acid profiles
provided by a nice selection of soapmakers! How do your
favorite soap recipes measure up?

Want to contribute to the results? Pop over to the survey

and share! I’ll tabulate the data for facial and specialty soaps in
the future, and we could definitely use a larger sampling of fatty
acid profiles there!

 
The average percentage of linolenic acid in the favorite soap
recipes of soapmakers polled rounds in at 1%. Most recipes
clocked in at 0% to 1% linolenic acid.

However, there’s a survey flaw here: the survey was limited to

whole numbers. This definitely is going to affect the results of
such a small percentage of a formula, but hey! It’s better than
nothing.

My favorite formulas tend to hit around 0.2% to 0.5%

linolenic acid.

Ricinoleic Acid

Ricinoleic is an unsaturated fatty acid that contributes to the

conditioning/moisturizing levels, and the stability of lather. Many
soapmakers feel it adds a little slip and glide to the lather. Castor
oil is the only readily available soapmaking oil known to
contain ricinoleic acid, and it’s a super high 90%!