Macadamia Nut Oil
Saponification values, fatty acid makeup, and what this oil does in a bar of soap.
Saponification values
Grams of lye needed to saponify one gram of macadamia nut oil. Multiply by your oil weight, then apply your superfat.
- NaOH (bar soap)
- 0.139
- KOH (liquid soap)
- 0.195
- Iodine
- 76
- INS
- 119
INCI: Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Fatty acid profile
These figures account for 75% of macadamia nut oil. The remainder is made up of fatty acids this model does not track, so treat the derived qualities below as indicative rather than complete.
| Fatty acid | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Oleic | 59% |
| Palmitic | 9% |
| Stearic | 5% |
| Linoleic | 2% |
Soap qualities at 100%
What a bar made entirely of macadamia nut oil would score. Almost nobody soaps a single oil at 100% — this is here so you can see what the oil contributes to a blend. The shaded band is the range most makers aim for in a finished recipe.
What that means in a recipe
Very little hardness (14). Expect a soft bar and a longer cure unless it is combined with a harder fat or butter.
Derived from the numbers above rather than written by hand, so it stays in step with the data. Tendencies, not guarantees — your oils, water, and technique all move the result.
Oils that behave similarly
Closest matches by fatty acid makeup — the usual starting point when you have run out of macadamia nut oil and need a substitute. Check the lye maths again after swapping: SAP values differ even between oils that behave alike.
- Papaya seed oil, Carica papayaSAP 0.113 NaOH
- Marula OilSAP 0.137 NaOH
- Pataua (Patawa) OilSAP 0.143 NaOH
- Moringa OilSAP 0.137 NaOH
- Camellia Oil, Tea SeedSAP 0.138 NaOH