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Oils

Apricot Kernel Oil

INCI Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil. Saponified with NaOH it is listed as Sodium Apricot Kernelate, with KOH as Potassium Apricot Kernelate. Also: Prunus armeniaca kernel oil, Apricot oil.

Calculate a 100 % Apricot Kernel Oil bar

Published values

Saponification value185–195 mg KOH/g
Used by the calculator190.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint)
SAP for NaOH0.1354 g/g
Iodine value90–115 g I₂/100 g
INS (SAP − IV)88
Melting point
Unsaponifiable matter≤ 1 %

A bar made of 100 % Apricot Kernel Oil

Hardness 10 below 29–54
Cleansing 2 below 12–22
Conditioning 91 above 44–69
Bubbly lather 2 below 14–46
Creamy lather 9 below 16–48

Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.

Fatty-acid profile

Fatty acidPublished range, %Used
Myristic acid C14:0 · saturated ≤ 1.5 1.5
Palmitic acid C16:0 · saturated 3–10 6.5
Palmitoleic acid C16:1 ≤ 1.5 1.5
Stearic acid C18:0 · saturated 0.5–4 2.3
Oleic acid C18:1 54–70 62.0
Linoleic acid C18:2 20–35 27.5
α-Linolenic acid C18:3 n-3 ≤ 1 1.0
Arachidic acid C20:0 · saturated ≤ 0.5 0.5
Gadoleic acid C20:1 ≤ 0.5 0.5
Behenic acid C22:0 · saturated ≤ 0.5 0.5

Where these numbers come from

Gustav Heess GmbH (oil producer/refiner), product specification sheetProduct Specification: Apricot kernel oil refined (Reg-No. Sp216030d) · document dated 2024-03-26 · read 2026-09-20
Gustav Heess GmbH (oil producer/refiner), product specification sheetProduct Specification: Apricot kernel oil cold pressed (Reg-No. Sp216020c) · document dated 2025-11-06 · read 2026-09-20

Not covered by Codex CXS 210 or by a pharmacopoeial monograph available to me; all values are the producer's release specification for refined apricot kernel oil (Gustav Heess GmbH, methods Ph. Eur. 2.5.4/2.5.6/2.4.22): iodine value 90.0-115.0 g I2/100 g; saponification value 185.0-195.0 mg KOH/g; unsaponifiable max 1.0 %; acid value max 0.6; myristic max 1.5, palmitic 3.0-10.0, palmitoleic max 1.5, stearic 0.5-4.0, oleic 54.0-70.0, linoleic 20.0-35.0, linolenic max 1.0, arachidic/eicosenoic/behenic max 0.5, other FA max 1.0 %. The cold-pressed sheet (Sp216020c, 2025-11-06) carries the same fatty-acid ranges but no SAP/IV.

This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL). Found an error or a better primary source? The dataset is on GitHub; corrections with a document link are welcome.