Argan Oil
INCI Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil. CAS 223747-87-3, 299184-75-1, as CosIng gives it. Also: Argania spinosa kernel oil, Argan kernel oil.
Published values
| Saponification value | 189–199.1 mg KOH/g (typical 193.11) |
| Used by the calculator | 193.1 mg KOH/g (typical) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1377 g/g |
| Iodine value | 91–110 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 93 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
Soapmaking books print about 0.135 g NaOH per g (median of 2 books), which agrees with ours to within 2 %.
A bar made of 100 % Argan Oil
Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.
How much lye
| Oil | NaOH | KOH |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 65.4 g(64.0–67.4) | 91.7 g(89.8–94.6) |
| 1 kg | 130.8 g(128.0–134.8) | 183.5 g(179.6–189.1) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 59.3 g(58.1–61.2) | 83.2 g(81.4–85.8) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 118.6 g(116.1–122.3) | 166.4 g(162.9–171.6) |
For this oil alone at 5 % superfat, with pure sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or pure potassium hydroxide (KOH); in brackets, across the published range of its saponification value. KOH is usually sold at 90 %: divide by 0.9. For a whole recipe, open the calculator.
Fatty-acid profile
Saturated : unsaturated 21 : 79
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauric acid | C12:0 · saturated | 0.04–0.05 | 0.0 |
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 0.11–0.12 | 0.1 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 13.82–14.11 | 14.0 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 0.15–0.17 | 0.2 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 5.69–5.87 | 5.8 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 45.48–46.63 | 46.1 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 30.84–31.35 | 31.1 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 0.06 | 0.1 |
| γ-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-6 | 0.02 | 0.0 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | 0.39–0.4 | 0.4 |
| Gadoleic acid | C20:1 | 0.37–0.38 | 0.4 |
| Behenic acid | C22:0 · saturated | 0.03–0.05 | 0.0 |
| Lignoceric acid | C24:0 · saturated | 0.02–0.03 | 0.0 |
Recipes that use it
- Charcoal and tea tree facial bar 10 % of the oils
- Luxury bar 10 % of the oils
- Rhassoul clay and argan facial bar 10 % of the oils
Where these numbers come from
Fatty acids are this paper's own GC measurements, Table 3, given as the span of its two provenance means (natural-forest Tindouf and plantation Adrar). The saponification 'typical' 193.11 is its measured natural-forest mean (Table 2); the planted-tree mean was 189.69. This paper reports NO iodine value.
Source of the iodine value 91.0-110.0 (Table 1). The review quotes it from the Moroccan standard SNIMA PNM 08.5.090 (2003) and Gharby et al. 2012, so it is a twice-removed figure, not a measurement made in the review.
Release specification for a commercial cold-pressed oil: acid value max 4.0, peroxide max 10.0, refractive index ca. 1.471, relative density ca. 0.915, and a wider fatty-acid band (palmitic 10.0-15.0, stearic 4.0-7.4, oleic 43.0-50.0, linoleic 29.0-37.0). It prints neither a saponification nor an iodine value.
SAPONIFICATION: 189.0-199.1 mg KOH/g is the Moroccan national standard range (NM/PNM 08.5.090, issued by SNIMA, later IMANOR), QUOTED identically by both documents below rather than measured by either. The typical 193.11 is MEASURED by Foods 2026 (Table 2, natural-forest Tindouf samples, 193.11 +/- 2.12); its planted-tree Adrar samples measured 189.69 +/- 3.06. Both by direct titration, not calculated from fatty-acid composition. IODINE: 91.0-110.0 g I2/100 g comes ONLY from the Frontiers in Nutrition 2022 review (Table 1), which itself quotes the SNIMA 2003 standard and Gharby et al. 2012 (Mediterr. J. Nutr. Metab. 5:31-8) - twice removed, and neither underlying source was opened. An earlier pass attributed this range to the Foods 2026 paper; that was wrong, the word 'iodine' does not appear in it. FATTY ACIDS: measured by GC in Foods 2026, Table 3; ranges here span its two provenance means. Acids with not recorded here are left out: margaric C17:0 0.07-0.08, C17:1 0.02-0.03, C16:1 n-9 0.02, and C18:1 n-7 1.10-1.11 (the keyed 'oleic' holds C18:1 n-9 only). Reported subtotals: SFA 20.18-20.69, MUFA 47.15-48.33, PUFA 30.92-31.43 %. The Moroccan standard's wider regulatory bands (palmitic 11.5-15.0, stearic 4.3-7.2, oleic 43.0-49.1, linoleic 29.3-36.0) and the Gustav Heess commercial band are recorded in the provenance notes rather than in the fields.
This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL), which you can download as CSV or JSON. Found an error or a better primary source? Corrections with a link to the document are welcome at support@soapformulator.com.