Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Oil)
INCI Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter. Saponified with NaOH it is listed as Sodium Cocoa Butterate, with KOH as Potassium Cocoa Butterate. CAS 84649-99-0, 8002-31-1; EC 283-480-6, as CosIng gives them. Also: Theobroma oil, Cacao butter, Oleum cacao, Theobroma cacao seed butter.
Published values
| Saponification value | 188–198 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 193.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1376 g/g |
| Iodine value | 33–42 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 156 |
| Melting point | 31–35 °C |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
Soapmaking books print about 0.137 g NaOH per g (median of 8 books), which agrees with ours to within 2 %.
A bar made of 100 % Cocoa Butter
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(63.7–67.0) | 91.7 g(89.3–94.1) |
| 1 kg | 130.7 g(127.3–134.1) | 183.4 g(178.6–188.1) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 59.3 g(57.8–60.8) | 83.2 g(81.0–85.3) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 118.6 g(115.5–121.6) | 166.3 g(162.0–170.6) |
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 61 : 39
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 23–30 | 26.5 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 31–37 | 34.0 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 31–38 | 34.5 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 1.6–4.8 | 3.2 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 0–1.5 | 0.8 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | 0–1.5 | 0.8 |
Recipes that use it
- Mocha swirl bar 25 % of the oils
- Cream and honey luxury bar 23 % of the oils
- Men's cedar and orange bar 20 % of the oils
- Rice bran and avocado bar 20 % of the oils
- Vegan hard bar 20 % of the oils
- Unscented chamomile bar 17 % of the oils
- Almond milk and oat bar 15 % of the oils
- Beer and castor shampoo bar 15 % of the oils
- Butter bar 15 % of the oils
- Coconut milk bar 15 % of the oils
- Dead Sea mud facial bar 15 % of the oils
- Loofah soap rounds 15 % of the oils
Guides that discuss it
- Choosing the oils for your first soap
- Dreaded orange spots (DOS) and rancid soap
- Heat in soapmaking: lye solution, soaping temperature and gel
- Palm-free soap: what takes palm oil's place
- The 25er-Rezept: Germany's four-oil beginner soap, with or without palm
- The soaping oils: what each one brings to a bar
Compared with other oils
Where these numbers come from
Mirror site hosting the USP 29-NF 24 text; values transcribed from that page. Newer USP editions may differ.
JP XVIII 'Cacao Butter' (Oleum Cacao): melting point 31-35 C; congealing point of fatty acids 45-50 C; acid value NMT 3.0; saponification value 188-195; iodine value 35-43.
Five Venezuelan hybrid cultivars: palmitic 22.9-26.1%, stearic 34.7-37.3%, oleic 36.2-39.9%, linoleic ND-1.6%; iodine value 32.5-34.1; saponification value 193.4-194.9 mg KOH/g; melting point 35-36 C.
All ranges from the USP 29-NF 24 'Cocoa Butter' monograph: iodine value 33-42; saponification value 188-198; slip point 30-34 C and clear melting point 31-35 C (the melting point = clear melting point); fatty-acid composition (GC, % of methyl esters): palmitate 23-30, stearate 31-37, oleate 31-38, linoleate 1.6-4.8, linolenate 0-1.5, arachidate 0-1.5; refractive index 1.454-1.459 (40 C); free fatty acids NMT 1.4 % as oleic. JP XVIII 'Cacao Butter': SAP 188-195, IV 35-43, melting point 31-35 C, acid value NMT 3.0, specific gravity 0.895-0.904 (40/20). Heess refined cocoa butter: IV 33.0-42.0, SAP 188.0-200.0, FFA max 1.75 %. Padilla et al. 2000 (five hybrid cultivars): palmitic 22.9-26.1, stearic 34.7-37.3, oleic 36.2-39.9, linoleic ND-1.6 %, IV 32.5-34.1, SAP 193.4-194.9, melting point 35-36 C. Unsaponifiable not given in USP/JP.
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