Emu Oil
INCI Emu Oil. CAS 158570-96-8, as CosIng gives it. Also: Dromaius novaehollandiae oil, Rendered emu fat.
Published values
| Saponification value | 190–200 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 195.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1390 g/g |
| Iodine value | 72.67 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 122 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | 0.54 % |
Soapmaking books print about 0.135 g NaOH per g (median of 3 books). Soapmaking books print 0.135-0.138 g NaOH per g for emu oil. Japan's standard for emu oil as a cosmetic ingredient sets 190-200 mg KOH/g, and the oil's fatty acids, mostly oleic and palmitic, work out at 196, so we use the standard's middle, 195 (0.139).
A bar made of 100 % Emu 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 | 66.0 g(64.3–67.7) | 92.6 g(90.3–95.0) |
| 1 kg | 132.1 g(128.7–135.4) | 185.3 g(180.5–190.0) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 59.9 g(58.4–61.4) | 84.0 g(81.9–86.2) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 119.8 g(116.7–122.9) | 168.1 g(163.7–172.4) |
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 35 : 65
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 25.67 | 25.7 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 4.08 | 4.1 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 9.06 | 9.1 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 45.76 | 45.8 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 14 | 14.0 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 0.37 | 0.4 |
| Behenic acid | C22:0 · saturated | 0.05 | 0.1 |
Where these numbers come from
Table 1 (physicochemical properties: acid value, FFA, peroxide value, iodine value, unsaponified matter, refractive index) and Table 2 (fatty acid composition, % of total). Published 2022.
The source of the saponification value. Fatty oil obtained from the subcutaneous tissue of Dromaius novaehollandiae, consisting mainly of triglycerides of oleic, stearic, linoleic and palmitic acids: acid value 1.0 max (method 1, 10 g); saponification value 190-200; iodine value 40-80; residue on ignition 0.1 % max. Read from the page image.
Source: Nutrients 14(11):2238 (2022), Table 1 (physicochemical) and Table 2 (fatty acids) for one emu oil sample obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction of emu fatty tissue from Guangdong Xinji Emu Industry Co. (Jiangmen, China); values are mean +/- SD of replicate analyses of that single sample, not a population range. Table 1: acid value 1.24 +/- 0.49 mg KOH/g, free fatty acids 0.80 %, peroxide value 1.50 meq/kg, iodine value 72.67 +/- 2.08 g/100 g, unsaponifiable matter 0.54 +/- 0.13 %, refractive index 1.46 (40 C). Table 2 (% of total FA): saturated 34.78; palmitic C16:0 25.67; C18:0 9.06 (the paper labels this row 'heptadecanoic acid (C18:0)' - C18:0 is stearic acid and is mapped as such); docosanoic C22:0 0.05; unsaturated 64.28; palmitoleic C16:1 4.08; heptadecenoic C17:1 0.06 (no key, not mapped); oleic C18:1 45.76; linoleic C18:2 14.00; linolenic C18:3 0.37. The paper does not report a saponification value. SAPONIFICATION VALUE is the band in Japan's Standards of Quasi-drug Ingredients 2021 (MHLW), 'Emu Oil', a fatty oil from the subcutaneous tissue of Dromaius novaehollandiae: 190-200 mg KOH/g, with iodine value 40-80 and acid value 1.0 max. The calculator uses its middle, 195; the composition above gives 195.8 as pure triglyceride, and the paper's iodine value (72.67) sits inside the standard's band. This replaces the value the build derived from that composition. A characterization in the Indian JLST (2013) that may print a saponification value is not openly accessible and was not used. INCI name from CosIng. INCI: CosIng also carries the older Latin-form name "Dromiceius Oil" for the same material; either may appear on a label.
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.