soapformulator
English
Oils

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Also: Cucurbita pepo seed oil, Styrian pumpkin seed oil, Kürbiskernöl, Pepita oil.

Calculate a 100 % Pumpkin Seed Oil bar

Published values

Saponification value186–193 mg KOH/g (typ. 188.3)
Used by the calculator188.3 mg KOH/g (typical)
SAP for NaOH0.1342 g/g
Iodine value110–133.21 g I₂/100 g
INS (SAP − IV)67
Melting point
Unsaponifiable matter1–1.5 %

A bar made of 100 % Pumpkin Seed Oil

Hardness 18 below 29–54
Cleansing 0 below 12–22
Conditioning 82 above 44–69
Bubbly lather 0 below 14–46
Creamy lather 18 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
Palmitic acid C16:0 · saturated 10.74–11.83 (typ. 11.68) 11.7
Stearic acid C18:0 · saturated 5.9–15.48 (typ. 5.9) 5.9
Oleic acid C18:1 31.3–35.38 (typ. 31.3) 31.3
Linoleic acid C18:2 37.88–50.49 (typ. 50.49) 50.5
α-Linolenic acid C18:3 n-3 0.21–0.66 (typ. 0.21) 0.2
Arachidic acid C20:0 · saturated 0.42 0.4

Where these numbers come from

MDPI (Molecules), open-access copy via PubMed CentralAnalysis of Quality Distinctions of Pumpkin Seed Oil (Cucurbita pepo var. oleifera) and Walnut Oil (Juglans regia L.) (Czwartkowski K. et al.; Molecules 2026, 31(8):1263; DOI 10.3390/molecules31081263) · document dated 2026 · read 2026-09-20

Table 2 quality indicators (acid value, peroxide value, anisidine value) and Table 4 fatty-acid composition of the Styrian C. pepo var. oleifera oil.

MDPI (Foods), open-access copy via PubMed CentralEffects of Extraction Strategies on Yield, Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Pumpkin Seed Oil (Hu T. et al.; Foods 2023, 12(18):3351; DOI 10.3390/foods12183351) · document dated 2023 · read 2026-09-20

Table 2 saponification value, iodine value, acid value, peroxide value per extraction method; Table 1 fatty-acid composition.

Frontiers Media (Frontiers in Nutrition), open-access copy via PubMed CentralCold pressed oils: a systematic review on physicochemical properties, nutritional composition and pharmacological activities (Front. Nutr. 2026; DOI 10.3389/fnut.2026.1747029) · document dated 2026 · read 2026-09-20

Table 1 row 'Pumpkin seed oil': iodine value 110-125, saponification value 186-193, unsaponifiable 1.0-1.5 %, density 0.912-0.918 (review's reference [40]).

Three open-access documents. (1) PRIMARY, Molecules 2026: one cold-pressed oil from Austrian-grown Cucurbita pepo var. oleifera (Styrian oil pumpkin, 'Gleisdorfer Oelkuerbis'); Table 4 fatty acids palmitic 11.68, stearic 5.90, oleic 31.30, linoleic 50.49, alpha-linolenic 0.21, arachidic 0.42 % (others not detected); Table 2 acid value 1.23 mg KOH/g, peroxide value 5.43 meq O2/kg. These are the 'typical' values in this record because they are the only ones explicitly from C. pepo. That paper did not measure saponification or iodine value. (2) ADDITIONAL, Foods 2023 (Chinese commercial pumpkin seeds, species not stated): Table 2 saponification value 188.3 +/- 2.14 (cold press), 190.2 (microwave press), 188.9 (supercritical CO2) mg KOH/g; iodine value 129.36 / 128.97 / 133.21, printed as 'mg I2/g' (numerically consistent with g I2/100 g); acid value 0.61-0.90 mg KOH/g; Table 1 fatty acids (cold press) palmitic 11.83, stearic 15.48, oleic 34.16, linoleic 37.88, linolenic 0.65 %. The SAP 'typical' (188.3) and the upper IV bound (133.21) come from this paper; note its much higher stearic and lower linoleic content than the Styrian C. pepo oil, so the fatty-acid min/max in this record span two different pumpkin sources. (3) ADDITIONAL, Frontiers in Nutrition 2026 systematic review, Table 1 row 'Pumpkin seed oil' (its reference [40]): saponification 186-193, iodine 110-125, unsaponifiable 1.0-1.5 %, density 0.912-0.918; these supply the SAP min/max, the IV lower bound and the unsaponifiable range. Melting point not given (liquid oil). INCI not verified on CosIng in this session, left null.

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.