Soy Wax (Hydrogenated Soybean Oil)
INCI Hydrogenated Soybean Oil. CAS 8016-70-4; EC 232-410-2, as CosIng gives them. Also: Hydrogenated soybean oil, Soybean wax, Fully hydrogenated soybean oil (FHSO).
That is stoichiometry on a measured composition rather than a guess, and it is about as well determined as a published figure: checked against the 36 Codex oils where both fields come from the same standard, the method's median error is 0.84 % and its 90th percentile 2.44 %, and it runs slightly high, by 0.55 % on average. The formula page shows the working. If you have a certificate of analysis for your lot, enter its measured value in the calculator and this estimate is set aside.
Published values
| Saponification value | not published |
| Derived from composition | 191.0 ± 3 % mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 191.0 mg KOH/g (derived) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1362 g/g |
| Iodine value | ≤ 4 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 187 |
| Melting point | 61.1–68.3 °C |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
A bar made of 100 % Soy Wax
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 | 64.7 g | 90.7 g |
| 1 kg | 129.4 g | 181.5 g |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 58.7 g | 82.3 g |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 117.4 g | 164.6 g |
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 95 : 5
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | ≤ 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 9–16 | 12.5 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 79–89 | 84.0 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | ≤ 4 | 4.0 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | ≤ 1 | 1.0 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | ≤ 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | ≤ 1 | 1.0 |
| Behenic acid | C22:0 · saturated | ≤ 1 | 1.0 |
Where these numbers come from
Technical specification block on the product page: melting point (USP 741, in F), acid value and iodine value (USP 401), peroxide value, INCI, CAS.
The Ph. Eur. limits for hydrogenated soya-bean oil (fatty-acid composition by GC of FAMEs, Ph. Eur. 2.4.22), checked on the rendered page because the text layer separates the values from their rows. CAS 8016-70-4, EINECS 232-410-2, INCI Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, as on the primary. The source of the record's fatty acids.
Producer specification for Koster Keunen Soy Wax #350 (INCI Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, CAS 8016-70-4, EINECS 232-410-2): melting point 142-155 F by USP 741 (converted here to 61.1-68.3 C), acid value < 2 mg KOH/g (USP 401), iodine value < 4 g/100 g (USP 401), peroxide value < 5 meq/kg. Unlike candelilla, carnauba, rice-bran or sunflower wax, 'soy wax' is a fully or partially hydrogenated triglyceride, so it saponifies completely; however no allowed document giving a measured saponification value for hydrogenated soybean oil was found (the producer page omits it, USP/Ph. Eur. monographs for hydrogenated soybean oil are paywalled, and Cargill's NatureWax data sheet could not be fetched), so the saponification value is left blank rather than copied from liquid soybean oil. Candle-grade container soy waxes (e.g. partially hydrogenated blends) have lower melt points than this fully hydrogenated product; check the specific product's TDS. Fatty-acid composition is not published on the producer page. FATTY ACIDS, added 2026-09-26: the limits the European Pharmacopoeia sets for hydrogenated soya-bean oil, the same substance under the same INCI name, CAS and EC numbers, read from Gustav Heess's specification for its Ph. Eur. 12 grade (Sp300040h, printed 21 January 2026): below C14 max 0.1 (no key), C14:0 max 0.5, C16:0 9.0-16.0, C18:0 79.0-89.0, C18:1 and isomers max 4.0, C18:2 and isomers max 1.0, C18:3 and isomers max 0.2, C20:0 max 1.0, C22:0 max 1.0 %; the same sheet gives acid value max 0.5, peroxide value max 5.0, unsaponifiable matter max 1.0 % and slip melting point 66-72 C. That is the composition of any fully hydrogenated soybean oil, which #350's iodine value below 4 makes this one; a partially hydrogenated container wax is a different material. The sheet prints no saponification or iodine value. The record is flagged saponifiesAsFat, so the build derives its SAP from this composition (about 191 mg KOH/g) and the soap calculator can use it; the category stays 'wax' because the balm tool lists soy wax among its waxes.
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.