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Waxes

Sunflower Wax

INCI Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax. Also: Helianthus annuus seed wax, Sunflower seed wax.

Calculate a 100 % Sunflower Wax bar

Published values

Saponification value84–98 mg KOH/g
Used by the calculator91.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint)
SAP for NaOH0.0649 g/g
Iodine value
INS (SAP − IV)
Melting point74–77 °C
Unsaponifiable matter

A bar made of 100 % Sunflower Wax

Hardness 0 below 29–54
Cleansing 0 below 12–22
Conditioning 0 below 44–69
Bubbly lather 0 below 14–46
Creamy lather 0 below 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
This is a true wax — esters of long-chain acids and alcohols rather than a triglyceride — so a fatty-acid profile in the soapmaking sense does not describe it.

Where these numbers come from

Koster Keunen, Inc. (wax producer, Watertown CT)Sunflower Wax - product technical page (Koster Keunen #258) · read 2026-09-20

Technical specification block on the product page: congeal point (ASTM D938), acid value and saponification value (USP 401), INCI, CAS, composition description.

Producer specification for sunflower wax (Koster Keunen product #258, CAS 1286686-34-7, EINECS 310-127-6): congeal (melting) point 74-77 C by ASTM D938, acid value 8 mg KOH/g maximum, saponification value 84-98 mg KOH/g (USP 401 method). The producer describes it as long-chain saturated C42-C60 wax esters, i.e. a true wax ester rather than a triglyceride, so the SAP reflects ester+acid content and it yields little conventional soap. Iodine value, fatty-acid composition and unsaponifiable matter are not published on the producer page (null). INCI name as stated on the producer page.

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.