Carnauba Wax for Soap Making
Carnauba Wax is a hard hard oil dominated by palmitic (10%), stearic (5%), oleic (5%). Its mixed fatty-acid profile contributes a bit of everything, so it works flexibly in mid-size proportions across many recipe styles.
Quick Facts
How Much Lye for Carnauba Wax?
With a SAP value of 0.062, fully saponifying carnauba wax takes 0.062 grams of sodium hydroxide per gram of oil (at 0% superfat):
| Oil amount | NaOH (0% superfat) | KOH (liquid soap) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 6.2 g | 8.7 g |
| 500 g | 31 g | 43.5 g |
| 1000 g | 62 g | 87 g |
Real recipes use a superfat discount (typically 5%) and almost always blend several oils. Always run your full recipe through the Soaply lye calculator rather than weighing lye from a single-oil table.
Predicted Bar Properties
Derived from the fatty acid profile, for a bar made of 100% carnauba wax:
Fatty Acid Profile
| Fatty acid | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Palmitic | 10% |
| Stearic | 5% |
| Oleic | 5% |
Substitutes for Carnauba Wax
The closest matches by fatty acid profile, which is what actually determines how an oil behaves in soap. Swap by weight and re-run the lye calculation, since SAP values differ:
Build a recipe with Carnauba Wax
The free Soaply calculator handles the lye math, water, superfat, and property predictions for any blend of 100 oils.
Open the lye calculatorMore Hard Oils
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