Palm Kernel Oil – RBD | Soap Making & Cosmetic Oil

Palm Kernel Oil is a versatile vegetable oil widely used in soap making and cosmetic formulations. Rich in lauric and myristic fatty acids, it is especially valued for adding hardness, cleansing power, and bubbly lather to handcrafted soap.

It can also be used in body butters, balms, creams, lotions, and hair care formulations where a rich, conditioning oil is desired.

Benefits

• Helps create a hard, long-lasting bar of soap
• Contributes abundant, bubbly lather
• Adds cleansing properties to soap formulations
• Provides emollience and conditioning
• Useful in both skin care and hair care
• Refined for a neutral, easy-to-formulate ingredient
• Vegan raw material

New Directions Aromatics Canada lists its Palm Kernel Carrier Oil (RBD) as vegan-certified.

Popular Uses

Cold Process & Hot Process Soap
Palm Kernel Oil is commonly used alongside softer oils to improve bar hardness, cleansing, and lather.

Shampoo Bars
Useful in solid cleansing formulations where hardness and foam are important.

Body Butters & Balms
Adds richness and body to anhydrous formulations.

Creams & Lotions
Can be incorporated into the oil phase to provide emollience and texture.

Hair Care
Suitable for conditioners, masks, and other oil-based hair treatments.

How to Use

For soap making, always enter Palm Kernel Oil into a reliable soap calculator to determine the correct amount of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide required for your recipe.

For creams, lotions, balms, and hair products, melt or blend it into the oil phase as required by your formulation.

Because Palm Kernel Oil can contribute significant cleansing power in soap, it is normally blended with other oils rather than used as the sole soap-making oil.

Ingredient Information

INCI Name: Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil

Botanical Name: Elaeis guineensis

Plant Part: Kernel / Seed

Processing: RBD – Refined, Bleached and Deodorized

Solubility: Oil soluble

Great For

Cold process soap, hot process soap, shampoo bars, body butters, balms, creams, lotions, conditioners, hair masks, and handmade cosmetics.