About
Cocoa butter is one of the hardest butters used in soap making. Made of more than 60% saturated fatty acids (28% palmitic acid, 33% stearic acid), it makes a hard, long-lasting soap with a fine, creamy, stable lather.
It is used in small amounts, usually at 5 to 15% of the oils. Beyond that, the soap becomes brittle and may crack when cut. Being rich in stearic acid, it also tends to speed up trace slightly. Melt it completely (it melts at about 34 to 38 °C) before mixing it with the liquid oils.
Unrefined cocoa butter keeps a chocolate scent, part of which remains in the soap; the deodorised version is neutral. Very stable, it keeps well and hardly ever goes rancid.
SAP value: 194 mg KOH/g, i.e. about 132 g of sodium hydroxide for 1 kg of butter at 5% superfat.
Recommended usage rate
From 5 to 15% of the oils in the recipe.
Values
How much lye for 1 kg?
For 1,000 g of Cocoa Butter with 5% superfat:
These amounts apply to a soap made with this oil only. For a blend of oils, use the calculator.
Fatty acid profile
Soap qualities (oil used alone)
Values for a soap made with 100% of this oil, compared with the recommended range for a complete recipe.
Oils with a similar profile
Fats whose fatty acid composition is closest to this one: useful to find a substitute.