Palm Oil in Soap: What It Does and How to Choose Responsibly

Look at the label of many bar soaps and you will find palm oil, often hidden behind names like sodium palmate. Here is why it is there and what to consider.

Why soap makers use palm oil

• It makes a hard bar that lasts.
• It gives a creamy, stable lather when combined with coconut oil.
• It is widely available and inexpensive.

How to spot it on a label

• Sodium palmate: saponified palm oil.
• Sodium palm kernelate: saponified palm kernel oil.
• Elaeis guineensis: the botanical name for oil palm.

The environmental concerns

Expansion of oil palm plantations has been linked to deforestation and habitat loss. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) says conventionally grown palm oil is not sustainable and sets standards that prohibit clearing primary forest and high-conservation-value areas.

What RSPO certification means

RSPO-certified growers are audited yearly by independent certification bodies. Labels can describe different supply chains, from fully segregated certified oil to "mass balance" (a mix of certified and conventional oil) and credits. It is not a perfect system, but it is more transparent than an unexplained "palm oil" on the label.

Palm-free options

Many handmade soaps are palm-free, using olive, coconut, shea or tallow for hardness. Aleppo and castile-style bars often contain no palm at all. See what is Aleppo soap and olive oil in soap.

Palm oil vs palm kernel oil

The two come from the same fruit but behave differently. Palm oil is pressed from the fruit's flesh and gives a hard, long-lasting bar with a stable lather. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed and behaves more like coconut oil, adding big bubbles and a stronger cleansing feel. On a label they appear as sodium palmate and sodium palm kernelate.

What replaces palm oil in palm-free soap?

• Olive oil: gentle and hard once well cured, but lathers less and takes longer to cure.
• Coconut oil: hard, bubbly and very cleansing. Usually kept to a modest share of a recipe.
• Shea butter and cocoa butter: add hardness and a creamy feel.
• Tallow and lard: traditional animal fats that make hard, mild bars. Not suitable for vegans.
• Other plant butters and waxes: such as mango butter, or small amounts of stearic acid.

Is palm-free always better?

Not automatically. Every crop has environmental costs, and oil palm produces a lot of oil per acre compared with many alternatives. Replacing it with another oil grown on more land is not a clear win. Many environmental groups focus on how palm oil is produced, deforestation-free and traceable supply chains, rather than on avoiding it entirely. The best choice depends on what matters most to you: avoiding palm altogether, or supporting certified, traceable palm.

Questions to ask a soap brand

1. Do you use palm oil or palm-derived ingredients, and which ones?
2. Is it RSPO certified, and under which supply-chain model?
3. Can you trace it to a mill or region?
4. If you are palm-free, what do you use instead?

A good brand will answer clearly. Vague answers are a sign to look elsewhere if this matters to you.

Palm-derived ingredients beyond the oil

Many detergent ingredients and additives are also made from palm or palm kernel oil, such as some forms of glycerin, stearic acid and sodium lauryl sulfate. They rarely say 'palm' on the label, which is another reason brand transparency matters. More on detergents in sodium lauryl sulfate vs soap.

How to choose

• Prefer brands that explain where their palm comes from.
• Look for RSPO or similar certification if palm is used.
• Choose palm-free bars if avoiding it matters to you.