Linoleic Oleic Palmitic Stearic Iodine       Hard bar Hard Bar value   Conditioning Conditioning Stable lather Stable lather (see note#) almond, sweet 20-30% 62-86% 4-9% 0.5-3% 95-109 apricot kernel 22-33% 56-70% 3-8% 0.5-3% 95-110 avocado 5-15% 45-75% 15-25% 1.5% 75-95 baobab 18-35% 20-40% 18-36% 2-8% 55-95 black cumin 50-64% 18-28% 9-16% 1.5-5% 110-125 blackcurrant 40-58% 8-16% 6-14% 1-4% 145-188 borage 34-43% 14-20% 9-11% 3-5% 130-140 camellia 5-10% 70-85% 6-11% 1.5-3% 75-95 castor ** + 5-7% 3-7% 1-2% <1.5% 82-90 cocoa butter 2-7% 29-41% 25-35% 28-38% 30-45 coconut** + 1-3% 6-10% 7-12% 1-3% 8-11 evening primrose 70-75% 5-10% 5-10% 1-2% 140-160 grapeseed 60-75% 12-25% 6-9% 3-6% 130-145 hazelnut 7-15% 68-85% 4-8% 1.5-4% 85-100 hempseed 50-65% 12-20% 4-9% 2-5% 150-170 jojoba 1-5% 5-25% <4% <1% 80-90 kiwiseed 12-22% 10-16% 2-7% 2-7% 170-205 kukui nut 35-50% 10-35% 4-10% 2-8% 130-165 macadamia 1-3% 54-60% 7-10% 2-6% 73-79 mango butter 3-7% 38-50% 11-17% 30-45% 40-55 marula 4-7% 70-78% 9-12% 5-8% 70-80 meadowfoam+   3%       neem 8-20% 40-60% 14-19% 14-21% 65-85 olive (incl. pomace)** 6-14% 63-83% 7-17% 3-5% 79-95 palm** 3-13% 35-45% 40-50% 4-7% 48-58 peach kernel 17-30% 55-70% 4-7% 1.5-3% 95-115 pomegranate+ 7% 6% 3% 3%   pumpkin seed 36-64% 18-47% 7-15% 3-13% 115-140 raspberry seed 55% 12% 2% 1%   rosehip 42-49% 13-16% 2.5-5% 1-3% 180-195 safflower 50-74% 20-40% 5-8% 2.5-7% 120-135 sea buckthorn seed 40% 20% 6-10% 3%   sea buckthorn fruit 10% 15% 30% 2%   sesame 30-55% 40-50% 6-15% 3-6% 103-116 shea butter 4-10% 40-50% 3-8% 35-45% 45-65 soybean 48-57% 19-28% 10-14% 3-5% 125-145 sunflower 40-74% 15-40% 5-8% 2.5-7% 120-145 tamanu 30% 41% 14% 13% 84 walnut 45-60% 35% 5-8% 2-6% 120-140 wheatgerm 30-57% 12-39% 11-16% 1-6% 115-140

Some oils stand out for their special qualities in soap (** in the table), and a few stand out because of their unusual fatty acid profiles (* in the table).
 
Coconut oil ** and +
This has between 44% and 52% lauric acid and 15-25% myristic acid, both of which make a hard bar that is good for cleaning and has a great lather. But it’s low on the conditioning fatty acids, so a soap bar made only with coconut oil tends to dry the skin.

Palm oil **
This is also a very useful basic oil for soap, with its high palmitic acid content helping to give a hard bar with a stable lather, and 35-45% oleic acid giving it conditioning qualities.
 
Olive oil **
Soap made with olive oil (called castile soap) has been a luxury item for millennia. It’s great for conditioning, as it’s high in oleic acid. But it’s only medium in iodine, which means it’s only medium for hardness. An olive-oil-only soap disappears quickly because of its softness, and has almost no lather.
 
Castor oil ** and +
The only oil with ricinoleic acid, which gives a wonderful conditioning effect. It is 80-90% ricinoleic acid. This also helps give a fluffy, stable lather – but too much will give you a sticky, soft soap.

Meadowfoam oil +
This is mainly three unusual fatty acids: 13% erucic, 18% brassic, and 62% gadoleic. In some ways it is similar to jojoba oil.

Pomegranate seed oil +
Pomegranate oil is nearly 80% punicic acid, which is named after the pomegranate - punica - and is a valuable skincare oil.

# Iodine Value is a measure of the saturation of an oil or fat (how many centigrams of iodine can be dissolved in a gram of oil or fat). Saturated fats have low iodine values, and unsaturated fats have high iodine values.  In general, oils with low iodine values make harder soaps and oils with high iodine values make softer soaps.
 

Low:	under 50
Medium:	51 - 100
Medium high:	101 - 125
High:	over 125

Note that there are a few oils that are extremely high (blackcurrant, hempseed, kiwiseed, rosehip) or extremely low (coconut).