Sodium Palmate
AKA “Soap, Palm Oil Soap”
Surfactant
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Ingredient Facts
Sodium palmate
AKA: Soap, Palm Oil Soap
Surfactant · Cleansing · EWG: 1
Synthetic
Cleanser
Emulsifier
Plant Oil
Clean
Fatty acids, palm-oil, sodium salts
Effective at 34.0%
CAS #
61790-79-2
See origin →
Functions
Cleansing
Makes oil and water mix so dirt, makeup, and sunscreen can actually be washed away. The reason your face wash foams.
Cleansing
Makes oil and water mix so dirt, makeup, and sunscreen can actually be washed away. The reason your face wash foams.
Emulsifying
Forces oil and water to stay mixed instead of separating into layers. The unsung hero holding your lotion together.
Viscosity Controlling
Surfactant Cleansing
Surfactant Emulsifying
Anti-Inflammatory
Antimicrobial
Fights Acne
Traditional Use
Derived from saponified palm oil, reflecting the traditional use of palm oil in African and Indonesian soap-making for centuries. Palm oil soaps were traditionally valued for their emollient and cleansing properties.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
EWG
1
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not a Sensitizer
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Concentration Guide
0.003%
68.0%
0%95%
Effective Range
CIR reported use: 0.003-0.1 | 0.2-12 | 0.3-30 | 0.3-3 | 12-44 | 3-68
Regulatory Agencies
quillaja saponaria (soapbark) bark extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Sodium Palmate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
quillaja saponaria (soapbark) bark extract
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Sodium Palmate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Occupational contact dermatitis caused by sodium cocoamphopropionate in a liquid soap used in fast-food restaurants.
Hagvall L, Bråred-Christensson J, Inerot A
Contact dermatitis, 2014
Natural soap is clinically effective and less toxic and more biodegradable in aquatic organisms and human skin cells than synthetic detergents.
Kanyama T, Masunaga A, Kawahara T, Morita H, Akita S
PloS one, 2025
Natural soap is clinically effective and less toxic and more biodegradable in aquatic organisms and human skin cells than synthetic detergents.
Kanyama T, Masunaga A, Kawahara T, Morita H, Akita S
PloS one, 2025
Occupational immediate type allergy to soapnut and quillaja bark.
Merget R, Raulf M, Sander I
Allergologie select, 2021
Clinical Evaluation of a Soap-Free Cleansing Lotion Containing Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids for Effective Impurity Removal and Skin Barrier Preserv
Patel M, Khatri A, Khatri R, Sreevallabhan S, Jose S et al.
Cureus, 2025
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR