Reader Question: Should I Use Specialty Carrier Oils in Handmade Soap?

You can certainly use any type of Carrier Oil (provided it has a published saponification value) to make cold processed soaps. Specialty Carrier Oils, like  Cold Pressed Oils, Fruit Seed Oils or CO2 Extracted Oils, are generally less popular with soapers due to them usually being higher in cost. Another factor to consider is that ingredients can lose some of their beneficial components when they are heated to high temperatures during the saponification process. When you take that into consideration it explains why it wouldn’t necessarily be worthwhile to soap using pricey or more delicate Carrier Oils as the main ingredients in your recipe.

However, specialty Carrier Oils can offer some wonderful benefits to your soap when added at trace. They can be included in your soap recipes as superfatting oils to add interest and value to your soaps. This makes the best use of the beneficial components in the higher priced oils and keeps them from being overheated. Since most soaps are superfatted at around 5 – 7%, this also cuts down on the expense of using a really nice specialty Carrier Oil in your soap.

Most of our specialty Carrier Oils really shine when they are included in formulations such as lotions, creams, and serums, so I would definitely encourage you to experiment with them in those types of formulas as well.