INCI names / Palm oil
Palm oil INCI name
The INCI name for palm oil is Elaeis Guineensis Oil in a lotion or balm, and Sodium Palmate in cold-process soap, where the oil reacts with lye and the oil itself is no longer in the finished bar.
| In lotions, balms and other cosmetics | Elaeis Guineensis Oil |
|---|---|
| In cold-process soap (sodium hydroxide) | Sodium Palmate |
| In liquid soap (potassium hydroxide) | Potassium Palmate |
| Superfat share in soap (unreacted) | Elaeis Guineensis Oil |
| On a US label | Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil; in soap, Sodium Palmate |
| In Great Britain and Northern Ireland | The same names as the EU. Northern Ireland uses the EU glossary cited below; Great Britain still uses the glossary it kept from the EU, where the same names have other entry numbers. |
| Also entered as | palm, red palm oil |
Glossary citation: Sodium Palmate #26885; Elaeis Guineensis Oil #9762; Potassium Palmate #22728 (Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175 on EUR-Lex).
One detail catches many labels: the EU glossary name has no common name in brackets. In the EU and the UK it is "Elaeis Guineensis Oil"; the bracketed form, "Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil", is the US name.
In the soap or skincare tool, put it on its own line with its weight, for example "palm oil, 30", and the tool prints the right name for the product type and the region you choose.
Transcribed from the EU glossary of common ingredient names (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175) and checked against it; the US names are the ones FDA's substance registry (GSRS) records. A labelling reference, not safety advice.