Sodium Olivate

What is Sodium Olivate?

Sodium Olivate arises from saponifying olive oil, extracted from Olea europaea fruit, using sodium hydroxide. This process yields sodium salts of fatty acids, mainly sodium oleate from olive oil's high oleic acid content. Primarily featured in bar soaps, liquid cleansers, and natural shampoos, it acts as a key ingredient in rinse-off products. By disrupting surface tension, it enables water to blend with oils and debris, facilitating their removal during washing. Its fatty acid structure also supports emulsification, blending water and oil phases for uniform formulations, while contributing to viscosity adjustments that enhance product spreadability and stability without synthetic thickeners.

Comedogenic Rating 0/5 Low risk of clogging pores

EWG Safety Rating 1 View on EWG →

Roles in Formulation

This ingredient serves the following purposes in cosmetic formulations:

Surfactant

Lowers surface tension to enable cleansing, emulsifying, and foaming; central to shampoos, body washes, and many emulsions and micellar systems.

Cleansing agent

Removes dirt, oil, and impurities by lowering surface tension and forming micelles, enabling soils to be lifted and rinsed away from skin, hair, or teeth.

Emulsifying agent

Enables stable mixing of oil and water phases by forming an interfacial film, helping create lotions, creams, and cleansers with consistent texture.

Viscosity controlling agent

Adjusts thickness to the desired level for stability and usability, improving dispensing, suspension, and texture across many formulation types.

Benefits

Delivers soft cleansing action suitable for daily use in soaps and washes.

Supports formulation of stable emulsions in natural cleansers.

Contributes to smooth texture in rinse-off products through viscosity control.

Who It's For

A quick guide for who this ingredient may suit (and who should be cautious).

Who May Benefit	Who Should Avoid
Individuals seeking plant-derived surfactants in gentle cleansers.	Those with known allergies to olives or olive oil.
Users preferring natural ingredients in body washes and shampoos.	Individuals sensitive to alkaline soap cleansers.
People with normal to dry skin using soap-based products.	Users avoiding traditional soap surfactants in favor of synthetics.

Safety Notes

Considered low hazard in cosmetic concentrations, especially rinse-off uses.
Typically non-comedogenic, unlikely to clog pores.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sodium Olivate

What is Sodium Olivate made from?

It's the sodium salt produced by reacting olive oil with sodium hydroxide, yielding fatty acid soaps.

Is Sodium Olivate comedogenic?

It has a comedogenic rating of 0, indicating low risk of pore clogging.

What products commonly contain it?

Found in natural bar soaps, liquid cleansers, and some shampoos as a surfactant.