Sodium Palm Kernelate

Sodium Palm Kernelate is a soap (alkali salt of palm kernel fatty acids) used at high levels in bar soaps/cleansers, where it functions as a primary surfactant and typically creates an alkaline pH that increases barrier disruption. Clinically, soap-based surfactants are well-known to cause irritant contact dermatitis, especially in eczema-prone and compromised skin, with frequent dryness, stinging, and flare risk during routine use. Given its common use concentration and predictable cumulative irritation from repeated washing, it warrants a high irritancy score for sensitive populations. Safety Notes: Sodium palm kernelate is a primary anionic soap used almost exclusively in rinse-off cleansing formats; at the low end it appears as a minor component in syndet/combination bar formulas, liquid cleansers, or soap-based blends where it is listed but present at ~0.1–5%. At the high end, traditional true-soap bar products (e.g., palm/palm-kernel soap bars) can be predominantly soap, with sodium palm kernelate comprising roughly 50–85% of the finished bar depending on the fatty acid split and water/glycerin/salt levels. Leave-on products rarely use it due to high alkalinity/irritation potential; this range reflects consumer-available rinse-off products rather than professional-only materials.