Did you know there are over 200 alternative names for palm oil?

You’ve seen the videos of orangutans fighting to protect their homes and families from developers, maybe you’ve looked into why palm oil harms the environment, and perhaps you’ve even decided to steer clear of products that contain it. 

So you go shopping, determined to read all the product labels, looking for those that say the words ‘palm oil’. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as that.

Only three vegetable oils need to be labelled by their specific names: 

• sesame oil
• peanut
• soybean oil. 

This is because a significant portion of the population is allergic to these particular oils.

How to spot palm oil derived vegetable oil

A handy way to tell if a vegetable oil is actually palm oil is to check the label for “vegetable oil” followed by saturated fats. Only palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil contain saturated fats — all other vegetable oils are unsaturated.

How manufacturers are hiding the palm oil

As manufacturers realise that more consumers are seeking palm oil-free products, they’re increasingly using alternative names to disguise its presence in their goods.

Surprisingly, there are over 200 alternative names for palm oil. If a product label lists one of these, and you’re not aware of the manufacturer having a ‘no palm oil’ policy, it’s very likely the product contains it. However, not all these terms guarantee the presence of palm oil—for instance, the cocoa butter we use isn’t derived from it, and glycerine can also come from other sources. 

The most reliable way to know for sure is to reach out to the manufacturer.

I firmly believe that the only way to make personal choices is to have easy access to the right information, and by using alternative names, it feels like manufacturers are taking that choice away from us. 

After our time in Borneo and hearing the reports from there, I feel that sustainable palm oil is just a political box-ticking exercise, with large corporations simply opting to pay the ineffective fines rather than meeting the standards for sustainable palm oil production.

Follow these links for more information

Palm oil shopping guide | Palm Oil Pledge 

PALM OIL INVESTIGATIONS - HOME

What is Palm Oil?

A -Z alternative names for palm oil

Acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol
Acetylated Monoglycerides
Alkylamidopropyl betaine
Alkyl alcohol
Alkyl betaine
Alkyl ether sulfate  
Alkyl Polyglucoside
Aluminum Myristates/Palmitates
Aluminium stearate
Aluminium, calcium, sodium, magnesium salts of fatty acids
Amidopropyl betaine
Ammonium laureth sulphate
Ammonium lauryl sulphate
Amphoteric surfactant
Anionic surfactant
APG 
Arachamide mea
Ascorbyl palmitate (304)
Ascorbyl stearate
Azelaic acid

Beta Carotene
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
BTMS
Butyl Myristate
Butyl stearate

Calcium lactylate
Calcium Myristate
Calcium oleyl lactylate
Calcium stearate
Calcium stearoyl lactylate
CAPB
Capric triglyceride
Caprylic acid
Caprylic / Capric Glycerides
Caprylic triglyceride
Caprylic/capric triglyceride
Caprylic/capric/stearic triglyceride
Capryloyl glycine
Caprylyl glycol
Carboxylic acid soap
Carotene (Sometimes made from palm)
Castile soap (often from palm)
Ceteareth (2-100)
Ceteareth mbsfl laurethulanate 
Ceteareth mbhe laurethulanate
Cetearyl alcohol
Cetearyl ethylhexanote
Cetearyl glucoside
Cetearyl isononanoate
Cetearyl and Sorbitan Olivate 
Ceteth-20
Ceteth-24
Cetostearyl Alcohol
Cetrimonium Bromide
Cetremonium Chloride 
Cetyl acetate
Cetyl alcohol
Cetyl ethylhexanoate
Cetyl hydroxyethylcellulose
Cetyl lactate
Cetyl Myristate
Cetyl octanoate
Cetyl palmitate
Cetyl ricinoleate