Decades ago, the only way to get a pourable coconut oil was to melt the solid coconut oil. Different kinds of fats would separate out depending on their differing melting points. Sometimes a centrifuge was used to speed up the process but essentially, the harder fats were removed from the coconut oil and the solids could be used for other purposes, leaving a pourable oil.
The term “Liquid Fractionated” is still used even though it is nearly always a different process now. Most often, steam hydrolysis applied to the solid coconut fat and this separates the glycerol from the fatty acid chains. There are several different types of fatty acid chains and some of them are the ones that accelerate rancidity. Esterification then pulls back some of the fatty acid chains together to form a stable triglyceride which is much more stable against rancidity.
Typical Fatty Acid Profile
C6:0 Caproic Acid max 2%
C8:0 Caprylic Acid 50% to 80%
C10:0 Capric Acid 20% to 50%
C12:0 Lauric Acid max 3%
C14:0 Myristic max 1%
Saponification Value mgKOH / g 325-345
Cosmetic Functions:
According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Database (Cosing), the functions of Coconut Oil, Liquid Fractionated are:
Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning
To view more information, visit the Cosing Database here