Lauric acid, systematically dodecanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with a 12-carbon atom chain, thus having many properties of medium-chain fatty acids. It is a bright white, powdery solid with a faint odor of bay oil or soap.

Lauric acid has many uses, including:

• Food preservative: Lauric acid can be used as a natural food preservative.
• Health supplement: Lauric acid can be used as a health-promoting supplement in poultry.
• Soaps and detergents: Lauric acid is used in the manufacture of soaps and detergents.
• Cosmetics: Lauric acid is used in the manufacture of cosmetics.
• Medicine: Some people use lauric acid as medicine to treat viral infections such as the flu, common cold, and genital herpes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support this use.

Lauric acid is also known as dodecanoic acid.