# which do you prefer? EO or FO?



## hopeg (Apr 26, 2013)

Just curious, what do most you seasoned makers prefer? EO or FO? I haven't learned soapmaking yet, mainly now I am doing body care stuff. I like essential oil because they are more natural, but they also are harder to deal with, blending and safely calculating amounts. The fragrance oils have such fun scents, but are not natural. Do a lot of you use both or prefer one over the other? Thanks!


----------



## Marilyna (Apr 26, 2013)

I use mostly FOs.  I'm not worried about naturalness, so I like the simplicity of using FOs.


----------



## Genny (Apr 26, 2013)

I use both.  Although with many eo's being extracted with the use of solvents, I don't consider a lot of eo's to be as "natural" as people think they are.  

I've found that customers a lot of times really don't care if you're using eo's or fo's and a lot of them don't have a lot of knowledge on eo's.   

Plus I like having scents like Lilac, Black Raspberry, etc, that just aren't possible in an eo.

But whether you choose eo's or fo's, I think it's important that you know what you're doing with them, know how to safely use them and be honest with your customers about them.


----------



## jcandleattic (Apr 26, 2013)

I prefer FO;s myself because I use all my fragrances in my candles and ime EO's are just not as good in wax as FO's are...


----------



## lsg (Apr 26, 2013)

I prefer E.O. blends, but there are some fragrances that don't come naturally.  I do use F.O.s for those scents.


----------



## judymoody (Apr 26, 2013)

I prefer EOs but I use both.  If the EO version is too expensive/endangered/non-existent/dangerous, I go for the FO.


----------



## ohliver (Apr 26, 2013)

I make perfumes, not soap. And I prefer eos and other natural aromatic compounds. I find their quality of scent to be magnificent, especially with absolutes.


----------



## new12soap (Apr 26, 2013)

I use FO's almost exclusively for the very simple reason that they are formulated manufactured and tested specifically for use on skin (the ones I use anyway), EOs are unregulated drugs and while they can be theraputic they can also be dangerous in uneducated inexperienced hands (like mine).


----------



## bodhi (Apr 27, 2013)

Only EO's, wont touch the FO's.


----------



## Birdie Wife (Apr 28, 2013)

bodhi said:


> Only EO's, wont touch the FO's.



Snap. I want to keep all my products as nstural as possible. If there's a scent I want to use but is too expensive or unethically produced, I just don't use it. Plenty other choices.


----------



## hopeg (Apr 28, 2013)

Great, thanks everyone!  I will probably stick with EOs for now and teach myself how to use them correctly. I might consider some FOs, but not sure yet.


----------

