# Your favorite INEXPENSIVE but good/great FO's/EO?  Please share.



## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

FO's are expensive, especially in CP.   It is really frustrating when you spend a bunch of  money on them and then you end up with a scentless soap a month later.   So do any of you have suggestions for ones that (a) smell good (it would  be good if you could say why); (b) stick well and (b) best of all,  almost, are inexpensive, or at least relatively so?  If you have  noted/remember the  price (or sort of do), that would be good, too.  There are not that  many for me, just b/c there are not many FOs that fit this particular bill!   All of these are under $20/lb except the last, and as I remember, all are easy to use in CP.

Here are my  favorite "cheapies but goodies", listed by supplier. My favorite scents  are mostly green/warm/unisex ones, this will be heavier on those, so  input on other scent families would be great for those who like other types.  More time spent on  Gemlite, just b/c it is easier to find reviews on the others, but I  found it difficult to find them on Gemlite and had to do more testing of  various GL FO's myself, kind of a pain:

Gemlite:   Sandalwood, Lavendar, Linden Blossom.  Gemlite is the star w/r/t  inexpensive, but extremely hit or miss and they have a lot, so a good  one is a great find.  Owner is very nice/helpful/responsive, postage is  fast and cheap.

Sandalwood  ($15/lb):  I am a sandalwood freak, and have never found one that I  think is perfect.  This is a really good one as far as they go though,  well balanced mix of spicy/sweet/deep without the extraneous  floral/powdery notes others have,  and sticks hard.  Lavendar ($12/lb):  a nice, straight lavendar, mellow  and v. slightly floral, slightly herbal, neither overpowers, again a  good strong sticker.  Great for sellers, I would think, smells exactly  like what buyers expect and again, so inexpensive.  Linden Blossom  ($12.00/lb):  I am not a floral person, but like this one, as it is an  interesting, pretty, green floral which is well behaved in CP and sticks  well. 

NG:   Teakwood and Cardamom ($16.99/lb), Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro  ($15.59/lb), Green Clover and Aloe ($15.99/lb), Green Irish Tweed  ($16.99/lb).  Teakwood and Card is fantastic if you like warm scents,  sticks great.  CWC is more singular, it is very green, fresh, a bit wild.  If you like (eg) OT's Bonsai or labdanum EO, I think you will this.  GC and A (fresh, clean, I think a BBW dupe) and GIT (very  nice men's cologne dupe) are both very good versions of those scents -  maybe not the best, but the best value, IMO -  and stick v. well.  

BB:   10X Orange E.O ($25.54/15 oz.)  What is up with BB's weird  slightly-less-than-everyone- else oz/lb amounts?  I think that they  should charge a titch more and just normalize the size, I realize it is  irrational but I always feel like I am getting robbed of the last little  bit. Ok, this is an EO, not an FO, and it is over $20 a lb, but still a  good price for that amount of EO, even a typically inexpensive one like  orange. I have had terrible luck getting EOs to stick in CP (but I like scents strong-ish in soap and usually CPOP)  and this one is a good, basic orange which is an excellent blender and  sticks very well.

Anyone else?  I need to spend less money on fragrances, they are the most  expensive part of CP for me, and make me wince the most when they are a  waste, so any input would b​e much appreciated.

Mods:  Just realized this should maybe be on the FO bd, would you move if so?  I don't know how to do so.


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## dixiedragon (Jun 16, 2015)

The FO category is too broad for me - honestly I don't know what I spent. 

EOs - mint and lemongrass tend to be cheap and are very good. I prefer lemongrass to an actual citrus EO b/c the scent sticks better, it doesn't make the soap soft and it doesn't have photo-reactive properties.


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## dixiedragon (Jun 16, 2015)

I will also add - you get what you pay for. Companies like Sweet Cakes can charge a premium price b/c they offer a premium product.

I've gotten some cheapo FOs from Just Scent and Bitter Creek North, and it's definitely hit or miss. Morphing, fading, etc.


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## galaxyMLP (Jun 16, 2015)

Even though I dont want to buy much more if anything from BB, I think I will be purchasing their lemon verbena FO again. It is sooooo strong that a very very little goes a long way. If you look at the FO calculator its only like 0.16 oz ppo for "strong" fragrance. I sticks really well and people love the scent. It does accelerate a little bit but I was able to do some layering with it and still get them to come out great. 2 oz has lasted me forever and at $25 per pound its not the cheapest but you also use 5x less than a typical FO


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## shunt2011 (Jun 16, 2015)

I agree with Dixie.  Sometimes you get what you pay for though I have found many reasonably priced FO's that I use in CP that perform well.

You also need to remember that sometimes FO's will perform differently in different recipes.

A few of my favorites are from NG - Teakwood & Cardamom, Cracklin Birch, The Perfect Man, Peach Magnolia Raspberry, Bite Me, Hummingbird & Mango Sorbet.  There are others but those come to mind first.    Also, with NG if you purchase 5-16 oz bottles you will save an additional 1.00 per bottle. 

I have favorites from Symphony Scents, Soapalooza, WSP and a couple other places.


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

I  agree about *usually* getting what you pay for, the scents I use the most are not  on this list b/c of that, most are from companies like SC, OT, BB, PFO and the like.  I am willing to spend money on my faves from them.  I will even spend money on stuff that doesn't work in CP but I love in other BB (eg, SOS's Lime Basil Mandarin FO, expensive at @ $50/lb and reputedly not good in CP but fabulous in lotion.)

But I really wanted to get some suggestions  for the few that combine value and quality for CP.  All of these are great for that, and the reason that there are so few for me. They stand out b/c you are getting way MORE than you pay for with them as fragrances go.  I am definitely not encouraging people to buy crap FO's to save money, that is the biggest waste.

I agree with you about JS, some I really liked OOB and for about a day, but they faded really fast.  BCN was better for me, but none I have used that combined value/quality enough to make my list here.


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## navigator9 (Jun 16, 2015)

Well, I was going to recommend one of my all time favorites, even though  it's a bit over your $20 ideal, but I thought I'd go check, just in  case my memory didn't serve me well, and WSP's Nag Champa wasn't the  $25.95/lb that I remembered. Well......I was in for a surprise. Since  the last time I ordered it on 1/16/15, it's gone up in price......by  $10/lb. REALLY??? Ten dollars! I hate to spend that much for any FO.  Even though I really love their Nag Champa, I may have to look  elsewhere. $10!!! I'm still in shock.


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## Seawolfe (Jun 16, 2015)

I'm still big on the basic EO's: Rosemary, mints, Litsea cubeba, citruses, lavender, eucalyptus, patch, geranium rose. I like Soap Making Resource's sales and quality. I have only found one or two FO's that I like so I'm still not on that bandwagon.


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## dixiedragon (Jun 16, 2015)

The best way to save money on FOs is to find a soaping buddy, order a larger amount and split it in half. Of course, you save money per ounce of FO but you do end up buying more FOs in general....*waves at Dorrietta*


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

Oh no, Navigator, WSP's NC is my favorite too, and that is a big hike.  Also, I remember reading reviews saying that some people had found it had faded some recently.  Next time I order I might stick w/an 8 oz'er to check.


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## Dorymae (Jun 16, 2015)

Right now I love, Chanel type from mikes fragrances. Soaps beautifully with no acceleration or discoloring. Great in lotions as well and it is spot on Chanel No.5, which I love. It seems others love it to by the sales of the scent.

Edited to add: 14.50 per 16oz 
Or 91.95 per gallon


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

Dory, that is an *amazing* price for a spot on Chanel No. 5 dupe.  I don't generally like perfume dupes, except for the one exception I mentioned, but have never ordered from Mike's.  I am going to have to check him out for other stuff now.


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## kumudini (Jun 16, 2015)

I bought Sweet Orange from BA, before I ever read that straight EOs of anything citrus won't stick in CP and to my surprise I find the scent sticking even after 5 months, used it in combo with their 40/42 lavender. That's my most favorite combo so far, fresh and sweet but not overly sweet.


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## galaxyMLP (Jun 16, 2015)

Mikes is one of those hit or miss ones IMO. I ordered the VS very sexy dupe the other day and was very dissapointed b/c to me it smelled nothing like Very Sexy. Its missing that "oomph" factor and is too floral. Some of his FOs are great though. I really like the way that guava mango soaps! No acc. Some discolor. Scent sticks really well though. Only 0.5 ppo and its still going strong at 2 months. I would love to do a FO swap for his fragrances since they are so inexpensive it would be worth it for the good ones!


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## SplendorSoaps (Jun 16, 2015)

Litsea Cubeba EO is one of my all time favorite low-cost fragrances. You can use it in combination with so many other EOs, it's cheap, isn't a dermal irritant like lemongrass can be for some people.

I also love Oatmeal Milk and Honey from both WSP and NG. It's quite a bit cheaper at NG - $15.29/lb. versus $25.95/lb. at WSP. Out of bottle, there's a huge difference, and I preferred WSP's version. Once I tried it out however, the cured version is so similar that I could barely tell them apart. NG also has a deal that if you buy 5 or more of their FO's in 1 lb. bottles, you get $1 off of each bottle. I'd definitely go with NG's version on this one! Someone else mentioned their Teakwood & Cardamom scent, which is another really good one.


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## snappyllama (Jun 16, 2015)

I'm going to echo other folks...

I really like NG Cracklin Birch and NG Indian Sandalwood.  Their Bite Me smells just like hi-c fruit punch in B&B products, but I haven't tried it in CP.

I'm not sure of the prices on the others I like. I just remember NG as having very reasonable prices.


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## OliveOil2 (Jun 16, 2015)

Navigator I was in shock too! I had purchased some a couple of months ago, and it was very different, and not in a good way, WSP's Nag Champa was a favorite for me, so I am sad that it changed, but really $10 more. Dorymae if you see this how was the Fragrance Buddy Nag Champa?
Fragrance Buddy has been a real surprise to me I love many of the Moonworks and Lush Dupes. Lavender Sage, Patchouli Passion, Karma, Earth & Sun stick like glue,are strong, and are popular, plus they are easy to work with in CP. Not Ally the $20 mark for me is where I usually say a FO i affordable or not. I am willing to pay more, but it should be really good. I think that Candle Science also has some affordable FO's under $20. The lavender is realistic, Oak Moss & Amber is a great guy scent, Mediterranean Fig all stick well and are easy to work with. I am not sure if Love Spell is still popular, but theirs is nice, and sticks for at least a year.


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

Olive, you are right about CS Mediterranean Fig, I forgot that one.  I like it, it sticks, and my notes say it is $16/lb.  Spendor and Seawolfe, I like Litsea EO too, I add it as a blender a lot(one of the few EO's which seems to work well for me) , and it does tend to be inexpensive.  

Galaxy, I love lemon verbena as well, good to know BB's is good and strong.  I have been using OT's, which I really like, but I will try BB and compare.  

Ok, have to go look at NG's Cracklin' Birch now.  ETA:  It looks really great.  Put it in the cart for the next order. Thanks for the rec,  you guys.  Another good NG one that I forgot:  Fresh Bamboo.


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## OliveOil2 (Jun 16, 2015)

I am also a Hugh fan of Litsea Cubeba, it is probably my favorite EO, and very reasonable, so I purchased a Liter.
 I also forgot another Moonworks Collection at Fragrance Buddy, the Winter Festival is easy in CP, really strong and sticks. I also love their Lush dupe of Sultana, probably my favorite Lush scent. Very much there, but soft and comforting, a natural smell if that makes sense.

 I am very picky about fragrance, but really do try to watch what I spend. Bay Rum is not my favorite scent, the Dark Knight from Moonworks is very strong at 3%. I took one smell and thought that I would be in trouble, clove, nutmeg, etc. But easy in CP. Guess it is a popular guy scent with wet shavers, my nephew wants the whole log. I blended it with a little Earth and Sun.


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## navigator9 (Jun 16, 2015)

OliveOil2 said:


> Navigator I was in shock too! I had purchased some a couple of months ago, and it was very different, and not in a good way, WSP's Nag Champa was a favorite for me, so I am sad that it changed, but really $10 more.



Oh noooo......more expensive, AND it's not the same??? Well, it will be interesting. I ordered a pound of it in their recent 20% off sale. I have some of the old stuff, so I'll be able to compare and see if it's the same or not. At least I didn't pay $35 a pound for it. :-( 

I remember when a well known supplier went out of business some years ago, and they were selling off their stock, I bought a few of my favorites, and they were not the same as previously. They swore up and down that they were, but I had the old versions to compare and to my nose, they definitely were not. Why oh why, do suppliers do that? If they let customers know that they were going to make changes, they could at least let them stock up before they did. I really hate that.


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## Aline (Jun 16, 2015)

navigator9 said:


> Oh noooo......more expensive, AND it's not the same??? Well, it will be interesting. I ordered a pound of it in their recent 20% off sale. I have some of the old stuff, so I'll be able to compare and see if it's the same or not. At least I didn't pay $35 a pound for it. :-(



I did not know WSP had a sale  How did you find out about it? I could not see a newsletter sign-up on their website....

Thanks!
Aline


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

Aline, I posted it on here.  I didn't get an email either, some posted about it on DISH so I scurried back and spread the word to enable all my smf buds


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## newbie (Jun 16, 2015)

Not the cheapest ($25.55/lb), but lebermuths's Velvet Tuberose is beautiful and you don't have to use much, which makes it more cost-effective. I used about 0.1 ounces in a pound of oils and the scent is not strong but definitely present a few months later.

Just saw they have some FO's on sale, some of the prices are very good.
http://www.lebermuth.com/spring-clean-sales-event-2015/


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## OliveOil2 (Jun 16, 2015)

Navigator hope that it was just a small batch that wasn't right, so that your 1 lb. bottle is good. The first thing that I noticed was the scent was much weaker in the actual soap, and kinda flat smelling.I actually called WSP and same thing they swore that there were no changes.
 I had people smell each, and every single person said keep the dark one. My recipe usually goes chocolate brown with the Nag Champa, but this batch only went a medium brown. So I don't know, but I need to find a new Nag Champa. I have a sample coming this week so if it is good I will post here.


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## not_ally (Jun 16, 2015)

That would be great, OO.  I am a WSP NC die hard, too.  I have enough to keep me going for a while, but would hate to have to replace it on the next round with a not as good one.


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## navigator9 (Jun 17, 2015)

Nag Champa is one of those fragrances that you either hate or you _*really*_ love it. And it's one of those that have a lot of versions, some good, some not so hot. So when you've bought many different versions, searching for "the" one, and then you find it, you're very loyal. So it's difficult when suppliers don't respect the loyalty that we feel to their product. One would hope that even if they're only in it for the money, that they would appreciate the fact that word of mouth is incredibly powerful, and can mean money in or out of their pockets depending on which way it goes. After losing the Scent Works vanilla sandalwood, this just breaks my heart. :-(


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## cmzaha (Jun 17, 2015)

Black Raspberry Vanilla from soapsupplies is the best I have smelled. Plumeria from California Candle sticks beautifully and is the most realistic I have tried. Angelica from Cal Candle is also beautiful. Both accelerate but are manageable. BRV does not accelerate or discolor


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Newbie, some of those Lebermuth fragrances are really well-priced, but it looks like they have a $300 minimum?  Also, when you try to put stuff in the cart/go through checkout, it doesn't seem to be discounting to the sale prices (which are really good.)  Have you ordered from them during this sale?


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Answered my own question on the minimum by searching, I guess you can get less by paying a $20.00 processing fee.  Still curious about how the sale discount gets processed though, if anyone has ordered.


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## navigator9 (Jun 17, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Answered my own question on the minimum by searching, I guess you can get less by paying a $20.00 processing fee.  Still curious about how the sale discount gets processed though, if anyone has ordered.



not_ally, are you asking if the sale is still on? I'm not sure, it was a bit ago, it may be over by now.


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Nav, I think it is ongoing until June 30th (or until in a given case the FO runs out), at least that is what the link says.  I was wondering more why when I tried to a sample checkout on some of them they showed original - not sale - prices, usually w/co sales they may show the original ones but when you get to check out they show you the discounts and the new total.  The Lebermuth site isn't doing that.


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## newbie (Jun 17, 2015)

I didn't see the minimum order. Dang. I have gotten some samples of a couple of their FO from someone but have never ordered. No one has started a page for them on the spread sheet either. I am not of the Fragrance REview Board so am flying solo. Have you emailed them? It seems strange that the sale prices wouldn't show.


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Newb, I have not emailed them yet, I may give them a call in a bit.  The minimum is somewhere on the site, I hunted around for it b/c I remembered being interested in some of their FOs before and being put off by some kind of barrier to purchase like minimums.  Site is not that user friendly, ie; no review, no "performance in use" notes, so it is kind of hard to figure out what is good, although I did a google search and looked on dish and it looks like people generally think their FOs are pretty high quality and stick well.  If you have questions about specific scents, post 'em and I'll see if there is any feedback on them on the Soap Scent Rev. Bd.


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Olive and Nav, I stumbled across a Nag Champa "fave recommendations" request on Dish while I was looking for Lebermuth info.  Some folks there suggested Lebermuth's (which is actually pretty inexpensive at $22/lb), OT, NDA, and also as a similar scent, Illuminations by Candle Science.  I've tried that one and really liked it but it seemed to fade for me in CP and I remember it being expensive-ish (probably around what the WPS NC now.)  

I just checked my FO note chart and apparently I tested the NDA one in MP (wow, totally forgot that).  They say it that one is nice/pretty, but more of a champaka/floral scent than a true match to the incense.  Also tested SOS's version in MP and apparently loved it, very close to the incense, although I have not tested it in CP and their FOs are expensive.


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## dixiedragon (Jun 17, 2015)

Here's the sale info.

http://www.lebermuth.com/spring-clean-sales-event-2015/

You have to call - it doesn't apply to internet orders. No idea of the minimum is still in effect.


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## OliveOil2 (Jun 17, 2015)

Not Ally I didn't see an Illuminations at Candle Science, did you try their Nag Champa? I have seen their reviews that it fades in CP, so haven't tried it. I just got my sample today so I will test it the next time I make soap, and report back.


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## not_ally (Jun 17, 2015)

Shoot, sorry OO, I was wrong, Illuminations is from Symphony Scents (fka Scent Shack).  Here's the link to the reviews at SSRB, if you're interested:  http://soapscentreview.obisoap.ca/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=120&p=25097&hilit=illuminations#p25097

Have not tried the CS NC.  Am going to try the SOS one in CP today, have a batch that I want to do anyway, and will follow up on how that is, at least in the short term.


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## fuzz-juzz (Jun 17, 2015)

Try and live in Aus where re-sellers of NG and BB sell 50ml which I guess is about 2 oz for AUS$10. :cry:
I bothered with cheaper brands and seller but just wasn't happy with how FOs performed.
I just got NG order of 8 x 1oz bottles which I paid AUS$60, that's including postage. Which I think is expensive but nothing I can do, I really like my NG FOs. 
Australian re-seller of NG only sells 50ml bottles which are AUS$10 and that puts me off big time, because I already lost enough $$$ spending on FOs I don't like. This way I get smaller 1 oz bottle and even if the FO is a dud, I don't loose as much. Postage from US is already close to postage withing AUS, so not much loss there.
I order smaller bottles first and then if I like the FO, next time go up to 2oz. I don't sell, so that size FO is pretty much what we need.
And I also learned through experience, to test every FO on small soap, not a full batch. Lost to many batches that way. 

For me, great ones from NG are:
Lotus blossom, Australian bamboo grass, BR and vanilla, Love spell, Brown sugar & fig (lovely in wax), all these stick nicely in soap.

From BB:
Kumquat, Sensuous sandalwood (blended with vanilla), great in CP, stick forever. Kumquat has to be one of my favourite FOs, it's really lovely.
White tea and ginger, Summer fling, great in LS, LS stays clear, but both disappear in CP. I really like them, but use them only in LS and in bubble bars if I'm to use them withing few weeks.

I pretty much never use EOs. Try them every now and then but get really poor results in CP. I tested Lemon myrtle the other week and all I got was some weird wet sock smell, none of that lovely lemony scent was left after few days. Luckily it was my testing batch, so I only used maybe 1.5oz of soap.


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## navigator9 (Jun 18, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Olive and Nav, I stumbled across a Nag Champa "fave recommendations" request on Dish while I was looking for Lebermuth info.  Some folks there suggested Lebermuth's (which is actually pretty inexpensive at $22/lb), OT, NDA, and also as a similar scent, Illuminations by Candle Science.  I've tried that one and really liked it but it seemed to fade for me in CP and I remember it being expensive-ish (probably around what the WPS NC now.)
> .



Thanks for that, I'll have to start checking out others. I did have some from BB, which was OK, but myself and a couple of other NC lovers didn't think it was nearly as good as WSPs.


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## not_ally (Jun 18, 2015)

Fuzz-Juzz, awful that FO's are so expensive there, I'm sorry  Thanks for the recommendations, I always like hearing about NG FO's that stick well, and was wondering about the lotus blossom.


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