A while ago, a member mentioned that they had seen soaps for sale that claimed to be all natural and contain cranberry eo. There is no such thing as "cranberry eo". The most charitable assumption we can make is that the soap maker didn't know the difference between an eo and an fo. Lots of new soapers go on forums and ask that very question. I don't think those soapers are dumb or "not so bright". I think they are not well informed. Which is fine - people come to forums to learn. Forums like this see people all the time asking stuff like "What does CP mean?" and "I am scared of lye, what can I use instead?" and "What is an eo?" None of those people are dumb. But none of them know enough to make soap to sell at that time. If they want to make soap to sell, they need to educate themselves.
That person who labeled their soap as containing cranberry eo is lying. A person with serious sensitivities to artifical fragrances might well buy that soap, thinking it is safe, and have a bad reaction. It is that soap maker's responsibility to know their craft well enough to know the difference between an essential oil and a fragrance oil.
Another situation - on a soap making mailing list I was on (years and years ago), a member wanted to make scented oils for people to put on their skin, kind of like perfume. She mixed a base oil (sweet almond, I think) and a fragrance oil at a 1:1 ratio and had a friend test it!!! The friend ended up with a mild chemical burn on her arm, and this person was surprised this had happened! IMO, she had decided to skip the "boring" part of the business - research, testing, etc - and jump right into the "fun" part - mixing stuff up and having people put it on their skin. List members angrily pointed out to her that fragrance oils are used at a ratio of .5 oz per pound of oils - so a 1:32 ratio - in CP soap, and in a much lower ratio for things like lotions, and that she should have known that, and that she had been irresponsible. This person got very upset and said that she knew what she was doing, she sold soap and lotion all the time, etc. Clearly this woman had no real understanding of the craft and no understanding of the risks involved, and her friend was injured as a result of her ignorance and impatience. Less than one minute of Googling would have told her that, "Hey, putting fragrance oils on the skin at a 1:1 ratio is not safe." But she didn't bother.
Another example:
http://millersoap.com/ss.html
I am new to soapmaking, and recently made my very first batch - a 100% olive oil Castile soap. However, I made over ten pounds, thinking I would be able to rebatch some of it. Only after visiting your site did I learn how hard it is to rebatch all-vegetable based soaps. Indeed, my two attempts at rebatching have been disastrous. However, I grated some of the same Castile soap into flakes last night, added some shea butter, glycerin, oils and scent, and came up with a lotion that was quite nice. With a little more refining, I will gladly offer this recipe to other site users if that's OK.
I really can't believe Kathy Miller not only posted that email but didn't correct the author! However, I don't think Kathy makes lotion, so she probably didn't notice. I read it and thought, "Holy smokes, this dummy is putting ground SOAP on her skin and thinks it's LOTION." And it sounds like she wants to share her "recipe" with other people! If she had a lick of sense, she'd Google basic lotion recipes and see that none of them contain soap!
My point in all of this ranting is that if you want to make soap and other toiletries for other people - just for gifts and especially for selling - you need to be knowledgeable so you can provide a product that is safe. I imagine these 3 people frolicking about, giving away (or selling, even worse!) fake cranberry essential oil, perfume that will burn your skin, and lotion made of soap, and I cringe.
