a good set of scented soaps?

[deafsoaper]

Hey

I'm trying to figure out a good set of 6 soaps of different scents to try to cover every scent category possible so I can see what selling or not. I want to do 3 FOs and 3 EOs and I was wondering if you can drop some advice if it a good set of scents or replace something with more popular scent

So far I thought of...

FO
1. Black Raspberry Vanilla
2. French Lavender
3. Bayleaf & Tobacco

EO
1. Rosemary/mint/lavender
2. tea tree mix with something else which I don't know yet... it for charcoal soap
3. no idea yet

thanks

 

[dibbles]

I would add a citrus/citrus blend to the mix. I don’t sell, but alotof the people I give to will request citrus, especially lemon something or other.

 

[deafsoaper]

I would add a citrus/citrus blend to the mix. I don’t sell, but alotof the people I give to will request citrus, especially lemon something or other.

yeah I did thought of citrus... thought of orange/patchouli but people got a love or hate relationship for patchouli lol and another was orange/cinnamon/clove but it seem too much of a fall specific scent

 

[dibbles]

I prefer litsea to lemongrass for an EO option, but lemingrass Is popular and blends well. Lemon verbena is a nice choice for FO. Oran patchouli is one I personally love, but I agree, not everyone likes patchouli.

 

[cerelife]

Take this with a grain of salt. I live in a totally different area, so what sells for me may not sell for you and vice versa.
FO
1. BRV
2. Pink Grapefruit (WSP)
3. Tobacco and Bay Leaf

EO
1. Rosemary Peppermint
2. Tea Tree and Eucalyptus
3. Lavender

 

[dibbles]

I agree with @cerelife’s suggestions.

 

[deafsoaper]

I prefer litsea to lemongrass for an EO option, but lemingrass Is popular and blends well. Lemon verbena is a nice choice for FO. Oran patchouli is one I personally love, but I agree, not everyone likes patchouli.

lemongrass with what?

If i pick lemon verbena ... then which FO get voted off the island? lol ... still gotta fill EO spot

Take this with a grain of salt. I live in a totally different area, so what sells for me may not sell for you and vice versa.
FO
1. BRV
2. Pink Grapefruit (WSP)
3. Tobacco and Bay Leaf

EO
1. Rosemary Peppermint
2. Tea Tree and Eucalyptus
3. Lavender

interesting with pink grapefruit ... have to check it out

I noticed most soapers don't pick lavender essential oil by itself ... too medicine smelling comparing to lavender FO that can be used by itself

 

[cerelife]

@Carly B of the samples I ordered from Scent Memory I have tested 4. The only one I didn't care for too much is Mojave Ghost. I really don't like amber if it's too forward so I'm sure that is why. Neroli Portofino is lovely in soap, and Hello Sailor is one I will keep around for hubby if he likes it. He's been out of town, so hasn't had the smell test yet. But, it is one of the only fragrances that lists pepper notes that I can pick that out. Baccarat Rouge is so pretty (to my nose), but seems a bit light so I'll be curious to see how it holds up in soap. It would be lovely in lotions or other bath & body products I'm sure.

A couple that surprised me that I love (probably because I wasn't sure what to expect) are Osmanthus from MMS, Earth Meets Sky and Avalon from Nurture. Earth Meets Sky changes in soap and I think it is pretty great. There are so many more and I could go on for pages.

lemongrass with what?

If i pick lemon verbena ... then which FO get voted off the island? lol ... still gotta fill EO spot

interesting with pink grapefruit ... have to check it out

I noticed most soapers don't pick lavender essential oil by itself ... too medicine smelling comparing to lavender FO that can be used by itself

I'm the opposite about Lavender. I use French and Bulgarian lavender in other products, but for soap they can be a little expensive so I use WSP 40/42. It smells very much like the lavender that I grow and is a good seller for me. I've yet to find a lavender FO that truly smells like fresh lavender. But then again, some people just don't like lavender.

 

[deafsoaper]

I'm the opposite about Lavender. I use French and Bulgarian lavender in other products, but for soap they can be a little expensive so I use WSP 40/42. It smells very much like the lavender that I grow and is a good seller for me. I've yet to find a lavender FO that truly smells like fresh lavender. But then again, some people just don't like lavender.

Apparently lavender or french lavender FO from "new direction aromatic" suppose to be pretty good

 

[dibbles]

lemongrass with what?

If i pick lemon verbena ... then which FO get voted off the island? lol ... still gotta fill EO spot

Lemongrass with cedar, peppermint, tea tree or lavender are all nice - or just straight up lemongrass.
I don't know which FO you'd get rid of to have verbena. I would just have a citrus/citrus blend of some kind in the mix somewhere.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I like Litsea and Lemongrass together - make it so!

Can't go wrong with BRV - everyone seems to like it (Im not a fan personally)
Lavender best left as an EO I reckon - just the whole 'natural' lavender thing
I'd be wary of having two 'medicinal//herbal' scents which I believe both your Tea tree and rosemary fall under.
You don't have anything 'pretty' in your list? By pretty I mean a soft floral type. I don't class Lavender as pretty - it's actually slightly more medicinal if anything. I'm talking rose geranium, sweet pea, or a fresh green floral of some type.

If I was a shopper and came to your stall and you didn't have patchouli I'd be disappointed. But that's just me. And while I'm on that topic - none of your other scents would do it for me. Having said that I wouldn't buy a 'pretty floral' either. I might buy a lemongrass. But I think I have weird taste in fragrance so don't take my word as gospel.

 

[glendam]

Most supplier’s Black raspberry vanilla new usage rate is low, you may want to consider that.
Btw, I like Lone Star Candle’s lavender, I find it close to Lavender 40/42.
Also, a lot of people request patchouli, so I agree with @KiwiMoose, though I am not a fan of the scent myself.

 

[AliOop]

yeah I did thought of citrus... thought of orange/patchouli but people got a love or hate relationship for patchouli lol and another was orange/cinnamon/clove but it seem too much of a fall specific scent

If you decide to try orange/cinnamon/clove, you probably want to use an FO with those notes. True citrus EOs (which excludes litsea and lemongrass) are famous for fading pretty quickly in soap. Using a "folded" citrus - 5x or 10x - can help, but they can still be short-lived and very light.

Also, due to their eugenol content, cinnamon and clove EOs will seriously accelerate your soap, even in very low amounts. This can be mitigated somewhat if mixed with a decelerating citrus EO. Both also have very low skin-safe usage rates, because they are known skin irritants for many people. I actually can't use them at all without a serious flushing reaction in my skin, racing/pounding heartbeat, and raised BP. There are a fair number of EOs besides those two that aren't very skin-safe. In case you haven't checked it out already, EOCalc.com has a skin-safe usage calculator with many of the most common EOs for soap. The book "Essential Oil Safety" by Tisserand & Young has more info, but is expensive.

I'm in @KiwiMoose's camp in that I haven't found a BRV that I really like, but everyone else goes gaga over it when they smell it. I also like patchouli (in moderation, or in blends). It isn't in huge demand where I live, but those who do want it will find my table from 3 miles away and will want to take it all. LOL. Granted, I don't sell, but I have donated my soaps as welcome gifts at several ladies' retreats, with women ranging from 20 to almost 90 years of age. Patchouli lime is a huge favorite (90% lime, 10% patch), with patchouli mint and patchouli vanilla also being quite popular.

With your citrus blend, to get you closer to lemon verbena, I'd suggest neroli with lemongrass. I'm not a huge floral fan, either, so I don't use a whole lot of it. Plus, neroli is expensive, and it moves fast. Still, a touch of it with most citrus scents smells really nice to me.

 

[Zing]

lemongrass with what?

If i pick lemon verbena ... then which FO get voted off the island? lol ... still gotta fill EO spot

interesting with pink grapefruit ... have to check it out

I noticed most soapers don't pick lavender essential oil by itself ... too medicine smelling comparing to lavender FO that can be used by itself

My most popular gift and purchase is lemongrass & rosemary.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I just used a year old bar of Blood Orange FO soap that smelled like nothing to the nose. Upon use I found it left my hands smelling like a very sweet patchouli. I looked it up and it turns out I added 5g of patchouli EO to the fragrance as a base note. That's 0.1% per pound of oils. Or 1 teaspoon for the whole batch (1 kg of oil). Ya can't say patchouli doesn't stick!

 

[deafsoaper]

I like Litsea and Lemongrass together - make it so!

Can't go wrong with BRV - everyone seems to like it (Im not a fan personally)
Lavender best left as an EO I reckon - just the whole 'natural' lavender thing
I'd be wary of having two 'medicinal//herbal' scents which I believe both your Tea tree and rosemary fall under.
You don't have anything 'pretty' in your list? By pretty I mean a soft floral type. I don't class Lavender as pretty - it's actually slightly more medicinal if anything. I'm talking rose geranium, sweet pea, or a fresh green floral of some type.

If I was a shopper and came to your stall and you didn't have patchouli I'd be disappointed. But that's just me. And while I'm on that topic - none of your other scents would do it for me. Having said that I wouldn't buy a 'pretty floral' either. I might buy a lemongrass. But I think I have weird taste in fragrance so don't take my word as gospel.

litsea and lemongrass sounds intriguing

I picked BRV since so many people talk about it... the alternative I thought of was love spell

I find that some people think of lavender like it a great scent and then when they smell it, it not what they expected and smell too medicinal .. that why I thought of french lavender FO to tame out the medicinal part of it

Yeah i don't have a floral aspect ... i'm trying to get 6 scent choices to cover everything and it a bit tough to get everything... also isn't floral essential oils known to be pretty pricey?

Most supplier’s Black raspberry vanilla new usage rate is low, you may want to consider that.
Btw, I like Lone Star Candle’s lavender, I find it close to Lavender 40/42.
Also, a lot of people request patchouli, so I agree with @KiwiMoose, though I am not a fan of the scent myself.

I'm from Canada. There is a place i got the BRV from, apparently got 5/5 stars rating and people loving it in their reviews. the usage rate is 21% for cold process soap, but I usually used 5%.

patchouli is a toughie ... 6 scents to cover every scent category possible .. minty, herby, citrus, fruity, floral, woodsy, fresh/clean, spicy etc

If you decide to try orange/cinnamon/clove, you probably want to use an FO with those notes. True citrus EOs (which excludes litsea and lemongrass) are famous for fading pretty quickly in soap. Using a "folded" citrus - 5x or 10x - can help, but they can still be short-lived and very light.

Also, due to their eugenol content, cinnamon and clove EOs will seriously accelerate your soap, even in very low amounts. This can be mitigated somewhat if mixed with a decelerating citrus EO. Both also have very low skin-safe usage rates, because they are known skin irritants for many people. I actually can't use them at all without a serious flushing reaction in my skin, racing/pounding heartbeat, and raised BP. There are a fair number of EOs besides those two that aren't very skin-safe. In case you haven't checked it out already, EOCalc.com has a skin-safe usage calculator with many of the most common EOs for soap. The book "Essential Oil Safety" by Tisserand & Young has more info, but is expensive.

I'm in @KiwiMoose's camp in that I haven't found a BRV that I really like, but everyone else goes gaga over it when they smell it. I also like patchouli (in moderation, or in blends). It isn't in huge demand where I live, but those who do want it will find my table from 3 miles away and will want to take it all. LOL. Granted, I don't sell, but I have donated my soaps as welcome gifts at several ladies' retreats, with women ranging from 20 to almost 90 years of age. Patchouli lime is a huge favorite (90% lime, 10% patch), with patchouli mint and patchouli vanilla also being quite popular.

With your citrus blend, to get you closer to lemon verbena, I'd suggest neroli with lemongrass. I'm not a huge floral fan, either, so I don't use a whole lot of it. Plus, neroli is expensive, and it moves fast. Still, a touch of it with most citrus scents smells really nice to me.

yeah citrus are tough to keep longer

not sure i want to do orange/cinnamon/clove beacause it seem more of a fall scent... i should pick something all year round. yeah I do know cinnamon/clove accelerate trace and can cause irritate for some people.

patchouli lime seems like a cool scent

My most popular gift and purchase is lemongrass & rosemary.

yeah thats a nice scent combo

I just used a year old bar of Blood Orange FO soap that smelled like nothing to the nose. Upon use I found it left my hands smelling like a very sweet patchouli. I looked it up and it turns out I added 5g of patchouli EO to the fragrance as a base note. That's 0.1% per pound of oils. Or 1 teaspoon for the whole batch (1 kg of oil). Ya can't say patchouli doesn't stick!

oh wow... patchouli holding on like a locked jaw lol

 

[Catscankim]

Wait. What?? There are people that don't like lavender????? lol

Lavender is my most favorite scent and the most useful EO imo. And I find that guys like the smell as well. Which I initially thought to be odd, so I went out of my way to make guy scented soaps. They always picked up the lavender and went nuts over it.

Lavender EO is not one of the terribly expensive ones, especially if you buy it from a soap supply company. In soap I use the 40/42 one from WSP. I think it's comparable in price to FO and you use it at the same rate as most FO.

Patchouli used to be one of my top category of scents. But we have a nurse that wears patch ALL THE TIME. And I got sick of smelling it. She hugged me at last years xmas party and I said to my boss who was there that thats all I could smell all night is her patchouli lol. You know she just walked down the hallway at the hospital because the walls are scented with patchouli just from her walking through. I really wish I could say something to her. Like you just ruined my love of patchouli. You stink LOL. I have some soaps that have a patch note to them. They used to be one of my favorites, but now I want to throw them away.

My most asked for scents are usually orange or lime, but they do not stick for me in cp soap. Even the 10x orange. Ppl also like the lemongrass EO soaps, which does stick for me, but that is a scent that I absolutely hate so I tend to not use it a lot. I have a whole bottle because ppl ask for it a lot, but it is still just a whole bottle to this day because I hate to use it. I just hate the smell lol. I dunno. It smells like pledge to me. So does Giorgio perfume. Maybe that's why I hate lemongrass so much LOL.

Edit: I just used the word HATE four times in one paragraph describing my dislike of lemongrass LOL. Safe to say. I really hate it.

I had a party once and I had some research in hand, that people either like tea tree OR lavender EO, but not both. Out of ten or so girls, it was pretty much true. I passed around a bottle of each and watched reactions. It was either one or the other. Until the bottles came back to me...I like both. But if I HAD to pick one over the other, I'd pick the lavender.

Guess I went off topic. But coming back around...I would definitely add Lavender to one of your line ups.

 

[cerelife]

Just to clarify - I'm not a fan of either BRV nor Lovespell. I was just sticking to what the OP mentioned without changing their list too much.
I also adore Patchouli -but in moderation. Like @Catscankim said, it can very easily be overpowering! My favorite (and best-selling) perfume oil is a blend of Patchouli, Vetiver, and Cypress with just the tiniest touch of cinnamon.
As for a floral scent - again I live in a totally different area but both Honeysuckle and Orange Blossom always sell out fast for me. Another semi-floral favorite is Magnolia Cypress (a 1:1 blend of WSP Magnolia FO and Cypress EO).

@Catscankim - have you tried NS All Souls Day FO? It's seriously the best lime scent I've found. I would love to find a 'spicy lime' scent, but this one is still really good!

 

[deafsoaper]

Wait. What?? There are people that don't like lavender????? lol

Lavender is my most favorite scent and the most useful EO imo. And I find that guys like the smell as well. Which I initially thought to be odd, so I went out of my way to make guy scented soaps. They always picked up the lavender and went nuts over it.

Lavender EO is not one of the terribly expensive ones, especially if you buy it from a soap supply company. In soap I use the 40/42 one from WSP. I think it's comparable in price to FO and you use it at the same rate as most FO.

Patchouli used to be one of my top category of scents. But we have a nurse that wears patch ALL THE TIME. And I got sick of smelling it. She hugged me at last years xmas party and I said to my boss who was there that thats all I could smell all night is her patchouli lol. You know she just walked down the hallway at the hospital because the walls are scented with patchouli just from her walking through. I really wish I could say something to her. Like you just ruined my love of patchouli. You stink LOL. I have some soaps that have a patch note to them. They used to be one of my favorites, but now I want to throw them away.

My most asked for scents are usually orange or lime, but they do not stick for me in cp soap. Even the 10x orange. Ppl also like the lemongrass EO soaps, which does stick for me, but that is a scent that I absolutely hate so I tend to not use it a lot. I have a whole bottle because ppl ask for it a lot, but it is still just a whole bottle to this day because I hate to use it. I just hate the smell lol. I dunno. It smells like pledge to me. So does Giorgio perfume. Maybe that's why I hate lemongrass so much LOL.

Edit: I just used the word HATE four times in one paragraph describing my dislike of lemongrass LOL. Safe to say. I really hate it.

I had a party once and I had some research in hand, that people either like tea tree OR lavender EO, but not both. Out of ten or so girls, it was pretty much true. I passed around a bottle of each and watched reactions. It was either one or the other. Until the bottles came back to me...I like both. But if I HAD to pick one over the other, I'd pick the lavender.

Guess I went off topic. But coming back around...I would definitely add Lavender to one of your line ups.

I'm not saying people don't like lavender ... it just the medicinal scent of lavender EO that people dont like or didnt expect ... the french lavender FO tame down the medicinal part, allow the floral part stand out more

lol sorry about your patchouli ordeal... ruined the love of the scent for you lol

have you tried litsea? ... maybe 50/50 with lemongrass?

Just to clarify - I'm not a fan of either BRV nor Lovespell. I was just sticking to what the OP mentioned without changing their list too much.
I also adore Patchouli -but in moderation. Like @Catscankim said, it can very easily be overpowering! My favorite (and best-selling) perfume oil is a blend of Patchouli, Vetiver, and Cypress with just the tiniest touch of cinnamon.
As for a floral scent - again I live in a totally different area but both Honeysuckle and Orange Blossom always sell out fast for me. Another semi-floral favorite is Magnolia Cypress (a 1:1 blend of WSP Magnolia FO and Cypress EO).

forget about geography ... just trying to figure out a universal set of 6 scents to cover many scent categories as possible because I dont know my local demographic likes and dislikes yet... so i got to do it in real time in front of people presenting 6 soaps that cover everything if possible

 

[KiwiMoose]

I picked BRV since so many people talk about it... the alternative I thought of was love spell

I would personally use my Love Spell soap, but not my BRV ( but everyone else seems to love it)

I had a party once and I had some research in hand, that people either like tea tree OR lavender EO, but not both. Out of ten or so girls, it was pretty much true. I passed around a bottle of each and watched reactions. It was either one or the other. Until the bottles came back to me...I like both. But if I HAD to pick one over the other, I'd pick the lavender.

THIS girl doesn't like either very much. I don't use Tea Tree at all in my soap - I don't like it. I do make a lavender soap but I don't personally use it.

As for a floral scent - again I live in a totally different area but both Honeysuckle and Orange Blossom always sell out fast for me.

Yes - I use orange blossom for soap, lotion bars and shampoo bars and it's very popular. Makes me sneeze dreadfully ( I get seasonal hayfever) but I still like it.