A Question of Taste
- Thread starter Badger
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You would be amazed at how many men order Lavender blend scents for their shave soaps! Lavender Patchouli is quite popular with them...
Miz Jenny
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Badger
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I actually just made a lavender sandalwood the other night. It was funny, I made that and then was asking a friend what scents he liked and he said lavender and sandalwood 
I actually like lavender myself. I need to get a good shaving soap recipe somewhere though... I know I will need to get some stearic acid for it most likely.
I actually like lavender myself. I need to get a good shaving soap recipe somewhere though... I know I will need to get some stearic acid for it most likely.
Cindiq4u
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I believe our soaps reflect our pesonality as soapmakers.
Since I've knocked around the thought of going back into the soap/bath business, I've been reflecting on the things I've been make and why?
I used to work for a company that had a very masculine scented candle 'in a tin can" It had a wonderful name that I can't recall, yet my customers and I just called it "Man in a can" it was a Huge seller!
I find myself always trying scents out on my adult sons and husband. I as well try scents out on my friends grand-kids. I love the way a man smells and find myself reflecting their requests. Recently I purchased a bar from someone and while I wasn't crazy about the scent it was "said" to be full of EO's that would help with hormones "ok sure?"~
Long story short. My husband made me REMOVE it "the soap I purchased" from any room he was in. I finally put it in a ziplock bag because he detested it so much.
Scent be it EO or FO is huge!
Since I've knocked around the thought of going back into the soap/bath business, I've been reflecting on the things I've been make and why?
I used to work for a company that had a very masculine scented candle 'in a tin can" It had a wonderful name that I can't recall, yet my customers and I just called it "Man in a can" it was a Huge seller!
I find myself always trying scents out on my adult sons and husband. I as well try scents out on my friends grand-kids. I love the way a man smells and find myself reflecting their requests. Recently I purchased a bar from someone and while I wasn't crazy about the scent it was "said" to be full of EO's that would help with hormones "ok sure?"~
Long story short. My husband made me REMOVE it "the soap I purchased" from any room he was in. I finally put it in a ziplock bag because he detested it so much.
Scent be it EO or FO is huge!
Scent is huge and incredibly personal.....
marghewitt
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When you are selling soap in person the scent sells itself. People don't come up to me and ask what I like or recommend they just start picking up and smelling each and every one till they find what they like. I never noticed any difference in sales when I stopped making the White Tea and Ginger soap and no one has contacted me asking for it either. . . .
I'm on one of the men's shaving forums and I get a number of sales off there. They have to rely on my description of fragrance to determine what they want. Much harder for them...
Miz Jenny
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I believe the initial visceral response to handmade soap is from the scent. It's only after using the soap that they talk about how moisturizing it feels or how great the lather.
Badger
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I agree that scent is the first thing if you are selling in person, but in cases like selling on Etsy, there is presentation and the description of the scent which doesn't have the same visceral response to it. Have people selling on Etsy noticed any problems with selling any scents because of this?
Genny
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A few of my biggest sellers (I usually sell out of these at markets) are scents I can't stand, Lavender and OMH. I used to like OMH, but I don't know, the sweetness has just gotten to me. I dropped lavender for a while because the smell was just too much for me, but I did lose sales because of not having it. People would look & say, "Oh, you don't have lavender?" and then move on. So, I had to bring it back.
Thankfully, no one's ever asked me for cherry, because I refuse to soap that.
Thankfully, no one's ever asked me for cherry, because I refuse to soap that.
danahuff
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I cannot say for certain, but my hunch is yes. The customers can't pick it up and smell it, so they are relying on the pictures and description, and scent is really what I think most of them care about. Now, I do get repeat business once a customer takes a chance and discovers they like it. And I have noticed they will try other things aside from the one they picked first.
