are fragrances just hideously expensive?

[GuacamoleSalad]

I've been doing some math about the cost of materials for each bar of soap I make. I've heard a lot about oils being expensive, and they are, but it kinda seems like fragrances are off the charts.

Is this other folks' experience too or am I just too attracted to essential oils and fancy smells?

 

[Relle]

I don't use EO's, too expensive for me to put in soap, I use FO's and depending on the fragrance picked they can be expensive and probably the most expensive part of the soap. FO's have gone up a lot since covid.

 

[MellonFriend]

They are expensive, but some company's prices are better than others. What companies are you using?

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

They are expensive, but some company's prices are better than others. What companies are you using?

The only places I've purchased from so far are Brambleberry (where I started) and Candle Science. Would love to hear recommendations for other sources!

 

[MelissaG]

I rarely ever use essential oils. They're very expensive. Bramble Berry and Wholesale Supplies Plus are expensive. But there are alot of places to get fragrance oils from.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

I rarely ever use essential oils. They're very expensive. Bramble Berry and Wholesale Supplies Plus are expensive. But there are alot of places to get fragrance oils from.

Thanks. I'd love to hear your recommendations.

 

[MelissaG]

Thanks. I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Sorry, watching Reacher with hubby.

Midwest Fragrance
Scent Memory
Simbi
Nurture Soap
Natures Garden
Candlescience
BeScented
Flaming Candle
Sweetcakes

There's alot more though.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Check out Fragrance Buddy

 

[Firefly24]

Everything is expensive now days. However, the list from @MelissaG is good and it's crazy just how many are out there.
From Nature with Love and Hive & Honey are also good. I personally like the companies that have tested their fragrances making CP soap and tell you their results. I am paying between 15-22 dollars a bottle. And that doesn't include shipping. There are a few companies that offer free shipping after you spend a certain dollar amount. It would be nice to start a thread about specific companies and fragrances that work well in CP soap.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

Amazing, thank you all!

 

[Relle]

It would be nice to start a thread about specific companies and fragrances that work well in CP soap.

It would be too hard to index, smf is worldwide not just the US. You would have to include Aus, NZ, UK, US, India, Asia, Europe, Africa, it's too extensive. If you look in shopping recs others have put FO,s in CP. It might come up in a search or you can google it and it might come up in smf there.

I am paying between 15-22 dollars a bottle.
[/QUOTE
What size is that, it sounds cheap, the cheapest I can get is $35 for 520mls.

 

[Firefly24]

It would be too hard to index, smf is worldwide not just the US. You would have to include Aus, NZ, UK, US, India, Asia, Europe, Africa, it's too extensive. If you look in shopping recs others have put FO,s in CP. It might come up in a search or you can google it and it might come up in smf there.

Oh @Relle I completely forgot about everyone outside of the U.S.... you aren't kidding, that wouldn't work. All is well, at least we share what we know where we know it.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

When using essential oils, be sure to stick with the ones that last in cold process soap. This list needs some updating, but it's a good place to start. And, don't forget to check safe usage rates using EOCalc.com. I will try to find some time soon to update this thread on eo blends.

The best way to save on fragrance costs is to do your research in advance and then test the FO using your recipe(s) and methods. SMF is a good place to start. Reviews on the supplier websites help, and I know that Nurture has a FB group. My biggest soap making disappointments over the years happened when I rushed ahead without following my own advice.

Brambleberry may be on the expensive side, but over my five years of soaping, their testing notes have been the best/most reliable of the bunch relative to the suppliers I've used (BB, WSP, Nurture, Oregon Trails, Majestic Mountain Sage, Fragrance Buddy, Scent Memory, BeScented). User reviews and photos are also very helpful. When I see a good handful of photos of nicely swirled soaps posted in the reviews, it builds my confidence that the FO is well-behaved across recipes.

 

[melinda48]

Sorry, watching Reacher with hubby.

Midwest Fragrance
Scent Memory
Simbi
Nurture Soap
Natures Garden
Candlescience
BeScented
Flaming Candle
Sweetcakes

There's alot more though.

Fragrance Buddy is another good one.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

When using essential oils, be sure to stick with the ones that last in cold process soap. This list needs some updating, but it's a good place to start. And, don't forget to check safe usage rates using EOCalc.com. I will try to find some time soon to update this thread on eo blends.

The best way to save on fragrance costs is to do your research in advance and then test the FO using your recipe(s) and methods. SMF is a good place to start. Reviews on the supplier websites help, and I know that Nurture has a FB group. My biggest soap making disappointments over the years happened when I rushed ahead without following my own advice.

Brambleberry may be on the expensive side, but over my five years of soaping, their testing notes have been the best/most reliable of the bunch relative to the suppliers I've used (BB, WSP, Nurture, Oregon Trails, Majestic Mountain Sage, Fragrance Buddy, Scent Memory, BeScented). User reviews and photos are also very helpful. When I see a good handful of photos of nicely swirled soaps posted in the reviews, it builds my confidence that the FO is well-behaved across recipes.

That's a fabulous list, thank you so much.

 

[Kcryss]

There is also Aztec Candle Making.
www.candlemaking.com
I buy a lot from them.

 

[MellonFriend]

I feel like Wholesale Supplies plus has some affordable but still really good fragrances. I mostly buy from them. If you are looking for affordable EOs, check out Still Point Aromatics. They seem to have quality EOs for reasonable prices.

 

[Kcryss]

For EO's there is also Sun Pure Botanicals.
https://www.spbotanicals.com/

 

[not_ally]

It would be nice to start a thread about specific companies and fragrances that work well in CP soap.

The problem with trying to identify companies which make fragrances that stick is that it seems like *all* of them make a few fragrances that stick really well, but also for all of them the majority of the scents do not. After buying hundreds of FOs, it seems like there is no way to predict it, which is very frustrating. At this point I try to limit my FO purchases to ones that I really like and know will stick, but even so it is still tempting to splash out on new ones which sound good, and it is super frustrating when they fade (and I tell myself I should have known better for the millionth time.)

Also, it does not always seem as if "stickers" are necessarily more expensive, or from more expensive companies. Eg, a couple of well-behaved stickers (Pink Grapefruit and RE's Bamboo Sugarcane) that I use religiously from WSP - a company which I think of being on the expensive end of the scale - are relatively inexpensive. Similarly, another well-behaved sticker I use all the the time is Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro, an inexpensive one from Natures's Garden, a company with (by and large) cheaper FOs.

So for the FOs I like and can afford I try to wait until the relevant company is having a sale, or buy a couple of big bottles of a couple of FOs at the same time so I can amortize the costs a little bit. I am just a hobby soaper, I imagine that people who sell can do this more efficiently.

There are a couple of threads here and one on Craftserver (although that one is old) about FOs that stick well in CP. There is a long thread here re testing on Fragrance Buddy FOs that is really good. Another place to check is the SMP fragrance review excel, that is no longer being updated but the reviews that are there usually include information on how well the FOs stick.

ETA: Unfortunately, most of the threads/reviews are limited to US companies because (I think) most of the posters here are from the US.

 

[MellonFriend]

For EO's there is also Sun Pure Botanicals.
https://www.spbotanicals.com/

Do you personally buy from them? If so, how do you like them? I considered that company but I got concerned with how many negative reviews they had on ebay and that they have no purity testing. Some of their prices seem way too low to me.