Cocoa butter --> go with deodorized or non-deodorized?

sheilaohga · Mar 25, 2017

I want to get cocoa butter for the first time and been searching around and found out there are some options.
I narrowed it down to "natural/unrefined" but got stuck in the smell.

How strong are the natural, undeodorized cocoa butters smell?

I see some people like the natural chocolatey aroma but some say the smell eats up the EO/FO so would go for the deodorized.

I usually go with lighter scent for my soaps and most of the smells fly away after curing anyway so most of my soaps doesn't smell as much as I started with.

Main question :
If I go for the non-deodorized and don't ADD any EO/FO, will my soap smell just chocolatey?

Obsidian · Mar 25, 2017

I always buy the non deodorized kind since I use it mainly in lotions/creams and want the chocolaty scent. The few times I've used it in soap, its had a subtle chocolate scent, was terrible with a floral FO.
If you are using it just for soap, get the deodorized kind, if you want a nice chocolate scent, find a good FO. BB has one called deep dark chocolate that is amazing but it will discolor your soap a dark chocolate color.

IrishLass · Mar 25, 2017

I use both kinds at various times in my soap (just not in the same soap), and although a faint chocolaty scent comes through with the non-deodorized type, it always goes away in the weeks during cure so that all I end up smelling in my soap is the FO I used. For what it's worth, I use cocoa butter at 6% in my soap formula. I suppose if you use more than that, the chocolate smell could possibly linger longer and or stronger, but I don't know for sure.

Because of the expense of the non-deodorized/non refined compared to the price of the refined, I now use the refined deodorized in my soap and save the non-deodorized/non-refined for my chocolate lip balms, where I like the scent to come through.

IrishLass

redhead1226 · Mar 25, 2017

I used Unrefined Shea and Cocoa butter in some of my soap, however.. in everything else I use the refined/deodorized as it over powers my products otherwise.

SaltedFig · Mar 25, 2017

I use organic, unrefined cocoa butter, which often gets eaten or used in creams before I get to it.

I like it for its smell, which does fade a lot after a time. Blending with woodsy or herbal essential oils works well for me - they go nicely with it and smell good on their own.

For economy, this is not the way to go :silent:

Zany_in_CO · Mar 25, 2017

obsidian said:
i always buy the non deodorized kind since i use it mainly in lotions/creams and want the chocolaty scent. The few times i've used it in soap, its had a subtle chocolate scent, was terrible with a floral fo.
If you are using it just for soap, get the deodorized kind, if you want a nice chocolate scent, find a good fo. Bb has one called deep dark chocolate that is amazing but it will discolor your soap a dark chocolate color.

ditto