Element Body and Bath FO Reviews

[Soapmaker145]

I've made testers for a number of fragrances from EBB that are now 3 to 6 months old. Overall, I like their sample policy a lot. They are bigger than the tiny glass tubes that are an accident waiting to happen. They come in a 7 ml PP tube that is reusable. They are filled with 2 to 4 ml of FOs which is enough to make a tester with some product leftover. After testing, you don't have to deal with 1 oz or more of an FO that just didn't make it. I think all other FO suppliers should use the same tubes but fill them to the top. It's cheaper than wasting time weighing FOs.

When I first poured this set, I was sure I wasn't going to like any of them. I put them on the shelf and forgot about them. I was surprised when I started my reviews that most of them survived the cure very well. Many mellowed out into nice soapy FOs. I wouldn't have upset had I had a bigger bottle to deal with. I would have been able to use even the ones I didn't like. I don't have any pictures of this set yet.

If I were to start my FO experiment again, I would start with EBB and just make some blends. I think this company is more focused on soapmakers.

Here is the first installment:

332-Toasted Oats and Shea: Vanilla= 6.2%, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: medium brown discoloration, light ash, medium strong and holding. This smells like baked vanilla to me.

333-Wild Sage Cassis: No vanilla, FP=155oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: no discoloration, light ash, medium strong and holding. Lost a lot of the complexity it had OOB. What is left is an herbal scent with some citrus and generic floral notes.

334-Sensual secrets: Vanilla= 4.1%, FP>200oF. At 3 months: medium brown discoloration, light ash, medium strong and holding. This smells like plain vanilla mixed with plain sandalwood to me. I won’t buy it because of the EO. Had I liked the mix enough, I would have duplicated it with sandalwood FOs.

335-Aqua Pier 1Type: No vanilla, FP>200oF. At 3 months: no discoloration, light ash, medium strong and holding. This is a generic soft herbal scent with water notes.

336-Satara Sandalwood: Vanilla= 1.7%, FP>200oF. It's warm, mild, woodsy scent. At 3 months: discolored dark beige/medium brown, no ash, medium strong scent. When first poured, all I could smell were alcoholic notes. I didn’t care for it and pretty much wrote it off. Now, it smells more like sandalwood. There are better sandalwoods.

337-Verbena Berries: No vanilla, FP=195oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: no discoloration, no ash, medium strong and holding. This one reminds of TCS Peach Raspberry magnolia with added citrusy notes. However, it is more delicate, softer around the edges, less in your face. It is a nice fruity/floral FO.

338-Sea Goddess: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: No discoloration, no ash, medium strong. This is a complex but unassuming green floral. I don’t think it is unique enough or interesting enough to stand on its own.

339-Black Bamboo Pikake: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: dark tan discoloration, no ash, medium strong. This one reminds me of a generic commercial soap scent with citrus earthy notes. Meh.

340-Vineyard Bouquet: Vanilla=0.5%, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: light tan discoloration, no ash, medium strong. I smell mostly citrus with hints of fruit and spice.

341-Secret garden: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: No discoloration, no ash, medium strong well blended floral scent and holding. I don’t smell much fruit. I smell more rose and gardenia. This would be an easy FO to use as a base to make floral blends.

342-Pink Petals: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: No discoloration, no ash, medium strong floral scent and holding. This is a generic floral with rose geranium being the predominant note albeit light. It has much less rose than #341. I think it can also be used as a base floral in blends.

343-Kai Type: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: slight tan discoloration, no ash, strong scent and holding. I didn’t care for it when first poured but cured into a dry gardenia floral scent without harsh notes. It is one of the better gardenias I tried.

344-Hyacinth: No vanilla, FP>195oF. At 3 months: no discoloration, no ash, strong hyacinth scent and holding. It is unmistakably hyacinth. It is very strong now and I’m sure it will be strong at 1 year. After so many horrid florals, this one is a clean deep dry spicy floral FO without being overwhelming. No sweet notes whatsoever. I didn’t like it when first poured (overwhelmingly strong at 5%), but what is left at 3 months is a lovely strong hyacinth.

345-Juniper Aloe: No vanilla, FP>189oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: light tannish beige discoloration, no ash, strong and holding. This is a simple fresh unassuming scent. I don’t smell juniper but I get strong green notes with hints of apples and some floral notes. I didn’t like it initially but it smells much better after the full cure. There are no sweet notes in it. Less fruity than #347.

346: Green Irish Tweed: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalates. At 3 months: light tan discoloration, light ash, Medium strong and holding. This was OK when first poured but it matured into a very nice masculine scent. It’s a balanced herbal “cologne” with added deep base notes.

347: Green Hibiscus Peach: No vanilla, FP>200oF, no phthalate. At 3 months: No discoloration, no ash, medium strong and holding. This is a fruity scent with nice floral notes without being overwhelming. I put this scent also in the TCS Peach Raspberry Magnolia category.

 

[kharmon320]

I love the Juniper Aloe. It can be a booger to soap, but I just do one color and pour quick. It's a very fresh, clean scent without smelling like detergent. More of a "green" clean.

 

[nsmar4211]

Seems like most of them are generic or "good to mix" type scents so far though...
I like just dump and go LOL. That sample method sounds awesome !!!!! Saves a billion small bottles.

Does 347 mean you have test 347 scents (between all the suppliers) so far!??!?!?

 

[Soapmaker145]

Seems like most of them are generic or "good to mix" type scents so far though...
I like just dump and go LOL. That sample method sounds awesome !!!!! Saves a billion small bottles.

Does 347 mean you have test 347 scents (between all the suppliers) so far!??!?!?

I have several from Element that I bought in larger bottles already. They were poured before these but have higher numbers. I'm hoping to update the thread the second week in September.

I have about 500 FO samples poured and another 100 in blends. It is easier to use numbers. I remember the scents better than the corresponding names. I think I finally have a grip on FOs (really slow learner here). In the end, I'm going to have a number of blends and a few FOs that I'll use by themselves. They should keep my crowd happy. It's surprising how difficult it is to get a nice soapy smell that works dry and wet and have clean identifiable notes. TCS seemed to really do that well.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I have to write a lot of reviews before pouring any more. Here is the next installment:

361-Moonbeam: FP=200oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: No dis, no ash. Medium light scent. I wanted to like it but I don’t. I smell apple and more fruity notes fighting with some coconut and woodsy notes with some florals struggling to be heard in the background. There is too much going on. More isn’t better. Every time I smell it, there is something else going on. It lacks harmony. I think this is a candidate for blending with a little sandalwood or musk to see if it can be saved. I wouldn’t use it as is.

362-Sea Island Grapefruit: No vanilla, FP=165oF. At 6 months: Slight yellow discoloration, no ash. Meh. I wouldn’t call it grapefruit. I haven't had good luck with grapefruit. I smell a little citrus struggling in a floral background. It’s off the list.

363-Buttermik&Honey: FP>200oF, Vanilla=8%.At 6 months: The discoloration is medium dark brown. No ash. It smells like vanilla. Not interesting to me. I tend not to like OMH type scents.

364-Tuscan Herbs: FP=172oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: slight discoloration to a light beige/tan. No ash. Lovely complex herbal scent with some woodsy notes that seems appropriately soapy. Not easy to identify individual notes. Bought bigger bottle. The scent was true from day 1 and stayed just as strong at 6 months. I’ve avoided FOs labeled with tomato notes but I might have to try some. This is my favorite from EBB.

365-Exotic Amazon Teakwood: FP=143oF, Vanilla=1%. At 6 months: slight discoloration to a light beige/tan. No ash. This is basically a cedarwood that is very well balanced with coniferous green notes. The scent is strong at 6 months. It’s one of the better teakwood/woodsy FOs. My dad loved it. I bought a bigger bottle.

366-Balsam&Citrus: FP=180oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: slight discoloration to a light beige. I didn’t care for it. The scent has the unpleasant coniferous green off notes that I associate with the mistletoe FOs. There is a hint of generic citrus coming through but no spice. Off the list.

367-Olive Leaf&Lime: FP=192oF, No vanilla. At 6 months, no discoloration, no ash, medium strong scent. To me, it wasn’t great when it was first poured and it got worse with the cure. The various notes are just fighting each other. I find it unpleasant with notes that I associate with animal scents. Off the list.

368-Awapuhi: FP=199oF, No vanilla. At 6 months, no discoloration, no ash, medium strong scent. This one reminds me of ACS Hawaiian Ginger. It isn’t bad on its own but could easily be blended.

369-Blue Lotus: FP=160oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: no discoloration, no ash, medium light floral scent and fading. I mostly smell a light jasmine floral blended with more florals but it doesn’t make me want to use it for some reason. I put it in the generic floral column.

370-Blossom: FP>200oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: slight beige discoloration, no ash, medium light rose scent. It is a simple clean rose scent without any of the burnt wax that most other rose scents I tried had in abundance. I would use it as is or blend to give it more of a statement. This is what I would use when asked for a rose scent.

371-Clarity: FP>200, No vanilla. At 6 months: no discoloration, no ash, medium light floral scent. Medium strong and holding. To my nose, this is a scent that doesn’t know what it wants to be. All the various notes are fighting each other. The end result is a cheap laundry detergent scent.

372-Tranquil Waters: FP=185oF, No vanilla. At 6 months: no discoloration, no ash. Medium strong and holding. I don’t think this is well balanced. It needs to be poured at a lower rate to have a chance. It is too aggressive at 5%.

 

[nsmar4211]

Would you say the Teakwood could be used as Christmas-y scent? I'm tired of fake pine

When you say the Blossom is a medium light scent, too light (as in use stronger) or good for people who don't want an in your face rose? I'm intrigued .

Funny that their Sea island grapefruit has the same issue as Rustic Escentuals, not grapefruit. Maybe that needs a rename LOL

500...wow....!!! Numbers sounds better .

I had to stop on the sampling I'm doing for Rustic Escentuals for a few batches because sniffing too many scents together wasn't working. I'm realizing when doing sample batches I should really do likes with likes (florals, food, etc) to avoid killing sinuses . Do you ever run into that?

 

[Soapmaker145]

Would you say the Teakwood could be used as Christmas-y scent? I'm tired of fake pine

I had to stop on the sampling I'm doing for Rustic Escentuals for a few batches because sniffing too many scents together wasn't working. I'm realizing when doing sample batches I should really do likes with likes (florals, food, etc) to avoid killing sinuses . Do you ever run into that?

I think the teakwood will work for a Xmas FO. It's a good blend of woodsy and coniferous greens. Think Christmas tree. It'll probably work even better in HP. At 9 months, it's starting to lose some of the complexity it had when first poured. It worked very well in CP from day 1 and through 6 months. I think it'll last forever and a day in HP. Pine reminds me of floor cleaners. I didn't order any willingly.

I don't know if you ever tried Christmas Forest from BB. It's a soapy Chirstmas Tree scent that is softer than many of the other options. I have several people who love this FO and will use it exclusively if I made enough of it.

Blossom is good for people who aren't looking for a heavy, in your face Rose scent but love their roses. It stays true to OOB. I don't think you'll need to use more of it. The rose FOs are resistant to alkali. It would also be easy to blend to.

500+ and I need my head examined.:shock::crazy: I remind myself that everybody is entitled to 1 wasteful hobby.

It is easier to pour similar FOs together but don't try to review them together. The more similar they are, the more unscented the second, third etc... are going to be. You have to test them on different days and only compare 2 together when you picked your favorites. This is why it is easier to pour than to review. It takes a long time to evaluate FOs because you have to try them multiple time, only test a few at a time and in different order each time.

I limit myself now to pouring 20 to 30 samples at a time. I aliquot them in small tubes days before I pour them. I dump the content into the batter as quickly as I can, mix and cover to minimize exposure. Usually, I have somebody helping me to speed up the process. You can wear a mask but the FO is still going to fill the space. I have the windows open and a powerful fan blowing air out just to reduce the scent.

 

[Soapmaker145]

Same disclaimer: YMMV. There should be one more installment for EBB.
ETA: The company doesn't seem to have IFRAs for their FOs. I will have to ask them to generate some. I've gotten to the point of not being comfortable using FOs without IFRAs.

373-Ginger Lime: FP=142oF, Vanilla=1.3%. At six weeks: Discolored medium beige, no ash. Bright lime that is anchored with a little sweet and something else. It almost tickles the nose. The ginger is not very strong. Strong scent and holding. At 9 months, the lime faded some and the ginger became more prominent. It’s not as bubbly as it once was. I think this will make a good ginger ale mixed with a little BB’s Champagne (something on the order of 6 or 7:1 Champagne). Medium strong scent.

374-Bloming Gardenia: FP>200oF, No vanilla. At six weeks: Light tan discoloration, no ash. It smelled off and unpleasant when first poured. It improved slowly with age but it is still not a good floral to me. Medium strong and holding. At 9 months: It is still strong and unpleasant. I can smell more Ylang Ylang notes. Also some of the oily notes are more pronounced. It doesn’t remind me of gardenia. Out for good.

375-Vanilla Sandalwood: FP>200oF, Vanilla? At six weeks: discolored medium chocolate milk. Medium ash, FO beads that didn’t reabsorb well. Medium scent. Not sure how to describe it. I could smell mostly vanilla until full cure. Now, there is something else there but I don’t smell sandalwood. This wouldn’t be my choice for Vanilla Sandalwood. At 9 months: Same as the 6 weeks assessment except the scent faded more.

376-Crystal Sunshine: FP=175oF, No vanilla. At six weeks: Discolored light beige. No ash. Complex green floral with hint of citrus. I think of this as a floral scent for guys who won’t use florals. The floral notes are well balanced with green and musk notes. Medium strong and holding. At 9 months: I pick up more honeysuckle. I still think this is a floral that will work for guys. I like it better after the long cure.

377-Tuscan Lace: FP>200oF, Vanilla=3%. At six weeks: discolored a dark yellowish tan. No ash. I thought I would like it a lot, but I didn’t. Overall, it is very subtle and it isn’t bad. It improved dramatically with age. Medium light and holding. At 9 months: It smells way better than at 6 weeks. It is appropriately soapy. Medium light and holding.

378-Mediterranean Garden Spa: FP>200oF, no vanilla. At six weeks: Discolored light beige. No ash. Complex Green/Floral. I didn’t care for this scent when first poured. It lacked harmony. At full cure, it improved dramatically. It still has a hint of the waxy scents that dominate rose FOs, but it isn’t bad. Medium scent and holding. It will probably improve more with time. At 9 months: It turned into a nice clean rose-based soap scent.

379-Madagascar Vanilla Orchid: FP>200, vanilla=9.2%. At six weeks: Discolored very dark brown. Light ash. Small FO beads on surface that reabsorbed completely. Nice complex vanilla with additional notes. Medium strong and holding. At 9 months: the scent is still holding. This is probably my favorite vanilla right now. In the wet test, the lather is very light beige but the water is dark beige/light chocolate.

380-Mediterranean Fig: FP=200oF, No vanilla. At six weeks: discolored medium beige, not too bad. Light ash. The scent was clean fig when first poured but at full cure, it is a generic fig scent with a hint of sweet. It isn’t bad but there are better figs FOs. Medium light and holding. At 9 months: the fig notes have faded some but are still detectable. The scent is holding.

381-Sparkling Green Tea: FP>200oF, No vanilla. At six weeks: Very light discoloration to sandy beige. No ash. Bright light floral tea scent. One of the better green teas that I tested so far. Medium light and holding. At 9 months: the tea notes have faded a lot but what it left is a nice light soapy clean scent.

382-Lime Crystal Kisses: FP=135oF, vanilla=0%. At six weeks: No discoloration. No ash. Strong lime scent tempered with a bit of sugar. It was almost bubbly when first poured but it settled down during cure. This is a decent sweet lime scent. Medium strong and holding. At 9 months: all that is left is a sort of a laundry clean scent. The lime notes faded a great deal but it is still recognizable.

383-Lavender Apple Oak: FP=185oF, vanilla=0%. At six weeks: Uneven discoloration, purplish fading to brown, mostly sandy beige. Very well blended complex scent with floral, fruity and woodsy notes. The overall effect is light and bright. Lost some of the complexity that it had OOB but it still smells lovely. Medium strong scent and holding. At 9 months: it faded a lot but the lavender is still recognizable.

384-Ginger&White Tea: FP=200oF, No vanilla. At six weeks: No discoloration. No ash. It is a light clean scent. It is not very pronounced. At 9 months, it is still there but very light.

385-Antahala Vanilla: FP>200oF, Vanilla content=9.5. At six weeks: Discolored very dark brown. Small FO beads that reabsorbed completely. Light ash. Nice vanilla scent. At 9 months: the scent is still there but it is becoming more of a generic lightly sweet bakery type vanilla.

386-L’Occitane Honey: FP>200oF, Vanilla content 1.8%. Discolored chocolate milk. At 8 months: strong lovely honey scent like it is still in the comb. This is supposed to be a duplicate of L’Occitane’s Honey and it is an excellent dupe. They really hit it out of the park. The scent is unmistakable. It is still too strong that the usage rate of 5% needs to be cut. Strong with no hint of fading. Best honey ever!

 

[dibbles]

I just want to thank you for posting all of your FO reviews. It is so helpful when trying to wade through the endless seas of them.

 

[doriettefarm]

I completely agree with your review of #382 Lime Crystal Kisses & #385 L'Occitane Honey . . . I would order both of them again.

 

[Soapmaker145]

The following FOs were reviewed 5 months after pour.

387-Wild Mint Moss: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. No dis, light ash. It is related to Tuscan Herbs and white musk (#389) but with a lot of mint that doesn’t blend completely with the rest of the notes. Medium strong scent and holding. I prefer Tuscan Herbs.

388-Wild Honeysuckle: FP=195oF, No Vanilla. It reminds me of BB’s heavenly Honeysuckle but with more honeysuckle notes. Not as true honeysuckle as the TCS version but it is very pleasant in soap. It's the honeysuckle I'll be using once I run out of the TCS. Medium strong at 5 months and holding.

389-Tropical White Musk: FP>200oF, Vanilla content <1%. Light beige discoloration, no ash. The musk and amber notes are unmistakable. There are some spicy additional notes that don’t blend very well. Overall, it’s not bad but I like the sweet musk from TCS better. Medium strong and holding at 5 months.

390-Tart Lemon: FP=152oF, Vanilla content <0.2%. Slight beige discoloration, no ash. This is a bubbly sweet soda scent with hints of lemon and not a fresh squeezed lemon scent. If I smell it too long, it reaches damp moldy scent. Some of the sharp lemon notes were totally lost during cure. Medium strong and holding at 5 months.

391-Tangelo: FP=152oF, No Vanilla. No discoloration, hint of ash. I smell a light citrus scent but there are other notes there that are a bit heavy and stale. They remind me of an old man’s cologne. It’s not what I expect from a citrusy FO. Medium light scent at 5 months.

392-Sweet patchouli: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Discolored medium brown, no ash. It’s a nice calm patchouli scent. It doesn’t have any sharp edges and is not sugary sweet. Medium strong and holding. It improved with cure.

393-Sensuous Black Rose: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. No discoloration, no ash. This one settled into a light rose scent similar to Blossom. Light scent at 5 months.

394-Mountain Jasmine: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Light apricot yellow discoloration, light ash. This FO is the typical soapy jasmine. It smells clean. Most jasmine FOs didn’t make it because of “off” unpleasant notes. Medium scent and holding at 5 months.

395-Passionflower: FP>200oF, Vanilla content <0.1%. No discoloration, no ash. This is a generic sweet floral scent. Medium light scent. Not very interesting.

396-Patchouli Honey: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Discolored dark beige with heavy ash. It is similar to the FB patchouli passion. I prefer the FB version which is stronger, brighter and more complex. This one smells more generic in comparison. Medium light and holding.

397-Patchouli Raspberry: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Discolored tannish brown, no ash. It is earthy with hints of cedar and patchouli. Medium strong, no ash. I didn’t care for it.

398-Rio Rumberry: FP=186oF, No Vanilla. No discoloration, no ash. I didn’t care for the scent when first poured but it improved with cure. Medium light scent at 5 months. I smell hints of generic floral and musk. It’s not bad for a soap scent.

399-Bamboo Sugarcane: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Just a hint of tan discoloration, light ash. This one reminds me of a cheap men’s cologne. I didn’t care for it. It has some initial harsh notes that are common in jasmine based FOs. They softened the longer I smelled it. I didn’t smell any sugar. Medium strong scent. OUT for me.

400-Dark Sexy: FP>200oF, No Vanilla. Hint of tan discoloration, no ash. This one leans towards men’s cologne but it stays fairly clean and subtle. The base is woods and incense but it is bright and not heavy. This is the FO I would use when I want a men’s cologne type scent. It is the nicest to my nose of all the ones I tested. Medium strong and holding.

 

[nsmar4211]

Patchouli Raspberry perked my ears up.....but no berry survived huh? Darn.

On the Mountain Jasmine, is it the Lust type jasmine smell (blehhhhhh) or is it actually liveable?

 

[Soapmaker145]

Patchouli Raspberry perked my ears up.....but no berry survived huh? Darn.

On the Mountain Jasmine, is it the Lust type jasmine smell (blehhhhhh) or is it actually liveable?

I don't smell Raspberry. You would have to blend it with a berry FO. Honestly, I would blend a different patchouli with a berry FO and leave this one alone. My nose didn't care for it. The Mountain jasmine is nothing like Lust. It is the nicest jasmine I tried so far with no off notes that I can smell.

 

[Lynnz]

I realise this is a post from time gone by but purchased fragrance from Elements and tried soaping the Dark and Sexy. It smelt amazing, I soaped low temp with tiny water discount and got soap on a stick I love the smell of it so will try the rest in wax.