Essential Oils vs Fragrance Oils

[Cashie]

Do you prefer essential oils or fragrance oils in your soaps?

If you use essential, what quantities do you have to buy in to get a good price? I haven't been able to find a good essential oil at less than $2/ounce (and I prefer citrus such as orange or lemon).

When people request fragrances like lavender, I don't know what to say. Lavender is one of the most expensive essential oils I've looked at. But, I find hand-made soaps locally with gorgeous scents selling for $5-6 a bar and wonder how they do it.

I've tried some fragrance oils that are nice, but really like it when the label says I've used an essential oil. Comments?

 

[lsg]

I have used both essential and fragrance oils. I prefer essential oils for the most part, but with expensive oils like vanilla, sandalwood, rose etc., I use fragrance oils.

 

[soapbuddy]

I use both. Depending on the price of each EO, I usually get 1 lb. Obviously I wouldn't get that much for rose or jasmine.

 

[Cashie]

I usually buy by the pound as well. Have you been able to find an essential oil for less than $2 ounce?

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I have found lavender for $55 a pound and thought I hit the jackpot! I see a big profit in a $5-$6 bar. I use .5oz-1oz ppo, on lavender i would use .75oz for a strong batch. I make batches with 3lbs of oil, so 2.25oz of essential oil. I cut large bars, so 12 bars. It is under $1 per bar for the EO. The oils are not that expensive in soap making. Maybe a $1 a bar? There is plenty of room for a large profit. But the majority of us are here for fun and know this is an expensive hobby!

 

[Lynnz]

Once upon a time I would have hollered FO without further thought but of the last three months I have done a few swaps and really enjoyed some of the mixes of EO people have put into the soaps

 

[Fragola]

Until you know your customers better, you should do both, for a couple of popular fragrances.

1$ per bar isn't such a big difference to pay extra.

Or you could position your EO soap differently. It could be a natural soap, with various herbals and stuff, at higher price or smaller in size and for the same price. Depends on your market, really - you could end up with a higher profit margin.

 

[Dragonkaz]

I do both ... preferring EO's to begin with, but now I mostly make FO's and mix a few. For example I made a lavender EO and a lavender EO, FO mix.

Lavender is relatively inexpensive here ... but I've been asked for a patchouli EO soap, but so far the cost is too high, which is frustrating .

 

[fiddletree]

Same in Europe as in Australia, I guess. Is lavender really that expensive in the US? Here I can get it for....roughly converting from pounds per bottle (in mL).... $5-6 per oz. But there are about a zillion different types of lavender, and some are really pricy. I usually get lavendin because it costs less but still smells good (costs less because it is a breed of lavender that produces about 25% more oil). Organic French lavender costs 2x that much.

I've never touched a FO and don't plan on it (super sensitive lungs), and consider lav to be one of the cheaper FOs, aside from some of the citrus. Oh, and lemongrass is luckily quite inexpensive and it's one of my favorites. Same for peppermint.

Things like patchouli cost and arm and a leg here. I have been lusting after some nutmeg EO, but I can't make myself justify spending about $50 for 3.3 oz. Patchouli is nearly that much but I use it some because people ask for it a lot (I make blends.... no way I am using that stuff pure!). Certain things that smell lovely but are expensive and/or environmentally unfriendly like sandlewood, rose, vanilla I just don't use even though they smell nice, and I won't use FOs to replace them.

 

[dcornett]

I use both also. When buying eo's I usually get 8-16 oz sizes depending on price and amount I use. I wouldn't think you could expect to pay less than 2 $ an ounce for most eo's no matter what size you get, some of them are a bit cheaper, like the citus'. I get mine from wf-med and I like them very well. You may want to check them out here's a link to their ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/wfmed

 

[soapbuddy]

I use both also. When buying eo's I usually get 8-16 oz sizes depending on price and amount I use. I wouldn't think you could expect to pay less than 2 $ an ounce for most eo's no matter what size you get, some of them are a bit cheaper, like the citus'. I get mine from wf-med and I like them very well. You may want to check them out here's a link to their ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/wfmed

Just don't buy their Patchouli. It's simply awful and I love Patch.

 

[Soaplady22]

Is their orange EO a good one?? The eBay store.
TIA ~

 

[Cashie]

I love orange EO. And lemon. I made some awesome smelling lemon poppy seed bars and thought I'd make a matching lip balm and sugar scrub and package it all up for Christmas presents.

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[soapbuddy]

Be careful using orange oil in lip balms. It can be sensitizer unless you are using the bergaptene free version.

 

[carebear]

only FCC grade essential oils are to be used in lip balms.

From The Scent Works:

FCC (Food Chemicals Codex)

“FCC,” an acronym meaning Food Chemicals Codex, is the accepted standard for defining the quality of food-grade additives and chemicals in terms of identity, strength, and purity based on the elements of safety and good manufacturing practices. The FCC project is an activity of the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Following the passage of the Food Additives amendments to the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1958, the Food Protection Committee of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, received requests from its Industry Liaison Board and other sources to undertake a project to produce a Food Chemicals Codex. The First Edition of the resulting Food Chemicals Codex, which was published in 1966, was limited to chemicals that are added directly to foods to achieve a desired technological function. Succeeding editions upgraded the specifications for these substances and added specifications for substances that come into contact with foods and some that are regarded as foods, rather than as additives. To date, five editions of the Food Chemicals Codex (1966, 1972, 1981, 1996, and 2003) have been published.

http://store.scent-works.com/definitionsfaq.html#FCC

 

[Stinkydancer]

I do both as well- but I prefer FO's...I'm just not into EO's that much.

The Eo's I do love- are insanely expensive- Sandalwood and Jasmine Absolute...FO's for those. I wish I could get the real stuff though.

Edited to add:

Sometimes I like the way others use their EO's. It could be my blending skills. Ida from Chagrin Valley is a wiz at it- I just wish the soap smelled stronger sometimes for the ones I like.

 

[Lindy]

I use both. For my less expensive line I use FO's and micas, for my expensive "natural" line I use EO's for scent, clays, botanicals etc for colour as well as some of the properties...

 

[busymakinsoap!]

I much prefer FO. They are more expensive for me than EO because I can't buy any decent ones here, so I need to import.

I use a couple of EO but you can't beat the options available in FO - and for me they outsell the EO bars by far.

It just depends on your niche - I'm not too concerned about 'all natural' and neither are my customers, I don't think I have ever been asked if my soaps were scented with and EO oil or a FO?

I feel safer using FO too, because I am not knowledgeable in the benefits/risks of EO

 

[bluevervain]

I prefer EO. I think my friends, family and customers do too. There's just something special. You can see it in people's faces when they pick up a bar and sniff. A lot of people that I know also really want 100% natural products. That said, I do use both.

One thing you can do to use EO but save a bit of money is do a blend of FO and EO. That way you get the specialness of EO but it's cheaper and you can integrate a scent into the blend that isn't available as an EO like: Lemongrass EO with Coconut FO. I love to mix Bramble Berry's Holiday Candy with Peppermint EO. Yummy!

I also kind of keep a list in my head of the EOs I consider reasonably priced and work with those. Citrus and oils derived from culinary spices are some of the most reasonable. There are lots of EOs that are exquisite but out of my price range for soap. I may buy those for lotions and serums in small, small quantities. I also buy in somewhat larger quantities tot save money 16 oz is a good size for me.

Ones I consider reasonable:
orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, tangerine, tea tree, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, fir needle, cedarwood, patchouli, lemongrass,clove, star anise, rosemary and eucalyptus.

True, patchouli is a bit pricey and so is cedarwood but you need some basenotes. I am also willing to shell out for Palmarosa since a little goes a long way and it has great staying power in cp soap.

 

[Sunny]

I prefer EOs because a lot of FOs give me a headache. But I like a lot of FOs, cotton candy, cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake, yum. yes I like foodie scents. LOL