Fragrance Buddy FO test

[Soapmaker145]

Here is a list of the first 50 fragrance buddy that I already have in a 4 to 5 oz sample soap. You can let me know which ones you are interested in the most and I'll review them first. I have another 40+ to test. I'll add them to the list as soon as they get numbered.

OOB, almost all of the fragrances smelled very nice with a lot of complex top notes. To me, they are the opposite of the Bambleberry fragrances which tend to be faint OOB (very little cold throw). Unfortunately the complexity doesn't survive the cp process. However, some of them are nice. I think most of them will work great for people who do HP or melt and pour.

201 Earthen Oak
202 The Olive Branch
203 Victorian Christmas
204 Sultana
205 Driftwood
206 Breath of God
207 Black Cedarwood & Juniper
208 Tuca Tuca
209 American Cream
210 Apple Jack &Peels
211 Blue Sugar
212 karma
213 Pepperberry Wreath
214 Patchouli Passion
215 Flying Fox
216 Chestnuts & Brown Sugar
217 Honeysuckle &Jasmine
218 Skinny Dip
219 Asian Sandalwood
220 Vanillary
221 Nag Champa
222 Snow Day
223 Supernova
224 Trichomania
225 Honey I washed the kids
226 White tea & ginger
227 Sweet Orange Chili pepper
228 Wild Mountain Honey
229 Golden Sands
230 Leaves
231 Sun & Sands
232 Beeswax & Propolis
233 Rose Jam
234 Lavender Sage
235 Orange Blossom
236 The smell of Freedom
237 Lust
238 Beach
239 Bathos
240 Death and Decay
241 Autumn in the Park
242 Crisp Morning
243 Champagne & Snow Flowers
244 Kai Type
245 Flower Bomb
246 Vanilla Ice Cream
247 Winter festival
248 Frankincense&Myrrh
249 You Snap the Whip
250 Tuberose

 

[dudeitsashley]

I'd love to know how breath of god, wild mountain honey, beeswax & propolis, rose jam, bathos, death & decay, and flower bomb preform. Thank you in advance!

 

[OliveOil2]

I would love to know about American Cream, The Olive Branch, Honey I Washed The kids, Flying Fox, and Leaves. I am amazed at the number of fragrances you have tested. Thank you for sharing this information.

 

[nsmar4211]

At request, here are the ones I'm testing, majority are NOT cured enough yet:

Honeydew Melon
Sea Salt and Agave
White Tea and Ginger
Lavender Sage
Woodsmoke
Turquoise Sky
Banana
Black Coconut
Winter Festival
Asian Sandalwood
Apple Mango
Patchouli Passion
Frankincense and Myrrh
Baby Powder
Nag Champa
Dirt
Suede and Lace
Lust
Beach
Rose Jam
Bamboo
Dark Knight Bay Rum

Soapmaker, we overlap LOL. I've put my reviews in the FO review excel sheet, but agree we should do em in a thread too.

 

[nsmar4211]

Fully cured testers (all in CP lard based recipes):

Asian Sandalwood-a sweet smelling sandalwood (I had to go buy incense to figure out what it should smell like), obviously some vanilla added but not enough to deterr non vanilla fans. Had overheating issues and ended up shredding the batch and making confetti soap. Discolors to yellow tinted brown and bled into the white body soap for confetti (yellow bleed). My notes don't say anything about acceleration so it probably didn't. Update: In HP, this one is even better! No overheating issues, the scent mellows and isn't as vanilla smelling. Will update with the discolor. Oh, and the lather is yellow on the CP batch even with doing confetti.

Apple Mango- LOVE this fruity scent. No discolor, no accel but it does run hot (fully gelled in a 3 oz individual mold). Might be my recipe, but test in yours first as a loaf may overheat. My 1lb loaf gelled but behaved (unwrapped, 85 degree garage). Not really an apple or a mango, but a sweet fruity smell...not overpowering at all. My favorite so far in fruity (not citrus) smells.

Banana-Second favorite in fruit, more of a banana bread smell although it's banana candy out of the bottle. Discolors to medium brown, starts off as a spotty speckly discolor that'll make you think the batch messed up but eventually evens out. Behaves very well in batter and no heating issues in CP.

Black coconut-There's no coconut, it's a lie. This is a dupe of a Black Coconut from someone else, which I've never smelled. However, this is a nice tropical smell, low and sweet. Discolors to tannish brown. Has misbehaved in my tests so far though (I have two rebatches so far). Accelerates badly, overheats, seperates, BLEH. If I could get it to behave it'd be a keeper. Haven't given up on it yet, might need a much much cooler soaping temp (I'm around 120) or more water in the recipe. Update: Ended up Hp'ing this one, it behaved. Isn't as strong in HP at recommended usage (.6 ppo), so I think I'll use the CP rate next time.

Winterfest-took forever to decide what scent this is. It's a piney sharp with a touch of powder smell, with some other modifiers I can't ID. Out of bottle it's toilet bowl freshner, but in soap it's much better (wait for the cure though). No discolor, no acceleration. Not sure if I like it, will have to get other opinions on it. Update: In HP, loses the chemical undertone immediatly. Will update after testers get to it .

 

[nsmar4211]

My non cured scents, with (so far) behavior notes-discolors noted where they've shown up after a few days so far. Someone remind me to update in a month LOL. 60% lard recipe, temp around 120. Edited to add more notes.

Beach-really really fast mover. Don't plan any swirls. Hand stir and get into mold. Scent hasn't developed into describably terms yet.

Baby Powder-moved a bit, but workable. Smells like baby powder, I like so far.

Dirt-No accel at all. Smells like potting soil. I"m going to patent a "toddler essence" with this and baby powder LOL.

Bamboo-really really fast mover. No swirls for you. Green weird discolor, seems to be turning into a yellow discolor. More of a "green" smell than other ones I've tried.

Dark Knight Bay Rum-Medium fast set, if you soaped cooler or a slower moving recipe might have time for designs. Smells like a clove based aftershave so far..looks like it'll tan discolor.

Frankincense and Myrrh-very low acceleration, time to work. Doesn't smell like my incense so scent judge will have to wait. Not as strong as most of the other FB scents I've used.

Nag Champa-low acceleration, use a slower moving recipe and it'll be fine. Not sure what nag champa is supposed to smell like, this smells like a cross between the frankincense/myrrh and the patchouli so far.

Rose Jam-low acceleration. Out of bottle and at pour this didn't smell like roses, but it's turning into a berry mix with a rose overtone as it cures. I like it more as it cures. It might discolor, it's changed a few times (light tan back to regular back to tan).

Patchouli Passion-sweet smelling compared to the only Patchouli I've ever smelled...like honey was added. Yellow discolor so far, very low accel so workable in designs.

Suede and Lace-I get more lace than anything. Medium fast set, so far no discolor. Can't describe yet..

Lust-EW. There's a thread about this because it's horrible out of bottle and at pour. Currently the bar is on the porch because I can't stand it. Low fast set, workable but I wouldn't plan anything. Pinkish Reddish pretty discolor so far. Gorilla butt wiped with flowers is my description so far. Update: After a cure, it's doable. Strong strong jasmine. Tried an HP batch at half usage...tolerable. Do not use in high amounts and keep far away if doing CP until it cures! Pretty pink red color

Honeydew Melon-this is a nice sweet smell! YUM! Mild accel, no discolor yet. If this sticks it's a keeper for me.

Sea Salt and Agave-reddish discolor, no accel, to me a nice "soapy" oceany smell. I like it.

White Tea and Ginger-smells like the BB one I am also testing so far, mild acceleration but managable. No discolor yet.

Lavender Sage-more sage than lavender at this point, well behaved, no discolor yet. I like this combo so far.

Woodsmoke-my notes don't say, but by looking at the bar I think this one set up fast. Smells like urm clean wood smoke? Not sure I'd use it by itself but maybe in a blend? On the light side for FB fragrances, yellowish discolor so far.

Turquoise Sky-did not like this out of the bottle too many overtones, but it's curing better. I actually HP'd the main batch (1 lb) I did which seems to help the scent settle down. The test bar of CP still hasn't made up it's mind as to the scent. Urrrr I'll have to come back with a description... No accel or discolor so far on the CP test bar.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I made a list. I'll take some pictures this weekend and write the reviews.
nsmar, you have a few I don't have but you're right we overlap a lot.

Oliveoil, I used to get my fragrances from A Garden Eastward and never thought twice about a scent morphing or not sticking. Since they closed, it's been hit or miss but mostly misses. I finally decided to test enough fragrances to find 20 to 30 that behave well and that I like. I'm surprised how easy it's been to do the testers in 5 oz yogurt containers. I do 40 to 70 at a time. In the long run, it costs less than having good soap with scents that I can't stand. I've been there too many times already.

Just an FYI, I don't sell but I share my soaps with family, friends and neighbors.

 

[OliveOil2]

I have many overlaps for both of your lists, yesterday I used Sea Witch, and it does accelerate, but I didn't use my recipe that traces slower. I really like the scent, it is supposed to be the same as Salty Sea Air. It is nice and strong, but only the day after cutting. This was actually a batch after testing it in a sample size for 4 weeks.

Soapmaker145 can relate I give away so much soap, and with a new job, being out of town for a six week training I haven't been able to make that much recently, so this year I'm just doing one craft fair.

 

[nsmar4211]

I have to admit I'm trying to find out what kind of Black Friday sale Fragrance Buddy ran last year...there's bunch more 1oz'ers I want to get to play with but if they're going to be on sale I can get moooorree for my budget. Aside from the many scents that accel, which I think might be manageable with a recipe and temp tweak, so far the scents are holding decently after 3-4 months and don't have weird chemical overtones like I've gotten from others (I'm looking at you save on scents). I found that they seem stronger than the Brambleberry ones I've tried, but honeslty due to the prices I haven't experimented as much with the BB scents. Funny how we all have different experiences .

I also had the following on my try list : Sultana, Driftwood, Black Cedarwood, Karma, Pepperberry Wreath,Sweet Orange Chili pepper, Death and Decay, and You Snap the Whip.

I swear I tested a couple more I can't think of....or find notes on.... Edit: Ok figured it out and added them in .

 

[OliveOil2]

nsmar4211 I have tried a few on your try list, and my friend who soaps has tried a couple of the others, of course you might have a different experience with them:

Sultana I love this one it is easy to work with, think there is slight discoloration. The smell to me is bergamot, honey, and very pleasant. I have soaped this one several times, and never any problems, I didn't color the batter for most of the batches, and had used embeds.

Black Cedarwood: This one is strong and has a cologne type scent, everyone says unisex, but I think more men's fragrance. I do smell the cumin which surprised me. It is easy to work with, I didn't notice discoloration, but I colored it ashed on me. I haven't had the chance to have anyone else smell it, but the scent has held strong for approximately 6 weeks. I hardly ever go below 1 oz per pound, but this is one of those that I think will be nicer at .75 -.85oz per pound.

Karma: I love this scent, and it is very popular, very easy to work with, plenty of time, no discoloration. It sticks very well, and I think is like the original.

My friend said the Orange Chili pepper faded on her, and that the Death & Decay was an old lady perfume, not sure what that means lol, but she didn't like it. I have a bunch more that I haven't soaped yet, I went a little crazy on their last sale. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to test all of them since I've been making my regulars, and haven't tested quite a few.

 

[newbie]

I took the liberty of adding what reviews were given here, even if they are partial, to the FO list with your names. Even to know that a scent accelerates is good for someone who may be ordering to know. I also think it good to have a number of reviews of the same scent because our experiences can be different and even if they aren't, it's reassuring to the person looking that behavior has been consistent.

I hope you don't mind!

Soapmaker145, I hope you will add yours to the list when you have them. It creates a wealth of information.

 

[Soapmaker145]

Please keep in my mind that any comments beyond the discoloration and the comparison to OOB are subjective and based on what I smell. We all have different and complex sense of smell.

My test recipe is 50% (tallow, coconut and mango butter) and 50% (Rice bran, Apricot kernel, castor and canola). I picked these oils on purpose because I want to know if the FO is prone to DOS. My process: I aliquot 6 grams of fragrance in a small tube containing 0.1g of kaolin. I mix them well and let the tubes stand for a minimum of 24 hours. I mix them periodically if I remember. I make a big batch of soap (7 to 12 kg) and start the process when the oils are around 145oF. At emulsion, I take out 2 L and SB for 30 sec and then aliquot in yogurt container (light trace). I leave the rest sitting in the pot until I need it. By the time I get to the next 2L batch, the mix is at medium light trace. By the end, it reaches heavy trace (not fluid) but I can still mix in the fragrance without any problem. The FO has to rice or accelerate very aggressively for me to notice A&R. The FO is added at 100 to 120oF. The batter cools quickly in the yogurt cups. Once done, I put all the containers on trays and pile them up on top of each other and cover with towels. The do heat to varying degrees for about 24 hrs (to the touch). The heat gun registers around 120oF. They are usually at RT by 36 hours.

The various greek yogurt containers I use hold between 120 and 150g of batter. My usage rate is between 4.5 and 5% based on the weight of the batter, not oil.

I'm keeping my testers for a year because I'm looking for scents that last for that long. I like my soaps old. I'm also making 1 lb testers out of the ones I like.

These are my notes on 6 week old soaps. No wet test yet. I have the original FO spotted on absorbent paper for comparison. I haven't used Lush soaps in over a decade. I don't recall the original scents that the dupes are based on. I'll post pictures a little later.

202-The Olive Branch: Better OOB, lost many of the fresh green notes. It smells heavy in the soap. I smell some light dry generic citrusy notes in a base of musk. Discolors a beige color, a little lighter than #209. Medium strength dry throw. More prone to ash than others I poured at the same time. I would use it for HP or I would add something to it to bring forward some of the citrusy and green notes.

209- American Cream: Discolored medium beige. It lost some of the complexity it had OOB which wasn’t much to begin with. It is a soft musk scent. I don’t smell cream. I think it is used as the basis of some of the others. It isn’t bad but it is generic. More prone to ash than others I poured at the same time. The scent is light but present.

215-Flying Fox: Very light tan discoloration with a hint of pink. Very strong cold throw. I like it better in the soap than OOB. I can smell jasmine and ylang ylang but not much cypress. OOB, it is a heavy floral FO. In the soap, it is much softer but still very strong. I would reduce my usage rate. It reminds me a bit of honeysuckle only better.

225-Honey I washed the kids: It smells much better OOB. In the soap, it lost most of the complexity. OOB, it smells like candy you want to eat. In the soap, I find it hard to identify the scent. I think this one is best for HP if you want to preserve the complexity. If you don’t do side by side comparison, it is a generic scent (to me) that works fine in soap. Medium strength.

228-Wild Mountain Honey: The maximum usage rate for this one is 3%. I used it at 5%. It is lovely OOB like wild flower honey. It lost a lot of the complexity in the soap. Medium strength, discolors medium yellowish beige. Because of the low usage rates, I wouldn’t use it in cp soap. I bought a big bottle because of reviews. I didn’t notice the usage rate at the time. I may use it at 1% in liquid hand soap. I may have a substitute for it (Honey from NDA if the scent survives until it is done curing).

230-Leaves: Very light ash. This one is lovely. It screams fall to me but I’ll use it any time. It is softer in the soap but retained a lot of the complexity of the original scent. It lost some of the cooked sweet notes that are present OOB (which I find a big plus). No discoloration, strong scent. It reminds me of BB Autumn Fig Harvest and TCS Spiced Apples and Peaches. It falls in between these 2. It doesn’t have some of the piney green notes of AFH but has more green notes than SAP. My own preference: it knocked AFH off my list but I would still make soap with SAP.

232-Beeswax & Propolis: No discoloration or ash. OOB, I smell beeswax with a hint of honey. In the soap, the scent morphed a bit. There is a new scent that I can’t identify that wasn’t there OOB. I like it better before soaping. If I used it, I would blend it for cp or HP. The scent is medium light.

233-Rose Jam: OOB, I smell rose, citrus with a hint of geranium, a nice soft floral without the overwhelming rose scent. Most of it is lost in the cp process. It became muddied and muddled in the soap. It isn’t bad but really much worse than OOB. I think this one is for HP. Beige discoloration, light scent, light ash.

I just unmolded Bathos and Death & Decay. They both smell very nice right now. If the scents survive the cure, both will be really good for cp.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I have many overlaps for both of your lists, yesterday I used Sea Witch, and it does accelerate, but I didn't use my recipe that traces slower. I really like the scent, it is supposed to be the same as Salty Sea Air. It is nice and strong, but only the day after cutting. This was actually a batch after testing it in a sample size for 4 weeks.

Soapmaker145 can relate I give away so much soap, and with a new job, being out of town for a six week training I haven't been able to make that much recently, so this year I'm just doing one craft fair.

Oliveoil, please make a list too. I'll be adding fragrances to test based on what others find interesting. I think I'm developing a problem. There is a lot of excitement when trying something new. I think I'm addicted.

I only get a chance to soap few times a year. I make large batches. Otherwise it isn't worth wasting the time. Pesky work gets in the way but at least it keeps funding the addiction.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I have to admit I'm trying to find out what kind of Black Friday sale Fragrance Buddy ran last year...there's bunch more 1oz'ers I want to get to play with but if they're going to be on sale I can get moooorree for my budget. Aside from the many scents that accel, which I think might be manageable with a recipe and temp tweak, so far the scents are holding decently after 3-4 months and don't have weird chemical overtones like I've gotten from others (I'm looking at you save on scents). I found that they seem stronger than the Brambleberry ones I've tried, but honeslty due to the prices I haven't experimented as much with the BB scents. Funny how we all have different experiences .

I also had the following on my try list : Sultana, Driftwood, Black Cedarwood, Karma, Pepperberry Wreath,Sweet Orange Chili pepper, Death and Decay, and You Snap the Whip.

I swear I tested a couple more I can't think of....or find notes on.... Edit: Ok figured it out and added them in .

I think I have all of the ones on your list. I'll get my reviews up before it's time for the next sale.

Did you say Brambleberry? Make your list. I started out with BB. I have 4 of the sampler packs and another 50+ bottles (2 to 8 oz). BB's fragrances are hit or miss. I think they work hard to get a well curated collection but their scents have very little dry throw in general. This is a problem for people who sell and those of us who give soaps to people. I don't like hearing "what is that supposed to be?". it makes the gift somehow less special. BB's fragrances come back when wet for the most part.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I took the liberty of adding what reviews were given here, even if they are partial, to the FO list with your names. Even to know that a scent accelerates is good for someone who may be ordering to know. I also think it good to have a number of reviews of the same scent because our experiences can be different and even if they aren't, it's reassuring to the person looking that behavior has been consistent.

I hope you don't mind!

Soapmaker145, I hope you will add yours to the list when you have them. It creates a wealth of information.

Newbie, thank you for adding the reviews to the list. I look at that sheet very often and find it very helpful.

I'll try my best to add all of tests to the review sheet. If anybody has some time and is willing to help me with transferring some of my reviews, I would really appreciate it.

 

[newbie]

I will help as much as I can. Your reviews have more info than fits inthe little boxes but I think they can be consolidated. Some of the ones you posted don't say anything about acceleration so I will leave that blank, then you can go it and fill in.

 

[JayJay]

Hey thanks for doing this! Fragrance buddy isn't too far from me so I like to order from them.

 

[OliveOil2]

Thank you Soapmaker145, I posted a few in response to nsmar4211 on the previous page, and have a few more I will list here, but for reference I will put them all together in the next day or two, most likely on the scent review chart. Thank you nsmar4211 for your reviews too!

Beach: Like nsmar4211 said in her review this is a super fast mover, the scent is not very much like Beach to me, and loses complexity in cure. It didn't discolor, but this is one of the fastest movers I have ever seen.

Dark Knight: Surprised how easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. Soaped 6 months ago, still very strong. I did mix in a little Earth and Son to mellow out the Nutmeg. I was surprised at the strength of the scent considering the low %.

Boudoir: I couldn't believe how bad it smelled OOB, but to me even worse when soaped. Easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. I have heard people say they loved the original Moonworks Boudoir, but for me this is one that I gag when I smell it.

Beeswax and Propolis: I couldn't smell beeswax, honey or propolis, this was a horrible smell to me. For my nose like the Bordoir it was even worse in soap. No acceleration, discolor to tan.

Sun & Sand: This one smells much more like Bobbie Brown Beach than the FB Beach FO. It is nice, but missing something, to me it needs a touch of Jasmine. It was easy to work with, no acceleration or discoloration. Medium strong holding after cure, it hasn't faded.

Love Spell: Nice version of the VS Love spell smells very much like the Candle Science Love Spell and holding stronger. Easy to work with, plenty of time to do multiple colors, no discoloration.

Smell of Freedom: I like this one, but think it needs a little more time to cure to be sure how it will hold. It is a very nice earthy smell, difficult to describe. Easy to soap, no acceleration, or discoloration.

I will probably think of some others, I have some on the scent review chart that I didn't list here.

 

[Soapmaker145]

Here are the pictures to give you an idea of the discoloration.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I will help as much as I can. Your reviews have more info than fits inthe little boxes but I think they can be consolidated. Some of the ones you posted don't say anything about acceleration so I will leave that blank, then you can go it and fill in.

Thank you. Every little bit helps. I won't add A & R info from the small sample unless it is really ugly. I will when I make a larger batch. My recipe is slow moving anyway. I would love to see a 3 month and a 6 month FO update. I'm not sure how hard it will be to add to the review sheets. Thank you again.