Fragrances that sell?

[bboggs78]

I am new to soapmaking, just recently learned how to successfully make a cold process goats milk soap with coconut oil, olive oil & Castor oil. Now that I have a recipe I like I need suggestions on fragrances that people will want to buy. I have a wide collection of good quality essential oils that are able to be used in cp soap but not sure which combinations would be best. I only have a couple fragrance oils. The amount of choices in both categories (EO & FO) have my head spinning, please help! I'm not experienced enough to attract customers with fancy looking bars yet. Picture #1 is plain (no added color or fragrance), picture # 2 is a close up of the bars I made that are scented with lavender & peppermint EOs and speckled with purple/amethyst mica powder colorant. Any tips for this newbie are very much appreciated!!!! Thank you in advance

 

[TheGecko]

Honestly...it's trial and error. What sells in my neck of the woods may not sell in your neck and vice versa. I started with stuff I liked or I was interested in...a lot of Trial and 1oz bottles of FOs and test batches being handed out to friends and family to see what they thought. You're working with mainly EOs, something I rarely use so I'm not a whole lot of help.

 

[MelissaG]

I'm with Gecko. There's no way to know that. In my area, it's usually clean and fruit scents that sell, though some floral sell a bit as well. Bakery won't sell at all, neither will overly sweet. I have a bourbon butterscotch from Halloween and I have not been able to sell a single one of that scent. Yet I've had others tell me from other areas of the country that it's their best seller. It's trial and error. Eventually you will find those things that sell. Like Sweater Weather sells pretty easily for me.

 

[BWt]

Perhaps consider fragrances that compliment the essential oils you have. Citrus fragrance mixes nicely with many EOs. Caution on fragrances as many contain vanilla and will darken soap to brown colors.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Hi - I use fragrance oils, so I’ll suggest an easy one that seems to be popular - pick up Black Raspberry Vanilla. I don’t sell, so I only make soap that I want to use/smell, or that I think my friends and family will like, so most of mine are fresh and fruity smells. I love watermelon sugar and love spell, both from Brambleberry - but you might enjoy some scents that are wildly different.
Keep us posted - and welcome

ETA - there is so much knowledge on this forum, read up and keep learning. You might end up with some recipe feedback and adjusting your fats as you go, too.

 

[AAShillito]

I use mostly fragrance oils and very few essential oils. I make soap with fragrances I like and would use. It works for the most part for sales. You will need to calculate your ingredients costs to start determining a cost per bar. Also insurance and friends and family to test out everything for a good 6 -12 months before selling of course

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hi - I use fragrance oils, so I’ll suggest an easy one that seems to be popular - pick up Black Raspberry Vanilla. I don’t sell, so I only make soap that I want to use/smell, or that I think my friends and family will like, so most of mine are fresh and fruity smells. I love watermelon sugar and love spell, both from Brambleberry - but you might enjoy some scents that are wildly different.
Keep us posted - and welcome

ETA - there is so much knowledge on this forum, read up and keep learning. You might end up with some recipe feedback and adjusting your fats as you go, too.

I concur - BRV is popular. I also like Love Spell.
Aside from that - I find that it's good to stick to fragrances that people already know - like Lavender, Lemongrass, Rose etc....

 

[bboggs78]

Honestly...it's trial and error. What sells in my neck of the woods may not sell in your neck and vice versa. I started with stuff I liked or I was interested in...a lot of Trial and 1oz bottles of FOs and test batches being handed out to friends and family to see what they thought. You're working with mainly EOs, something I rarely use so I'm not a whole lot of help.

I am not opposed to using FOs, I'm just used to using EOs in other applications. I've also had people ask for EOs due to their "benefits". So EOs are what I already have on hand. I don't want to waste a bunch of money on FOs that won't sell so that's why I was asking for suggestions. Are most soaps made with FOs instead of EOs? If so, that really adjusts my costs to make them.

Hi - I use fragrance oils, so I’ll suggest an easy one that seems to be popular - pick up Black Raspberry Vanilla. I don’t sell, so I only make soap that I want to use/smell, or that I think my friends and family will like, so most of mine are fresh and fruity smells. I love watermelon sugar and love spell, both from Brambleberry - but you might enjoy some scents that are wildly different.
Keep us posted - and welcome

ETA - there is so much knowledge on this forum, read up and keep learning. You might end up with some recipe feedback and adjusting your fats as you go, too.

I am definitely open to guidance on my recipe (and everything else)! I wonder if my recipe needs adjusted because the lavender peppermint bars I did ended up with an ash layer (but the plain ones didn't)?

I'm with Gecko. There's no way to know that. In my area, it's usually clean and fruit scents that sell, though some floral sell a bit as well. Bakery won't sell at all, neither will overly sweet. I have a bourbon butterscotch from Halloween and I have not been able to sell a single one of that scent. Yet I've had others tell me from other areas of the country that it's their best seller. It's trial and error. Eventually you will find those things that sell. Like Sweater Weather sells pretty easily for me.

Good to know, I've wondered about the bakery Scents. I am wanting to make a coffee soap but not sure how that would go over.

I use mostly fragrance oils and very few essential oils. I make soap with fragrances I like and would use. It works for the most part for sales. You will need to calculate your ingredients costs to start determining a cost per bar. Also insurance and friends and family to test out everything for a good 6 -12 months before selling of course

I've been doing cost calculations, these will need adjusted if I switch to FOs as they seem much more cost effective. Is this why most ppl use FOs instead of EOs? I've been giving away bars to friends and family to test...this is something I always do whenever I am working on a new project. They get goodies in exchange for honest feedback. I use my kids and their families for this a lot now that they're all grown (I have 7 grown children). I'm seriously thinking of buying 5 or 6 different FOs and doing a "blind" scent test/poll (put a couple drops on a cotton ball in a container with a number and have them smell each and vote on their favs). Really trying to get ideas on which to try as there are so many and my tastes are quite different than some other people's-for instance, I can't stand patchouli).

 

[mx5inpenn]

Good to know, I've wondered about the bakery Scents. I am wanting to make a coffee soap but not sure how that would go over.

My coffee soap is popular. I brew triple strength and use that for 33% of my water, then I use the grounds in my soap as an exfoliant with a latte FO. I market as a kitchen and garden soap.

Overall, fruity and fresh scents are my best sellers.

 

[Ephemerella]

If your intent is to sell, then I would actually start with your brand, not your fragrance. Think about who your company is, what its story line is, and what mission its on, then start sourcing fragrances that support that story line. For example, as you're in OH, and you're doing goats milk soap, so maybe your company story is rural farmy goaty, so scents that are evocative of farm life, fresh breezes, local flowers, fresh grass, etc. You're also near a national forest, if that's a tourist attraction, then something that represents that area, piney, mountainy, etc. I spend a lot of time in the wine area of Geneva, OH each year, so if I was there and creating a line of soaps, I would definitely be capitalizing on fragrances that are evocative of wine, grapes, fall, etc.

Scent sells soap, and your storyline is what makes the fragrances you choose unique and special to you, and people love to buy stories as much as they do the scent.

And you'll have to bend... I am not a patch lover, but many people I know are, so I'm working on patch soaps that complement my storyline. Same with lavender.

I love bakery scents, but they don't work for my storyline, so I don't use them.

The cotton ball idea is great, but it may not give you the real world feedback you need. A smell in a jar is totally different from one you put on your body and smell like for a while, its just a different context for appreciating the scent. Also, its not uncommon for an FO to radically change as it goes through saponification, so, what you smell on a cotton ball and what you have 6 weeks down the road after curing might be two wildly different things.

From finding FOs that work for you and your story, to finding FOs that work for your recipe, to finding FOs that stay true to your initial vision, to finding FOs that sell... its all trial and error.

 

[AliOop]

I am definitely open to guidance on my recipe (and everything else)! I wonder if my recipe needs adjusted because the lavender peppermint bars I did ended up with an ash layer (but the plain ones didn't)?

Soda ash usually has less to do with the oils in your recipe, than it does the FOs/EOs (lavender usually ashes for me), your lye concentration, the heat of your oils and lye when combined, whether you CPOP (or gel with heating pads), and how long you leave it covered.

Because I prefer to soap with room temperature lye solution and oils, my soaps tend to get lots of soda ash unless I use a high lye concentration, gel them on heating pads, keep them covered until they are cut into bars, and re-cover them for a few days after cutting. Some folks spray the tops with alcohol, but that never worked for me.

Even with all of my ash-prevention measures, anything I make with activated charcoal will ash no matter what. Since it doesn't hurt anything, I will embrace it if it enhances the soap design. Otherwise, I steam it off.

 

[TheGecko]

I am not opposed to using FOs, I'm just used to using EOs in other applications. I've also had people ask for EOs due to their "benefits". So EOs are what I already have on hand. I don't want to waste a bunch of money on FOs that won't sell so that's why I was asking for suggestions. Are most soaps made with FOs instead of EOs? If so, that really adjusts my costs to make them.

You really want to be careful about 'benefits' if you are planning on selling soap because you are getting into 'drug' territory and you would need to have your soaps tested and be licensed by the FDA.

Something you need to understand about soap making...you ARE going to spend (waste) money on FOs and colorants and tools and molds...it's just the nature of soap making and it's okay...it's a learning process (and a rabbit hole). Many soap suppliers have a 'most popular' or 'best selling' list of FOs on their site. You can start with that, but make sure you start with Trial or 1oz sizes and do a test batch. If you must have a name...Black Raspberry Vanilla, Oatmeal Milk & Honey, and Lavender are always popular. Lavender was hard for me because I'm allergic to it, but I finally found one that doesn't give me massive headaches. Lemon and mint scents are also popular.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I am not opposed to using FOs, I'm just used to using EOs in other applications. I've also had people ask for EOs due to their "benefits". So EOs are what I already have on hand.

I hear ya! Me too! I made goat mild soap for a wholesale customer for 10 years. Over the years, we whittled it down to just 3 popular scents: Lavender EO, White Tea and Amber FO, and Fragrance Free -- in order of most-to-least popular. Then we added a Limited Edition choice according to the Season.
SPRING: WSP's Blooming Tulips (sold out every year)
SUMMER & FALL: Varied
CHRISTMAS: WSP's Frankincense & Myrrh

if I switch to FOs as they seem much more cost effective. Is this why most ppl use FOs instead of EOs?

Yes. That's exactly right. But don't hesitate to use EOs for that reason. Just bump the price. Think about it. Handcrafted Soap is a luxury item. Customers who are willing to pay $6.50 a bar are big spenders that will pay a lot more --as much as $12 a bar!

More importantly, in addition to cost, FOs generally tend to "stick" better than EO's that are known to disappear at about the 6-month mark. (Not always true.)

Since you have EOs on hand, I would use them. There are a few soapers that scent exclusively with EOs due to customer demand. Lavender (High Altitude French or Lavandin) and Tea Tree are top sellers. EOcalc is a treasure trove of EO blends that members have found to be a good source for "winners". You can use the "Search" feature in the upper right corner of this page to learn more.

 

[akseattle]

@bboggs78, Like you, I am new to soap making. I bought ingredients for cold process soap, but being a little chicken, melt & pour has been the safer route so far. (I know some say that’s not soap making….) For me, it’s just a hobby and I’m experimenting with molds, colors, EO’s etc., making a bar or two at a time. Since, it’s a hobby, I am making what I like and what I think my friends and family might like. When I showed my adult son my small collection and asked him to take a few, he said “Do you have any without a scent?” I didn’t. He took a pale yellow bar, scented with lemon grass and sprinkled with poppy seeds. He said “You know mom, you could leave out the poppy seeds.” I said “but, but, those are exfoliants!!!” (I love exfoliants in soap- clearly not everyone’s thing.)

A couple days ago, I learned my son was going to a friend’s two year old’s birthday party next week. I got very excited and said “OMG, I have to make some soap for his little guy!” He said, “mom, it should be really gentle, no scent or dyes- nothing drying.” I thought “You’re killing my fun!”, but instead, I explained that I’m limited to my melt & pour bases, that there is no “tearless” M&P out there, but that the company website assures their bases are gentle, etc enough for young children.) I promised my son I would add shea butter for more moisture- but to think of the soaps as for the parents, for the toddler. I asked my son if his friend and / or wife are really into organic, natural lifestyles (last I saw him, he was kind of a burger eating, beer drinking guy.) He said “not really.”

So, I’m going to risk my M&P base, but I will want it to have an appearance of being reasonably natural so that my son is comfortable giving it to his friend. I bought a few child- oriented marine themed molds (plus one truck -- at the risk of early gender stereo typing). I’ll try a couple pastels and one white soap with little mica specks (like your #2- seems natural but with a little bling) and select a mild fragrance or EO.

The way I see it, in order for this to be fun and exciting for me, I have to be able to express myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it. But, I have to think of the recipient, too. When I saw your white soap, which I personally like alot, I thought if my son were at your stand, he would totally buy that soap!! If you designed a unique stamp, those soaps would be unique but look very natural. Since you want to sell your soap, I agree with others that said that you need to get feedback from family and friends and do what you can to get a handle on what might sell in your environment. But, you also want to love what you’re doing. There are all sorts of people out there with all sorts of taste. So, it seems like part of selling your soap will be to see what others are doing, and what has or has not worked. But instead of focusing only on what the market might want, you want to try to find the market that likes what you like to make and which expresses who you are. My 2 cents.

 

[lucycat]

I think a lot of people use FO's because they are cheaper and are nice scents. Blending EO's isn't easy and many EO's don't stick around long in CP soap. I use Mints, lemongrass, lavender, patchouli, cedar EO but most EO's I don't find cost effective and as an amateur blender it takes time and several tries to make a blend that is better than a FO.

I would suggest that you get comfortable with current scents: on Etsy soap sellers, at Bath & Body Shop, at any farmer's markets near you and on fragrance and perfume forums. It will help you have an idea of what you like but it will also give you some idea of the types of current scents that are being sold. It can be a good starting point. There really is no way to avoid the time and expense of testing to find fragrances that work for you.

If a fragrance company has a best seller list use it. It will give you a good idea of the types of scents that are popular (just make sure that customer reviews are for soap and not candles).

I would suggest a newbie purchase scents from a company that has 50 scents rather than 300. They have weeded out similar scents to just what they think are best. I may not agree with their decision on best but it definitely will help in narrowing down initial purchases. I wouldn't suggest Wholesale Supplies Plus for my first purchase. I can't imagine how long it would take to figure out what to purchase and then doubting if I picked the right champagne because there were 6 to choose from.

 

[Twig + Forest]

A good way would be to do a Google search on best selling soap fragrances within your state (if you sell in person).

Or fragrances most used

You can look at different fragrance companies and essential oil companies.

What you are trying to go for? are you trying to go the more natural way? or is synthetic fragrance okay for you? Price plays part in it as well. Also, what type of audience are you trying to Target?

 

[lgranger]

I am new to soapmaking, just recently learned how to successfully make a cold process goats milk soap with coconut oil, olive oil & Castor oil. Now that I have a recipe I like I need suggestions on fragrances that people will want to buy. I have a wide collection of good quality essential oils that are able to be used in cp soap but not sure which combinations would be best. I only have a couple fragrance oils. The amount of choices in both categories (EO & FO) have my head spinning, please help! I'm not experienced enough to attract customers with fancy looking bars yet. Picture #1 is plain (no added color or fragrance), picture # 2 is a close up of the bars I made that are scented with lavender & peppermint EOs and speckled with purple/amethyst mica powder colorant. Any tips for this newbie are very much appreciated!!!! Thank you in advance

It sounds like you are not ready to sell your products. You should be comfortable with a tested recipe that differentiates your soap from what's on the market. Then test fragrances with your family and friends. It takes a while to get knowledgeable enough to confidently sell soap ( and you should still have insurance in case you get sued.) Have fun and take your time.

 

[penelopejane]

. I'm seriously thinking of buying 5 or 6 different FOs and doing a "blind" scent test/poll (put a couple drops on a cotton ball in a container with a number and have them smell each and vote on their favs). Really trying to get ideas on which to try as there are so many and my tastes are quite different than some other people's-for instance, I can't stand patchouli).

As others have said this is not worth doing as CP soap alters scents radically. Also be careful when reading reviews of FOs when people use them for candles. They generally smell different in candles.

You are better off making small soaps and mixing in a measured accurate amount of various FOs and get your testers to rate them.
I've done this with family and friends and it was good to confirm FO's that I like. But that may not be what your customers want. I have never worked out if it is the fragrance or the design or the ingredients that people buy for. Sometimes one soap sells massively then the next week it is another soap. Best advice is to make soap you like with fragrances you like and hope they sell.

Making samples also confirms colour changes with your ingredients and accleration although you should check the reviews on FOs here on the forum on the list we have to save yourself heaps on money and lots of headaches.