How to choose a fragrance oil?

[Greggooo]

Hi there! I am relatively new to soap making. I have had some wonderful batches and some puddings that were nearly useless. I believe that fragrance oils are my biggest issue (I blend around 75-80 degrees and I use the stick blender sparingly).

My question is: How do you know you're choosing a FO that doesn't accelerate the trace and give a good working time? Are some scents generally faster than others or is it all source?

 

[MellonFriend]

Hi there! I am relatively new to soap making. I have had some wonderful batches and some puddings that were nearly useless. I believe that fragrance oils are my biggest issue (I blend around 75-80 degrees and I use the stick blender sparingly).

My question is: How do you know you're choosing a FO that doesn't accelerate the trace and give a good working time? Are some scents generally faster than others or is it all source?

There are lots of companies that sell fragrance oils that say how they behave in CP soap. Whole sale supply plus, Bramble Berry, and Nurture all do.

 

[Greggooo]

There are lots of companies that sell fragrance oils that say how they behave in CP soap. Whole sale supply plus, Bramble Berry, and Nurture all do.

Thank you! I will try them! And would mica accelerate at all?

 

[Megan]

Thank you! I will try them! And would mica accelerate at all?

Some colors tend to accelerate more, colors with high titanium dioxide, I find purples and blues accelerate as well.
For the fragrances, you can go by company notes, and product reviews...but in the end it will be your own testing that you have to rely on.

 

[Justcallmewillie]

Hi there! I am relatively new to soap making. I have had some wonderful batches and some puddings that were nearly useless. I believe that fragrance oils are my biggest issue (I blend around 75-80 degrees and I use the stick blender sparingly).

My question is: How do you know you're choosing a FO that doesn't accelerate the trace and give a good working time? Are some scents generally faster than others or is it all source?

I’ve always had the best luck with sweetcakes.com fragrance oils as they are made especially for CP soaps. They also tell the buyer what the characteristics of the FO are and what color the soap may turn to after using it. I’m slightly embarrassed to say, but I’ve got about 50-one pound bottles of their FO. Also, they do very well in soy candles

 

[Justcallmewillie]

Forgot…as far as colorants go, I stay clear of regular FD&C food coloring from the grocery because the lye will turn those colors upside down. The use of mica works very well and doesn’t throw a hammer in the crankcase so to speak

 

[lenarenee]

Florals are known for their acceleration and some are quite fast. Some are deceptive and seem fine until they almost instantly become like Crisco (Nurture's fresh cut roses) . So soap with oils and lye solution at room temp, pick one color for that batch and next time you can see if you think you can handle more.

Spice and salt/ocean type scents also have a rep for causing trouble as a fair number of them heat up quickly, which also accelerates. Be aware that sometime they can REALLY overheat, so read the soap notes and be sure to NOT force gel, insulate or oven process these fragrances. On rare occasion they can expand and "bubble" over the mold. My worst case was a batch of Salty Mariner that split right down the middle of the mold like an earthquake while I watched! Fun times!

Have you heard of ricing? Chunks of the soap form in the batter. Usually you can stick blend them into submission, but learning about ricing is something you may want to add to your list. In the meantime a good supplier will have notes on each fragrance listing issues such as acceleration, discoloring, heating, and ricing.

Good news is, there are also fragrances the slow the batter and give you lots of time to work with. (although you'll probably have to wait longer to unfold and cut)

 

[artemis]

My question is: How do you know you're choosing a FO that doesn't accelerate the trace and give a good working time?

I read the reviews. I like to know what other soapers have say about how an FO did. The notes the seller provide don't always give the whole picture.

 

[Tara_H]

How do you know you're choosing a FO that doesn't accelerate the trace and give a good working time?

Doing your own testing is definitely best since your recipe can affect how the FO behaves. I had some very interesting and unexpected results when I started testing systematically!

 

[Justcallmewillie]

Doing your own testing is definitely best since your recipe can affect how the FO behaves. I had some very interesting and unexpected results when I started testing systematically!

Remember which brands were the worst? Lebermuth was the worst for soaps that I recall. Doesn’t like lye. Best imho is sweet cakes. Not only do they perform flawlessly in both soy candles and soaps, but their fragrances are all spot on and none of those cheap sickly yucky fragrances

 

[Cat&Oak]

Remember which brands were the worst? Lebermuth was the worst for soaps that I recall. Doesn’t like lye. Best imho is sweet cakes. Not only do they perform flawlessly in both soy candles and soaps, but their fragrances are all spot on and none of those cheap sickly yucky fragrances

Not all of Sweetcakes fragrance oils perform flawlessly. I had extreme seizing and ricing with two of their florals and acceleration (manageable) with a few more. They don't provide reviews and their descriptions mostly tell how great the fragrance oils smell, not how they perform. I will say they do smell high quality. When I reached out to customer service about the two florals I never got a response which left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[lenarenee]

Remember which brands were the worst? Lebermuth was the worst for soaps that I recall. Doesn’t like lye. Best imho is sweet cakes. Not only do they perform flawlessly in both soy candles and soaps, but their fragrances are all spot on and none of those cheap sickly yucky fragrances

I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way for fragrances. One brand is not better than another (for acceleration). Some even get their fragrances from the same manufacturer. So far you’re had good luck with Sweetcakes, and that’s great. I didn’t have the same luck as you. Other factors like recipe, water, and temperature affect how your fragrance works.

However, in general I suggest being very careful ordering from places that focus on candles simply because they buy what their main customer base needs….fo’s that work in candles. Be sure to look for reviews from people who’ve tried them in soap.

Although right now, I’d completely avoid fo’s from Wooden Wick Co., because the majority are not suitable for cold process soap at all. WW has tried to differentiate themselves from other supplies with their unique fragrances. They have some gorgeous fragrance but those of us who’ve tried to cp soap them had soap on a stick and severe ricing. Hot process soapers report the fragrances don’t stick well,; understandably as WW co. uses a lot of essential oils in their blends. Save them for candles or MP soap.

 

[cmzaha]

There simply is not one company better than the other when it comes to fragrance performance, which is why it is best to read the customer reviews and purchase samples in order to test a fragrance such as floral, water type, and spicy. Of course, that is not all the type of fragrances that can cause problems such as acceleration and pricing. This is a do what I say not as I do recommendation. I never purchased less than a lb and never took the time to test or at least very seldom, because I just did not have the patience. I will rescind a little of what I just said, I did test fragrances for California Candle Supply for a couple of years.

I happen to like a lot of Natures Garden fragrances and the prices are good. While Sweet Cake Fragrances are very nice they are also very expensive, the same as The Sage which has very nice fragrances that are also very nice but costly.

 

[Justcallmewillie]

Not all of Sweetcakes fragrance oils perform flawlessly. I had extreme seizing and ricing with two of their florals and acceleration (manageable) with a few more. They don't provide reviews and their descriptions mostly tell how great the fragrance oils smell, not how they perform. I will say they do smell high quality. When I reached out to customer service about the two florals I never got a response which left a bad taste in my mouth.

My experience with them was a very long time ago so perhaps they changed formulas and then they had very very good customer service. So, that was around 1997 maybe? I’ve always had excellent experiences with sweet cakes

I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way for fragrances. One brand is not better than another (for acceleration). Some even get their fragrances from the same manufacturer. So far you’re had good luck with Sweetcakes, and that’s great. I didn’t have the same luck as you. Other factors like recipe, water, and temperature affect how your fragrance works.

However, in general I suggest being very careful ordering from places that focus on candles simply because they buy what their main customer base needs….fo’s that work in candles. Be sure to look for reviews from people who’ve tried them in soap.

Although right now, I’d completely avoid fo’s from Wooden Wick Co., because the majority are not suitable for cold process soap at all. WW has tried to differentiate themselves from other supplies with their unique fragrances. They have some gorgeous fragrance but those of us who’ve tried to cp soap them had soap on a stick and severe ricing. Hot process soapers report the fragrances don’t stick well,; understandably as WW co. uses a lot of essential oils in their blends. Save them for candles or MP soap.

Sweetcakes is for soap but I didn’t want to buy more fragrance for the candles so I tried it out and they worked beautifully. I’ll remember WW and thank you for the info

 

[lenarenee]

You’re welcome. And feel free to let us know which Sweetcakes fo’s worked for you! We always appreciate it.

 

[Justcallmewillie]

You’re welcome. And feel free to let us know which Sweetcakes fo’s worked for you! We always appreciate it.

Mango/true mango mix 50/50
Watermelon
Cherry/vanilla mix
Cucumber melon
Cinnamon apple peach
Awapuhi seaberry
Special edition vanilla
Dewy green cactus
Indian summer
Mandarin orange made it chunky
Jasmine
Wildflowers
Lumberjack
Plum
Do not use blueberry in either soap or candle cause it smells like taint after dry down

 

[Justcallmewillie]

Another company I had luck with is from New Jersey called Shemen or ShemenTov. Their lemon verbena is scrumptious as is their lavender. If one orders from them, ya have to call in the order. Old fashioned but fine fragrances and EO

 

[lenarenee]

Another company I had luck with is from New Jersey called Shemen or ShemenTov. Their lemon verbena is scrumptious as is their lavender. If one orders from them, ya have to call in the order. Old fashioned but fine fragrances and EO

I got you confused with the op who says he‘s fairly new at soaping and my post was written as such, so I hope I didn’t insult with information you didn’t ask for.

Thanks for the list of fragrances…there’s several that look interesting. Always wanted to try awaphi seaberry.

 

[Justcallmewillie]

I got you confused with the op who says he‘s fairly new at soaping and my post was written as such, so I hope I didn’t insult with information you didn’t ask for.

Thanks for the list of fragrances…there’s several that look interesting. Always wanted to try awaphi seaberry.

No offense taken. Awaphi seaberry smells like a fruity herbal essence. I’ve got plenty of this and can send you some if you want. Send me a DM. I’ll never use all this FO. In LS, I’ve found many cloud the soap. I’ve also not much experience with LS either but I’ve tried Sangria and Raspberry and both clouded it to creamy brown or creamy white

 

[Cat&Oak]

You’re welcome. And feel free to let us know which Sweetcakes fo’s worked for you! We always appreciate it.

I will add mine

Oatmeal, milk and honey (well behaved)
Karen's ocean rain (mild acceleration)
New mown hay (well behaved)
Sandalwood (mixed with Masculine Musk moderate acceleration)
Lavender breeze (well behaved)
Clean Type (really amazing)
Grapefruit ginger (well behaved)
True Rose (seized)
Worlds best magnolia (out of control ricing)

My recipe has a lot of hard oils so that certainly didn't help.