ISO a "Natural" Smelling Vanilla FO

[mcloudy]

Hi everyone.

I'm searching for a vanilla fragrance oil that has a very natural, non-chemical scent. Kind of like the old version of The Body Shop's Vanilla Perfume Oil.

I've only heard a few other people complain about this, so I think this is just a case of us being hypersensitive, but my husband and I both always tend to pick up a chemical scent in most vanillas FOs. Kind of like the faint smell of burnt rubber.

I have looked into Vanilla Absolute, but it's SO expensive.

Any suggestions or personal favorites?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Desiree

 

[dixiedragon]

Watching this thread eagerly. I haven't yet found a vanilla I love - I don't get a burnt rubber smell, but to me most of them smell like some kind of baked good or cookie or frosting - not bad, but not vanilla like I want.

I have heard good things about Nature's Garden Vanilla Bean, and Soapalooza's Bourban Vanilla. They are on my list.

 

[mcloudy]

Hi Dixie. Thanks for that info re: NG Vanilla Bean and Soapalooza's Bourbon Vanilla. I'll get small bottles of each and give them a try.

As for the "burnt rubber" thing... like I said, I really think it's just a personal issue. I've mentioned it to several other people and have only had one person (aside from my husband and I) who noticed the same chemical smell in a lot of vanilla FOs. My husband and I have very similar environmental allergies (and both suffer from severe migraines), so maybe we're just having weird olfactory reactions. Maybe I'll get lucky and run across someone with the same odd sense of smell.

I wish I could tell you that I'd found a vanilla that didn't smell like a baked good, but since I'm having so much trouble finding a vanilla I can stand smelling, I'm afraid I'd steer you totally wrong! But, if I find one that works for me, I'll definitely share the info!

Thanks again.
Desiree

 

[new12soap]

Are you sniffing them from the bottle, or are you not liking them in products?

I have found several vanillas that just flat out smell horrible when you sniff the bottle, but once I put them in a product and leave it alone a few days they smell good to me.

 

[mcloudy]

Hi New12.

That's a great point, and you're right -- they nearly all smell strange to me right out of the bottle as well.

But, no, the chemical (or maybe plastic-y) smell I'm referring to is always in finished products. Not just my own either. I often even notice it with commercial products, like oils or soaps from Bath and Body Works.

Having said all of that, I still have LOTS of FOs to try, so I'm still hopeful. If I can't find anything, I guess I'll start researching Vanilla Absolute.

Thanks again for your help!
Desiree

 

[new12soap]

another suggestion, I have "heard" benzoin has a nice vanilla-ish scent. I have not personally used it, and I have no idea what it costs. Maybe someone else can chime in on whether they could recommend it.

 

[TVivian]

I was going to suggest benzoin as well. It's less costly than an absolute or oleoresin. I have not used it either I'm afraid so I cannot say how it smells.

 

[reinbeau]

I found out that benzoin powder can be a skin irritant as bad as poison ivy. Test it out on yourself and anyone who might use it first, I think.

 

[dixiedragon]

What products having you been using them in? If CP soap, you may want to try HP soap, or soaping at a lower temp, or avoiding gel all together. I used a coconut FO and I poured some of the same batch into a column mold and some into individual molds. the column mold bars have a plastic smell, and the individual mold bars don't. I can only assume that the column mold got hotter, or stayed hotter longer.

 

[mcloudy]

New12 and TVivian -- thanks for the suggestion of trying benzoin. You've made me very curious. Although after reading Ann's warning (thanks very much for that info, btw, VERY good to know), I think I'll just try it for myself and not others.

Dixie, I've tried a variety of products, all with the same results. However, your experience with the coconut FO really caused me to think. (Interestingly, coconut FOs are another scent I seem to react weirdly to.) Perhaps it IS the temperature, or maybe even the type of molds used.

I initially thought that couldn't be the case, because as I said, I notice it in products made by "big brands" as well. But then I got to thinking that one company's process might be different from another's. Kind of like how some small ice cream companies can make products that taste so different from what you might find at the grocery store. So, perhaps I just need a bit more experimentation.

Of course, I'd still LOVE it if someone came along with a suggestion for the most divine vanilla FO.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and ideas!

Desiree