keeping or duping scent of cocoa butter?

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I'm not sure which forum to post this on. A recipient loves my lotion bar made with cocoa butter and orange 10X essential oil (1/3 each of cocoa butter, shea butter, beeswax, 1% orange 10X eo). She is requesting a soap that smells the same. In my experience, the scent of cocoa butter does not survive saponification. Is there another essential oil similar to the scent of cocoa butter or chocolate-y? Thanks,
 
There is no chocolate EO, but I have used cocoa absolute in lip balms and lotion bars. Scent and flavor are amazing, and a little goes a long way. Good thing, because it is expensive! It is a dark brown viscous liquid that can be difficult to emulsify into the cosmetic products - it often wants to separate into its own droplets.

If you decide to try it in soap, do a small batch to see if it survives saponification. If it doesn't, save it for flavoring your coffee, smoothies, etc.
 
I've used the "pure prime pressed - crude" cocoa butter from New Directions and it is very heavy on the chocolate scent in natural form. The last batch I made with it was November 2019 and used cocoa butter at 30% (other ingredients: Olive Oil 30%, Coconut Oil 25%, HO Sunflower Oil 15%. Also added 5% oil weight powdered sugar to lye water). Benzoin Resinoid was also added at 2% (oil weight) to help sweeten the smell.

I still have a full bar left from that batch (in fact, just recently used in the shower a thin end slice I also still had) and can report it still smells like chocolate. Not sure how much the Benzoin Resinoid plays a part in that?

Of course, the chocolate notes have likely faded some since inception, tough to say by how much, but it's definitely there. Anyhow, this is to note that maybe it's possible certain types of cocoa butter are better at imparting the smell than others?
 
I've used rich dark chocolate FO from brambleberry, it discolors very dark but smells amazing. I also use it in my cocoa butter lotion to boost to scent of the cocoa.

In soap, I would be more concerned with getting the orange to stick. My chocolate orange always fades to just chocolate in a couple weeks.
 
I've used the "pure prime pressed - crude" cocoa butter from New Directions and it is very heavy on the chocolate scent in natural form. The last batch I made with it was November 2019 and used cocoa butter at 30% (other ingredients: Olive Oil 30%, Coconut Oil 25%, HO Sunflower Oil 15%. Also added 5% oil weight powdered sugar to lye water). Benzoin Resinoid was also added at 2% (oil weight) to help sweeten the smell.

I still have a full bar left from that batch (in fact, just recently used in the shower a thin end slice I also still had) and can report it still smells like chocolate. Not sure how much the Benzoin Resinoid plays a part in that?

Of course, the chocolate notes have likely faded some since inception, tough to say by how much, but it's definitely there. Anyhow, this is to note that maybe it's possible certain types of cocoa butter are better at imparting the smell than others?
I just placed my order for both of these items. It really helped to know you can still smell it after all this time. Thanks!
 
I look forward to hearing about your experience with this cocoa butter!

(I should also probably note that after curing a batch for 4-5 weeks I transfer soaps to a "locking" plastic clamshell container. Sometimes, in addition, individual soaps are also wrapped in a glassine bag for gifting. This cocoa bar has been in a glassine bag as well as in its own plastic clamshell, which I believe helps with scent retention)
 

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