Monoi de Tahiti In soap

[Mobjack Bay]

On April 21st, I made a small test batch of soap using 5% Monoi de Tahiti oil. The other oils are OO, CO, Avocado, castor and since I didn’t use palm, I also used mango seed butter and Shea butter. I also added rose clay from BB at 1 tsp PPO. It’s a very pretty color and it smells good. According to this webpage, the Monoi is an infusion of the flowers of the Tahitian Tiaré flower, a gardenia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoi_oil. I would like to make a bigger batch, but Monoi de Tahiti is pricey and I don’t want to waste it. If I don’t use it in soap, I will use it in a lotion. Has anyone else has made soap with this oil? If so, any idea how long the the scent will stick? Thanks!

P.S. Before I looked at my cure card, I would have sworn that I made that soap in March. Time marches slowly whilst waiting for soap to cure

 

[cmzaha]

Scent from Infusions very seldom hold in soap, but what do I know. The point of testing which you did, is to know how long the scent will last. So I would hold off on the batch for at least 3 months to see how it holds. If these soap are only for you and family you only need to know if the scent will last long enough for you to cure and used up the batch, if selling the scent should hold 9-12 months, in my opinion.

Are you doing all this because you someday want to sell? If that is the ultimate goal I doubt you will have much luck on that front. Folks buy for "Smell," although a few will buy unfragranced, no color, or no fragrance with color added. It usually takes me 2 years to sell a 14 bar batch of unfragranced soap.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@cmzaha - You know a lot! That’s what I know from reading many of your posts

I started making soap after I started making my own lotions. Many of the ingredients in the lotions that I can buy locally (semi-rural Virginia) and for a price I am willing to pay make my eyes water. Commercial soap scents and many shampoos give me a headache in the shower and some shampoos give me hives. I don’t wear perfume either. I once purchased a fairly pricey bottle of Aveda lotion for sensitive skin, used it for a day and had hives all over my arms and face. I couldn’t believe it was the lotion. I put it on again the next day with the same result. Making my own soap seemed like a reasonable step after successfully making some lotions that are working well for me.

Soap will be nice for gifting at some point, but for now all I have is family member “testers.” I have been focusing on learning techniques, trying and tweaking recipes and having fun trying to make soaps that look like things from the natural world. The pink soap was an exercise in using clay as a colorant and then I thought, why not some Monoi as well since I already had it for lotion making. My sisters, mom and step mom all wear perfume and like scented products in general. Pink scented soap is a goal for gifting. At some point, I may try to find FOs that I think my sisters will like. For now I’m sticking with EOs that have some longevity in soap and learning how to use clay and other natural colorants.

After being married to an independent musician/performer for 30+ years and running the product sales booth at countless concerts and festivals I am all too familiar with the hard work of running a small business. I definitely would not be able to do that now and don’t know if I would have the energy to do it well in retirement. What I do know from reading SMF is how hard soapmakers are working to bring an excellent product to their customers. I’m happy to be learning from all of you!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I patiently waited almost 4 months to report back that the Monoi de Tahiti scent is holding in the soap I made in April. This is a gardenia scent made by infusing the Tahitian Tiaré flower in oil. To celebrate, I made another batch of Monoi scented soap yesterday using a recipe that is very similar to the first one. I will try to remember to report back on both batches in January 2020, which will be the 9 month mark for the first batch.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Update on Monoi de Tahiti scented soap made in April 2019 - scent is still detectable at the 8 month mark. It’s faint, but it’s there. A bar of the soap I made 4 months ago (August 11) still smells wonderful.

 

[FreeBird]

Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know..... But there are many suppliers that add 'tiare' fo to their monoi oil to strengthen the scent. Unscented monoi has only a very light scent and for it to survive the SAP process may be asking too much.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know..... But there are many suppliers that add 'tiare' fo to their monoi oil to strengthen the scent. Unscented monoi has only a very light scent and for it to survive the SAP process may be asking too much.

This brand has the Monoi de Tahiti appellation d’origine seal on it. The company has been selling on Amazon since at least 2016. I assume they would have been challenged by now if the product was fraudulent. In any case, the scent is lovely and it does make it through saponification.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know..... But there are many suppliers that add 'tiare' fo to their monoi oil to strengthen the scent. Unscented monoi has only a very light scent and for it to survive the SAP process may be asking too much.

As a new member, we welcome you. Please introduce yourself here:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/forums/the-introduction-forum.16/

 

[FreeBird]

Not a new member at all. Been here since 2014.
The added scent is considered an enhancement and can still carry the seal.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Not a new member at all. Been here since 2014.
The added scent is considered an enhancement and can still carry the seal.

I missed the date you joined. Product label below. This one has Tiare flower essence added. It’s very nice.

 

[FreeBird]

I love the scent! And it is actually one of my best peripheral sellers.