Nature's Garden FOs

[navigator9]

Since most of my customers seem to choose soap based on fragrance, I've always been picky about the FOs that I buy. One supplier that I've never used for FOs is Nature's Garden. I was wondering if anyone out there who uses them, would care to comment on how you like their FOs. The prices are certainly appealing, but how do their FOs compare to others that you've used? Since the Scent Works seems to be going under, I've been looking around for replacements for some that I bought from them. NG has several that look really interesting, so I'm hoping that their low prices aren't an indication of their quality.

 

[hmlove1218]

I love NG's FOs. I've never really had one that I didn't like and only had one or two that have given me problems when soaping, but they had been noted to be difficult by NG.

 

[Obsidian]

I also love NG's FO's. The only one I didn't care for was bay rum but I think that was just me, other people seem to like it just fine.

 

[navigator9]

Thanks for your input, that's good to know. I just went through all of their fragrances, (they have a ton of them) and made a list of ten that I'd like to check out. Do you know where they're located? I looked on their website and blog, but couldn't find a physical address. I try not to order from across the country to avoid shipping fees that make me cringe. I'm in the northeast. Hopefully, they're not on the west coast???

 

[hmlove1218]

I believe they're in Ohio

 

[navigator9]

I believe they're in Ohio

Thanks for that....could be worse. :smile:

 

[cmzaha]

In my opinion their fo prices are what they are for a reason. They are much more quality fo's on the market but of course at higher prices. I used NG's Werewolf for years and suddenly I have to up the fo percentage to 7% instead of my normal 5% for soap. I will say their Cool Water is good and sticks well, soaps well and their Mango Sorbet smells fantastic, but is difficult to impossible to soap with. My customers also buy for fragrance and want strong. NG's Dragon's Blood is very weak in fragrance, IMO. Sometimes you just get what you pay for.

 

[OliveOil2]

I agree with Carolyn, my issues have been a couple of very weak scents and a few that had zero scent the day I cut them, and the scent didn't come back. When I test a fragrance for the first time I usually go strong at 1% unless the safety guidelines call for less.
I have told myself that based on their positive feedback that I will give them one more try, this time doing more research first, looking at feedback here and on the scent review board.

 

[Moody Glenn]

Hello! I also love Nature's Garden products. No matter which fragrance company you use there will be a price difference and how well the FO's are for your soap recipe. You will always get hits and misses. But.......

One thing I really recommend when trying different businesses is determining how well their customer service is. This company - for me - is top notch. I am able to travel to the store to pick-up my order. Right after I walk in someone there is happy to greet me and offer any assistance. If I ask to nose-sample some of the oils they show me to the sample wall and allow me to spend as much time to be there. Later on someone will ask if I have any questions and if I decide I am ready to check-out they take my order and in less than 15 minutes I am good to go with all my oils. They have excellent people working there and for me that speaks volumes on their pride of the business and service. Learn to find which FO's works well for your recipes - I have found many that do work especially well for my main recipe. Check with their website for customer reviews of the oils (be careful though because some of the reviews are with candlemakers) and also with the Scent Review Board like OliveOil2 has wisely advised. Have confidence in ordering from them.

 

[Aline]

I like their fruity and floral oils but their designer dupes have been lacking compared to versions from other companies....

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I believe one of Oz suppliers sells their FOs, at least the names are the same? They are a bit on the expensive side, but I love them. I tried others, cheaper ones, e.g. $2/20mls FOs but these are the ones I always go back to. Like with any brand of FOs, some of them have issues. Some will rice, some accelerate, some will drastically fade or morph, but out of all of them I tried, maybe 1-2 caused problems. BB fragrances caused more issues for me, morphed or faded more. I've stopped buying BB FOs almost completely, except for few that we really like. From NG I've got few favourites, like Lotus blossom, which is just like a dream FO to soap with, a bit fast, but smells lovely and never caused separation, ricing, etc. I just can't do cheap FOs. They are the most expensive thing in one batch of soap I make, so why not to spend $$$ on something good.

 

[navigator9]

Thank you everyone for the great information, I really appreciate it. I can live with a FO if it's not strong enough, NGs prices are reasonable enough that I could afford to add more if needed. And I definitely like to do business with a company that has great customer service, it definitely makes a difference. Grrrrr, regarding the designer dupes, I had several of those on my list. It's a shame they don't have the $1 vials, I love those. They must be a pain to have to fill, but I bet they get companies a lot more sales. I'll try to cut my list down and get some small bottles to see how it goes. Thanks again for your help, much appreciated!

 

[OliveOil2]

I wanted to correct my earlier post, just wanted to correct to say 1% per pound which is 6%. Adding that I think the actual site is one of the best designed sites for fragrance online. When I finally get around to making another order I will be asking for suggestions.

 

[Sinful7]

I also love NG's FO's. The only one I didn't care for was bay rum but I think that was just me, other people seem to like it just fine.

I didn't like that one either... Though I'll be honest I only smelled it oob. Maybe I'll actually try it in a small batch sometime. But I really thought it was a harsh smell. The rest of their fragrances I've had good experience with

 

[jules92207]

I have used their lavender flowers, lavender vanilla, lime cilantro, and patchouli fo (this was early on before I bought any eo's). I used vanilla bean too and really liked it but had to throw the batch out as it was my first milk soap and I didn't dissolve all the lye crystals. Overall I don't know that I did a good job selecting fragrances as this was before I joined the fragrance forum and started reading reviews. So while my experience hasn't been as great as everyone else I think that is largely from my own iggnorance and not a reflection of the company as a whole.

 

[eucalypta]

The major issue for CP soapers is the A(ccelleration) and D(iscolouring).
I hate a brown bubblegum soap, and nothing is more frustrating than experiencing soap on a stick.
So any company which provides me with adequate and true information is already a winner to me!
(Plus that in the EU the legislations very strict, so when a manufacturere/supplier is able to provide me with the MSDS/allergens content we're in business).

Then there is strength of the fragrances.
I think all suppliers have some FO's in stock that don't perform well scentswise.
There is only one way to find out and that is testing and reading reviews.

I soaped some NG fragrances for the first time this week;
the A+D info was correct; and qua scent I'm reasonably happy with them.

- Flowerbomb - Viktor & Rolf type: not very strong in a conditioner, but performing well enough in CP
- Extremely sexy for men: changes from very sweet to more crisp, but strong enough
- Cognac & Cubans, real tobacco scent OOB, in CP a lot milder and medium strong.

We don't have all NG's FO's available (the "only-by-road" ones never will be available of course); but I certainly will try some more.

 

[Obsidian]

I didn't like that one either... Though I'll be honest I only smelled it oob. Maybe I'll actually try it in a small batch sometime. But I really thought it was a harsh smell. The rest of their fragrances I've had good experience with

I though the same thing but its not really any better in soap. I did use it in a rebatch so maybe lye would help mellow it out some more.
It seems way too piney and not orangey enough if that makes sense.

I just made a batch with their cucumber cilantro wasabi FO, wish I would have bought more then a sample size. Its a really nice fresh scent. Unusual and hard to pin down but everyone seems to really like it.