New Scents from MMS

[Jan Johnson]

This summer I’ve been getting requests for florals. More often than not I’ve been ordering fragrance and oils from WSP. I wanted to try an Osmanthus scent, so I bought Plum Rain from WSP. The scent to my nose was so light I really couldn’t tell anything about it. The Osmanthus from MMS was much better, but apparently very light with a peachy note. Having never smelled Osmanthus, I had no idea what to expect. oh well... However, I was so pleased with the exceptional fast delivery, great packing, dark glass amber bottles and a little gift… that I ordered Plumeria, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Lilikoi, and Ginger Milk and I love all of them! I ordered on the 7th and got them on the 10th from Utah to the Texas gulf coast. Being florals I always plan to work fast and simple. They smell so good I'm anxious to soap them!
Cheers, Jan

 

[dibbles]

I love the Osmanthus from MMS. Ginger Milk is the only other one that I have tried out of those you listed. It is lovely, but IIRC it does move a little bit fast.

 

[The_Phoenix]

On @dibbles' recommendation, I bought me a bottle of Osmanthus. Still deciding what soap design to use but it is lovely OOB.

I also bought "Books Abound" and I LOVE it. "Kalahari Melon is"...woah. Will test soon to see if it sticks in soap. It smells like a red Jolly Rancher, but a little more complex.

 

[Jan Johnson]

Thank you so much for the replies. I love those suggestions, Phoenix. I was wondering if my sense of smell is not what it should be and now that you both love it must be true! Thank goodness for the peachy note or I wouldn't have smelled any other discernable note. Do you blend it with any other scent? I was thinking possibly an apricot? I've read that Osmanthus has those two notes. Yes, most florals give me a fit...and naturally they're my clients' number one favorite type of fragrance. I haven't bought anything from MMS in years, but I was really impressed!

 

[The_Phoenix]

I am a little concerned that Osmanthus will not have much longevity in soap. MMS gave me a sample of soap fragranced with Osmanthus (was that your gift, too?) and I can barely smell any fragrance. It is a spa-like fragrance, IMHO. That's a good idea to combine it with peach. I have Oregon Trails' Peche de Vegne that I've mixed with their Egyptian Musk and it's soooooo nice. Wonder how the Peche would combine with Osmanthus. That would be a good experiment. I do think it would be a good mixer. I also have a Sapmoss that would round out nicely with Osmanthus.

Oh, I also bought Rhubarb and Sugar Cane. Also smells nice OOB.

 

[dibbles]

Osmanthus sticks very well for me. I do use 1 oz PPO, so that is a factor. I also don't blend it with anything - love it just as it is. I'm glad you like it @The_Phoenix

 

[Jan Johnson]

Yes, I’m afraid that the Osmanthus might fade without at least some type of anchor. It has such great reviews...I wish I could smell it! lol.. A spa type scent would be perfect! My gift was a soap scented with Icy Water. It was so light, I could hardly smell anything…maybe they don’t use very much? So glad to hear you like OT’s Peche de Vegne I bought Peach Jubilee from WSP, and it’s nice but I don’t think it would work for the blend. It’s more of that bright high note right next to the peach seed…if that makes sense. I was thinking a little more soft? I think it would take very little in the blend...it's just a background note. I'm still looking for a good apricot. The Honey and Apricot from WSP is nice, but I'd like more apricot . I do like Mediterranean Fig from WSP. Lately I've become obsessed with fig apricot and plum fragrances to blend with. I do love oakmoss, sapmoss and sandalwood for bottom notes. Thank you so much for your great suggestions!

 

[Jan Johnson]

That's great news dibbles! I love that it doesn't fade! I tend to use 1% so that would be good. I had a feeling that since you love the fragrance, you wouldn't blend it...It's good to know that it can stand alone. I really want to love it too! Maybe it's like being a little color blind! Thanks!

 

[dibbles]

@Jan Johnson at 1% it would likely be very light. 1 oz PPO is more like 5-6%.

 

[Jan Johnson]

Yes! you're right! 1oz. PPO. I wasn't thinking.. Thank you!

 

[Obsidian]

I've always liked mms scents. The huckleberry is a fantastic sweet fruit without being sugary or vanilla, if thats something you might like. It stuck for a long time, over a year.

 

[Jan Johnson]

I was wondering about Huckleberry...you're right I love berry and fruit scents! especially if they last well! Thank you!

 

[lucycat]

I have the MMS Jasmine and Honeysuckle. However, both were purchased a couple of years ago so I don't know if the Jasmine has been reformulated. I find it really strong and usually use it in small amounts in blends. What I have needs to be soaped at .5 oz ppo or less.

The Honeysuckle I have is heavy and strong, almost too heavy. I noticed their site says it has been reformulated so I am anxious to hear your opinion since I need to reorder. I have been using the MMS Honeysuckle in a Honeysuckle Peach blend with the OT Peach. It has been very popular and I am hoping the reformulated honeysuckle will still work as well as the old.

I don't have the Osmanthus from MMS but ordered one from Sweetcakes a few years ago. They have a couple of blend ideas with their Osmanthus; one was a blend with green tea the other with sandalwood and grapefruit. I don't know if they would work with the MMS Osmanthus but you could consider. They are still posted on their site.

I have been very pleased with the Lavender and spring apricot fragrance (tried from Nature's and fragrance buddy). I think it would be a good blender to use for apricot or peach. It is stronger then the OT Peach and probably a bit sweeter. I have been considering changing a couple of blends from the peach to the apricot, especially when I need a stronger fruit note.

 

[Jan Johnson]

Hi!
I never tried them before they were reformulated, but I really like them. I haven’t soaped them yet but OOB I’d say they are still quite strong. I was a little worried with the description of both Jasmine and Honeysuckle as heavy florals, but I love them! I’d say the Jasmine is a bit heavier. I love your suggestion of a blend of Honeysuckle with OT’s peach.

Did you like the Osmanthus from SC? I’ve been trying to smell the two I have and the MMS one is thankfully stronger. I think Phoenix and dibbles were right it is spa like and really nice. I’ve been smelling them all day and asking anyone that would smell them for me what they thought I really want to love them! I guess as light as the Osmanthus seems to me I’d have to not blend it or be extremely careful not to overpower it.

I’ve been searching for a good apricot…did you get your Spring Apricot from Fragrance Buddy and the Lavender from Nature’s?

 

[lucycat]

I thought the Osmanthus from SC was light. I sell at outdoor fairs and really light scents don't sell well for me. So, I didn't reorder. I thought the idea of using it as a floral for blending interesting since it didn't really smell like a floral. With things like sandalwood or green tea where it wouldn't scream floral blend I thought is had potential.

The fragrance "Lavender and Spring Apricot" I believe is a Bath and Bodyworks fragrance dupe. There are several companies that sell it. I tested the Natures one a couple of years ago and the Fragrance Buddy early this year. I liked both of them. I know the Natures one lasted well for almost a year. I reordered from Fragrance buddy because I had other fragrances I needed to order from them. I don't smell lavender in the fragrance but the apricot is not syrupy sweet either. I would describe as an warm apricot with a light herbal note. This year I am not blending it but I think it has potential as a blender and as a stronger substitute than peach.

I have some blends where I am concerned the fragrances might just make a muddled mess. On the honeysuckle peach it is a drop & hanger swirl design and I fragrance all of the yellow and white swirl colors honeysuckle and all of the peach/rust colors Peach. So, a whiff of honeysuckle can be strong but is offset by the sweet peach. It has sold better for me than the straight MMS Honeysuckle and I think it is because there is a sweetness to offset the heavy floral.

 

[Jan Johnson]

Thank you so much! I do like the idea of blending the Osmanthus with a grapefruit and sandalwood to enhance the spa feel. Light scents typically don't sell well for me either. I have Pink Grapefruit from WSP and Juicy Pink from OT...they make a nice blend and they stick...also OT's Mysore Sandalwood.

Oh... I definitely didn't understand that Lavender and Spring Apricot is one scent! Thank you ! It sounds perfect!

I often blend 4 or 5 fragrances to get what think I'm looking for...then I worry that some may just drop out and others get hopelessly muddled that I end up reducing it to just the best 3 notes. I've been wondering if I could do what you've done by fragrancing the different colors for a slightly more distinct blending. I'm so glad to hear that you've done it successfully and that it was worth it. Brilliant!

Thanks, Jan

 

[artemis]

I also bought "Books Abound" and I LOVE it.

"Books Abound" is wonderful. And it sticks to the skin for a bit, too.

The other MMS I have tried is Sweet grass, which I bought for a friend. She was very happy with the soap I made with it.

 

[Jan Johnson]

Thank you! I'm very curious about Books Abound now. It must be very different...I need to make another order soon and I'll give it a try! I love Sweetgrass but the ones I've purchased in the past smell like hay without the sweet vanilla note. I'd love to have a good one!

 

[Jan Johnson]

I soaped the Jasmine this afternoon so I thought I’d let you know how it went. I can say that it does smell very good. I decided that it might be a bit strong so I blended 3.2 oz. Jasmine with .5 oz of Bamboo Lotus, and .5 oz. of Fresh Bamboo for a total of slightly more than 5%. I soaped at 100 degrees. I expected acceleration and possible ricing from an old review on SSR. It did accelerate but it was very manageable. What I couldn’t fix was that it immediately got grainy. It was quickly at pretty heavy trace and I knew that if I used the stick blender it would be full of bubbles so I tried to work it with a whisk. It’s not the end of the world bad but, I was disappointed. This sometimes happens to me with florals like French Gardenia, but not always. My soaping temperatures and method is very closely the same…so I don’t understand why it happens sometimes. I guess I’ll look for another Jasmine. Any ideas?

 

[dibbles]

Maybe The Grim Reaper from Nurture. I like it and it was manageable to work with. I don’t have a lot of experience with jasmine, so you might want to get a small bottle to see if you like it before committing to a big bottle.