Single EO scent (fading) test

[penelopejane]

Of course that's why I store in a plastic container and keep only 5 on the shelf so it is fresh for the customer. They will use it, not store on a shelf for 7 months.

The problem I have with my recipes being high olive oil is that the longer they air dry (not in plastic containers) the harder they get. So I want to cure them for ages but that just doesn’t work for EOs. I’ve also seen/smelt lots of soap in shops which have no scent left at all.

You’ve worked out a system which works for EOs and your recipe which is great.

 

[Dawni]

Thank you @szaza! Your experiments are always helpful.

I love elemi! Could be just my nose (and maybe my patriotic brain lol) but it blends with with almost everything I've tried it with, even black pepper lol (with others of course). It's a mainstay in a balm I make, too.

You've given me a couple of new ideas to try too.. Maybe buy myself Amyris and Petitgrain

 

[SeaSuds]

Thank you this is very helpful❤

 

[szaza]

Thank you @szaza! Your experiments are always helpful.

I love elemi! Could be just my nose (and maybe my patriotic brain lol) but it blends with with almost everything I've tried it with, even black pepper lol (with others of course). It's a mainstay in a balm I make, too.

You've given me a couple of new ideas to try too.. Maybe buy myself Amyris and Petitgrain

Elemi is a scent that has really grown on me!

 

[szaza]

Almost one year after making these, I thought this would be a good time for a final update. They have mostly been sitting in a closed plastic container, while individually packaged in parchment paper.

Here are my smelling notes:
Amyris: A fresher/more herbal/less floral and also slightly softer scent than I remember (I wonder if some of the other scents have carried over), but still a nice scent and definitely amyris.
Bergamot: Still a light, fresh and citrussy scent, though the typical 'bergamot' (earl grey) scent has faded significantly.
Eucalyptus: Still fresh and uplifting eucalyptus, probably faded a bit (hard to remember, since I haven't smelled these in about 5 months).
Peppermint: Very fresh, very much still peppermint. Strongest one yet
Petitgrain: Not as strong as the peppermint, but still very clearly a green petitgrain scent.
Rosemary: Still distinct, though probably faded a bit as well.
Peru Balsam: still a sweet, vanilla like smell, with a slight herbal undertone.
Star Anise: soft and sweet
Ho-wood: a bit harder to detect, still there, but very subtle
Elemi: soft and fresh.

So to recap, I was able to kind of divide the scents into 4 strength categories:
Weak, but detectable: Amyris, Bergamot, Ho-wood
Softer, but clear scents: Elemi, Eucalyptus, Star Anise
Distinct, but not overpowering: Petitgrain, Rosemary, Peru Balsam
Still going strong: Peppermint.

Keep in mind, these are 1 year old and I don't think any of them are as strong as when they were first made. I'm comparing them to each other, not to freshly made soap.

I think keeping the soaps away from air has really helped retain the scent. I've been doing that with most of my soaps now and it does seem to help prevent scent fading with most EO's during storage. Now the problem I'm running into is that some soaps seem to lose their scent while they're in use, which is a bit disappointing.

On a different note, I'm coming back to the idea that beeswax might influence scent longevity. My soaps are reacting very differnt in my new home (even soaps with a longevity number of 30 become slimy), which made me turn to some beeswax soaps I made last year. One of them had sweet orange eo at 70% of the total EO and the orange was still very clearly present at +-11 months and did not fade while in use. The other one was 1year 4months and had a spicy/floral scent that is still as vibrant as I remember when I unmolded, even after a few weeks of sitting in the shower.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I am soooo happy for this thread popping up again. Now I have it bookmarked! Thank you for circling back around with the updates and the idea about the beeswax. What percentage of beeswax are you using? Are you adding the EOs after the batter reaches emulsion?

 

[szaza]

What percentage of beeswax are you using? Are you adding the EOs after the batter reaches emulsion?

I'm using 3-5% and added the EO's after HP cook - probably should've mentioned these were HP soaps..

 

[szaza]

Since the last update, I've started using these soaps at the bathroom sink.
Amyris smelled quite nicely and distinctly when washing with it. I was quite surprised!
Bergamot was barely detectable, I only smelled it when I held the soap up to my nose (which I tend not to do when washing my hands)
Eucalyptus was faint, but noticable.
I'm now using star anise and I clearly smell it while washing my hands.

I'll update more after I've tried more of them at the sink.