Stealing someone’s recipes

[David Christopher]

I totally understand that many diapers work on their recipes fo years ( or always months) however. I was wondering how much of an online recipe needs to be modified before it’s not “stealing” I’ve taken a basic Crisco recipe and have used goats milk instead of water. As well I have added items such as honey and/or ingredients like pumpkin.. does is adjusting the water content considered a modification
I also took the original recipe and ran it through Soapcal and that adjusted the amounts as well.
What’s the proper way to respect other soapers
Thanks Dave

 

[shunt2011]

If someone shares a recipe online they expect that others will use it and possible tweak it a bit. I’ve shared my salt soap recipe numerous time and many have tried it and may use it still or adjust it to their liking. Personally, I shared it as I like it and wanted others to be able to make it themselves. So basically, I don’t think it’s an issue.

 

[Obsidian]

I agree, if a recipe is posted online its meant to be used by others.
I share most of my recipes, if I had one I didn't want others to use, I wouldn't post it any where.

 

[Misschief]

I totally understand that many diapers work on their recipes fo years ( or always months) however. I was wondering how much of an online recipe needs to be modified before it’s not “stealing” I’ve taken a basic Crisco recipe and have used goats milk instead of water. As well I have added items such as honey and/or ingredients like pumpkin.. does is adjusting the water content considered a modification
I also took the original recipe and ran it through Soapcal and that adjusted the amounts as well.
What’s the proper way to respect other soapers
Thanks Dave

Sorry, just had to chuckle at your post.... "many diapers"???

 

[Zany_in_CO]

What’s the proper way to respect other soapers

Excellent question! I try to give credit where credit is due. For example, the arthritis cream I make is tweaked to my satisfaction, but, when sharing the recipe, I give credit to Linda Lorenzo who first shared her recipe with me in a class on another forum.

 

[Dawni]

Sorry, just had to chuckle at your post.... "many diapers"???

Happens to me too when I try typing "soapers" on my phone. Crazy autocorrect hehehe

I think the question of stealing recipes is only an issue if someone were to start selling that same exact soap with no tweaks and not give at least some credit.. I think?

 

[IrishLass]

I agree with Shunt and Obsidian. If I decide to share a personal recipe of my own, I fully expect others to make it 'as is' without any modifications if they wish, or with modifications if they wish. I don't consider it as being stolen if I freely shared it.

Zany brings up a good point, too. Whenever I have made another's publicly shared recipe and decide post my tweak of it, I like to give credit where credit is due by mentioning the originator of the recipe.


IrishLass

 

[artemis]

There are only so many combinations of oils that you can come up with, though. If I make a soap that is 40% lard, 30% OO, 20% CO, and 10% AVO I am not the first person to come up with that. It's not even possible to credit the first person who did. I'm also not the first person to think of adding goat's milk (or carrot puree or oatmeal or lanolin or borax or whatever) to a soap.

Now, trying to replicate someone's frangrance recipe, or method of swirling, that is different.

 

[soapmaker]

Now, trying to replicate someone's frangrance recipe, or method of swirling, that is different.

Method of swirling?? Don't we all learn from what's posted and try to mimic it?

 

[shunt2011]

@artemis Why would swirling or fragrance blending be different? If there's a technique or fragrance blend that's been shared on the interwebs or youtube I think it's still fair game. They wouldn't show how to do it if they didn't think someone was going to try it or utilize it. The challenges here are generally based on a technique someone else has done and posted somewhere. And others freely share blending ideas.

 

[soapmaker]

I just told my best selling soap and lotion!

 

[jcandleattic]

Honestly I don't think using a recipe, method of coloring/swirling, or using scent blends that are posted in the interwebs is stealing.

I do however think it's "stealing" if you purposely get a soap you love from a fellow soaper (or soaper you don't know) and then try and reverse engineer the recipe or scent blend without their knowledge, or if they specifically call their recipe/scent blend "proprietary", and it is not explicitly listed anywhere on the web.

JMO

 

[amd]

Agree @jcandleattic - if it's free knowledge, then it has no "value" to "steal". If you gather it by devious means, well that's another story.

I admit to not being very original in some of my soap designs and techniques, but if I can credit back to someone I do. For example, last Halloween I made an eyeball soap that was inspired by another makers large eye ball soaps. Now I didn't ask her how she did anything, but I did use her idea to create smaller embeds. When I shared my results on Instagram I credited her original picture. Did I need to? probably not, but I did because I think it's important to credit someone when they inspire me.

Honestly, it's only stealing if done in secret with bad intentions. If you think that figuring out someone's secret recipe and then selling it much cheaper to take away their business, then that's stealing.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I do however think it's "stealing" if you purposely get a soap you love from a fellow soaper (or soaper you don't know) and then try and reverse engineer the recipe or scent blend without their knowledge,

On the other hand, they say that copying someone else's idea is the sincerest form of flattery. It happens in home decorating among friends... a lot! LOL

 

[Anglezarke]

If you look at a soap ingredients list, it is highly unlikely that the recipe is unique, unless you have some undiscovered wonder-oil in there which nobody else has discovered. It's almost impossible to create a new soap recipe just like it's almost impossible to create a new recipe for all-butter shortbread.

To me, there's a difference between copying a recipe and stealing actual soap. Unless you have IP / patent on your recipe.

Getting a fellow soapers stuff to copy is plagiarism and perhaps disrespectful, but not theft. Not very creative though is it!

 

[David Christopher]

Sorry, just had to chuckle at your post.... "many diapers"???

See I was trying to hide the names

 

[melinda48]

I totally understand that many diapers work on their recipes fo years ( or always months) however. I was wondering how much of an online recipe needs to be modified before it’s not “stealing” I’ve taken a basic Crisco recipe and have used goats milk instead of water. As well I have added items such as honey and/or ingredients like pumpkin.. does is adjusting the water content considered a modification
I also took the original recipe and ran it through Soapcal and that adjusted the amounts as well.
What’s the proper way to respect other soapers
Thanks Dave

When someone makes a recipe public, whether it is soap or food or whatever, I believe they do so to share with others. If that was not their intent, why would they share it so publicly?

 

[David Christopher]

Thanks everyone.. I appreciate the help

 

[penelopejane]

I totally understand that many diapers work on their recipes fo years ( or always months) however. I was wondering how much of an online recipe needs to be modified before it’s not “stealing” I’ve taken a basic Crisco recipe and have used goats milk instead of water. As well I have added items such as honey and/or ingredients like pumpkin.. does is adjusting the water content considered a modification
I also took the original recipe and ran it through Soapcal and that adjusted the amounts as well.
What’s the proper way to respect other soapers
Thanks Dave

Just in case you don’t know when you add pumpkin purée it is considered as water and comes off the water in the recipe. So if the recipe requires 150g water you can add 50g water and 100g pumpkin purée.

 

[David Christopher]

Just in case you don’t know when you add pumpkin purée it is considered as water and comes off the water in the recipe. So if the recipe requires 150g water you can add 50g water and 100g pumpkin purée.

Thanks
BTW it seems when you add Pumpkin. The soap does not seem to be as “smooth” . Meaning it’s kind of got fiber striations?