suggestions for places to buy EO and fragrances

[drunkonlife]

So, I've made roughly 30# of soap so far and have learned quite a bit in the process (thanks everyone for suggesting going with 2.5# or less for new batches!).

I've bought from both brambleberry and bulkapothecary and while I have loved the brambleberry scents, I am less in love with the time it takes to get them delivered. And bulkapothecary has faster delivery and is cheaper but the scents I have gotten from them (with the exception of one) all accelerate trace super fast and a couple smell more "chemically" than what I like.

Just curious where you guys buy your scents and EO's and what your experience has been with the companies you buy from as well as the quality of the products delivered.

 

[toxikon]

I personally like WholesaleSuppliesPlus because:
- They often have FOs on sale
- They have a huge variety
- The FOs have a lot of reviews from soapmakers
- Their website is easy to navigate and filter for different types of FOs
- Quick shipping and it's free over $40

Lots of people on the forum also love Nurture Soap FOs. She has a lot of dupes of popular FOs and I've heard very good things. They're also all tried and tested in cold-process soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

I like BB and Nurture a lot b/c they are Soap People. WSP has some good stuff but they don't test in CP, so you have to read reviews carefully.

If I want mostly natural stuff - meaning eos, butters, and waxes, I like Camden Grey.

 

[HowieRoll]

I buy essential oils from New Directions Aromatics and have been happy with them. However, since I've only purchased from them, I would like to buy from another vendor at some point (like Liberty Naturals, for example) to compare quality. NDA has $100 minimum order but such a wide selection that it's not hard to get there. My biggest problem is often paring down my cart so as not to get too carried away.

 

[Kittish]

I've bought from Bramble Berry and Bulk Apothecary. Shipping time was about what I expected for both. With EOs and FOs, shipping is limited to ground only in the U.S. because of federal regulations.

Bulk Apothecary shipped the EOs I got from them in aluminum bottles, so be prepared to transfer to glass if you get more than 4 oz of EO or FO from them. I bought two cases of 16 oz boston round amber glass bottles from U-Line.

I'm putting together an order from Eden Botanicals, they've got a huge selection of EOs, absolutes and other botanicals though not all that they carry is suitable for using in soap. They also offer sample sizes, and three of four of those should be sufficient to try in a small batch of soap- great way to try out some of the more expensive EOs without having to drop a bundle on them.

 

[Millie]

Where do you live? That would help with finding best shipping options, those prices add up. I like New Directions Aromatics. I've bought an embarrassing number of EOs from them, absolutely the best prices, and excellent quality. I get a lot of carrier oils from them too to meet the $100 min order. I bought three FOs from them (around $4 for 3.3 oz!) before all their FOs were reformulated to be phthalate free, so I don't know if they have the same sticking power, but the old versions held very well in CP.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I haven't had good luck with BB FOs but I have a few that I buy from them. Too many of their FOs cause DOS with long cures (>1year). If you use the soaps within 6 months, you won't have a problem.

For a wide variety and high quality, I use Fragrancebuddy. I had tested FOs from about 7 or 8 suppliers and settled on FB. I recently added NS and Wellington. I don't have long term data on their FOs yet but I like what I see so far. I still buy from other suppliers but mostly specific FOs.

Price and quality don't go together in the FO world. The most expensive FOs I bought have been the most problematic/disappointing.

I tried a number of NDA FOs but the majority did not survive cure very well. They are well blended and would work well for B&B products, just not CP.

 

[Saranac]

I buy most of my EO from NDA. They have a great selection and affordable pricing, but as others have mentioned, they also have a $100 minimum (unless you want to pay the $20 admin fee). I love that they provide more information about the composition on their EO

I use CG when I need just a few things. Prices are good, quality is great. (I'm just turned off by some of the phrasing in their FAQ.)

For fragrance oils, I buy 90% of what I use from Save On Scents. They're in the same state as me, their customer service has been great, and they have a huge selection.

I've had bad luck with fragrance oils from Nature's Garden. A few that weren't supposed to accelerate, did, and some just smell bad (out of the bottle, in soap, in lotion). The only FOs I still buy from them are the Cracklin Birch (I HATE it, but customers love it), and Christmas Cabin (it moves like a freight train in CP--even with blending--but it smells great and I've managed to work with it).

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I've begun moving away from BB for the same reason as you. I'm in Indiana and they're in Washington state. Upwards of two weeks is way too long to wait for my precious soap supplies.

Since spring I've been testing fragrances from https://nurturesoap.com/ and http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/ Nurture is in Indiana and Nature's Garden is in Ohio and shipping is really fast from both. I think I'm up to 25 or 29 separate samples between the two sources.

 

[HowieRoll]

I use CG when I need just a few things. Prices are good, quality is great. (I'm just turned off by some of the phrasing in their FAQ.)

I read their FAQ section probably 8-12 months ago and found it so off-putting that they will not get my business. It was a quiet little stance I made in my head, but had to comment when I saw you referenced it, too!

 

[IrishLass]

One thing I've found when it comes to purchasing FOs is that no single company has the corner on quality in regards to their whole entire line of FOs. I actually order from about 11 different companies, and each one them has both their hits and their duds. For example, the Twilight Woods FO I buy from Peaks is totally awesome compared to SweetCake's version of the same FO, which was a dismal dud for me, but yet SweetCakes has versions of other certain FOs that are absolutely fantastic compared to another company's versions of them. To help me weed out the duds from the hits, I rely on reading all the reviews that I can find either here on the forum, or on the different scent review boards of whatever FO I'm interested in purchasing.

For what it's worth, I have favorite 'keeper' FOs that work fantastic for me from each of the following vendors. They each have their duds, too, but I steer clear of them and just stick to the hits:

Majestic Mountain Sage
Wholesale Supplies Plus
Daystar
Oregon Trails
Peaks
Rustic Escentuals
Brambleberry
Nature's Garden
SweetCakes
Gemlight
BitterCreek North



Where EOs are concerned, I use either Liberty Natural or Mountain Rose Herbs if I can't find what I'm looking for at my local health-food store. So far, I've been very happy with my purchases.


IrishLass

 

[Kittish]

I use CG when I need just a few things. Prices are good, quality is great. (I'm just turned off by some of the phrasing in their FAQ.)

What is CG? The company doesn't seem to be actually named in the thread, and there's no correlating abbreviation on the abbreviations sticky. Found Camden Grey mentioned elsewhere, is that who you meant?

 

[bountifulsoaps]

I pretty much have bought from camden gray but wondering how they compare with other essential oils. I do not have a lot of experience with fragrances but would like to. Soaped a few of MMS this week like Lavender Flowers and Earth. I also made a batch of soap using lime margarita from camden gray. I added a little lime eo to the blend. What do you guys think of Camden Gray?

 

[Saranac]

What is CG? The company doesn't seem to be actually named in the thread, and there's no correlating abbreviation on the abbreviations sticky. Found Camden Grey mentioned elsewhere, is that who you meant?

That would be them.

 

[WeaversPort]

Outside of the Brambleberry FOs I've got in my heart..

I'm seconding Wholesale Supplies Plus. I've also gotten a few great fragrances from Elements Bath and Body and a few from Nature's Garden Candles.

Some people have recommended Mad Oils, which are now being carried by Arizona Soap Supply. I don't have any personal experience with them.

I'm not allowing myself to even look at Magestic Sage until I work my way through the samples I already have... Because I know I want to try them. I'm especially curious if their chai is any good.

 

[anshika154]

I preferred to Gurunanda. 100% natural and organic, Quality of FO and EO for me is 8 out of 10.

 

[shunt2011]

I preferred to Gurunanda. 100% natural and organic, Quality of FO and EO for me is 8 out of 10.

Is this your business? I see you have a link to them in your signature line which should not be there unless it's your business.

 

[anshika154]

Is this your business? I see you have a link to them in your signature line which should not be there unless it's your business.

It's not my business... It's run by my friend

 

[dixiedragon]

Checked out Gurunada - looks very expensive to me. Reminds me of doTerra and Young Living.

I am a big fan of Camden Grey. They have good prices on the natural things I want - oils, butter, EOs. I've got a few of their FOs and the smell good OOB but I haven't soaped them yet.