what are your favorite scents from brambleberry?

[math ace]

Energy
Midnight Waters
White Tea & Ginger
Tobacco & Bay Leaf
Apple Sage
Rejuvenating Eucalyptus

Ginger Ale is fascinating...it smells very authentic, almost fizzy

From your list... Midnight Waters and Apple Sage MUR will be changing to something super low under the IFRA-49. The tobacco & bay leaf will be dropping to 4.8% in May 2022.

 

[math ace]

Espresso
Tobacco and Bay Leaf (smells VERY different from NS Bourbon Street - more woodsy, less sweet)
Black Amber and Lavender
Fresh Snow
Dark Rich Chocolate
Blueberry Jam (great blueberry scent with NO discoloration!)
Lychee Red Tea
Island Escape
Crisp Apple Rose
Sea Moss (accelerates like crazy, but worth the trouble)

Cerelife,

From your list...
Island Escape and Crisp Apple Rose MUR will be less than 4% under IFRA -49.

Black Amber and Lavender will be less than 5% next year.

 

[math ace]

Coconut Cream is one of my favorites, and the scent retention is phenomenal

Coconut Cream MUR for soap will be less than 3% when the IFRA-49 kicks in. Enjoy this fragrance while you can.

 

[TheGecko]

Let me know how the Black Opium does. I've wanted to order this one and forgetting to put it in my cart!

The lemon Bar will have a MUR of less than 4% under IFRA 49.
The Spearmint Eucalyptus will be less than 3%
The cinnamon Cocoa will be 4.3% MUR next year.
The Sweet Cardamom chai is SAFE under IFRA 49.

What the heck is “MUR”?

ETA - Never mind. I’ve been to their website, can’t make heads or tails of it. How do you find this information?

 

[math ace]

What the heck is “MUR”?

ETA - Never mind. I’ve been to their website, can’t make heads or tails of it. How do you find this information?

LOL... It is NOT easy to find this information! when you get to the fragrance description page, click on specifications.

From there, you will see links for the IFRA-48, IFRA-49, and a couple of other links.

Click on the IFRA-49 and the second page MAY or MAY NOT have the information. Bramble Berry has not updated all the web pages with the new IFRA data. Of the 6 fragrances that I ordered a few months ago - 3 are not skin safe, 1 is still skin safe, and 2 IFRA-49 fragrance profiles still haven't been updated.

 

[dibbles]

@TheGecko MUR is maximum usage rate

 

[TheGecko]

So this is where I get confused. I've been using a 'standard' of 1 oz FO per pound of oils in my Calculator. I understand another 'standard' is 5-6% of your total batch weight. When I make a test batch in my 4" Square Mold (it's holds 20 oz or 14.5 Oils w/33% Lye Solution), I usually just dump in the entire "trial" size bottle or 1 oz bottle of FO. 1 oz FO is 5% of my batch weight, and according to various Fragrance Calculators, it's higher than a Medium Scent, but less that a Strong Scent.

So what exactly as I supposed to be basing my usage rate on...Oils or batch weight? I ask this because if I change my Lye Concentration, I have to adjust my Oils to maintain the same batch weight. I know it's not a lot in the grand scheme of life...an extra half ounce of oils to go from 33% LS to 37%, but while I like to follow the KISS rule as much as possible, I want to make sure my products are safe to use (the whole reason I am making soap to begin with).

But at the same time one of my favorite shirts is one that has Bugs Bunny on the front that says: Rules. You make them, I break them. Not that I fracture too many laws these days (LOL), but I do tend to question things, especially when it comes to "governmental" oversight or so-called "experts". And while the IFRA isn't a 'governmental' entity per se, it does seem to be more of a European thing (20 of their 23 associations) and the EU is very restrictive when it comes to soap making.

And then there is a bit of contradiction. @math ace said above that Sweet Cardamom Chi was "SAFE"...at 16.67%?!?

So now I am really, really confused.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Wow this is fascinating. So these fragrance oils are not ACTUALLY skin safe at the recommended percentage? I found an interesting article about fragrance. It's troubling that it is self regulated.

https://www.womensvoices.org/fragrance-ingredients/facts-on-fragrance/

 

[Basil]

I stopped using BB 2 years ago after my first order from them . They sent me a bottle of cedarwood labeled Juniper ( I asked for both and I got two cedarwoods) and more than a third of a bottle of base oil leaked in the box. They ended up sending me a replacement but after waiting for first shipment and then the replacement it just wasn’t worth it. These were essential oils.

 

[dibbles]

@TheGecko some calculate fragrance weight on total batch weight and some by oil weight. I use oil weight because it is, IMO, more accurate. The total batch weight when made is not the same after cure.

 

[paradisi]

As a side note, several of the loudest scare voices about fragrance in cosmetics have no background in science or dermatology.

They often confuse risk for hazard, use mouse studies that don't translate to humans, and often assume that because a chemical has a similar name to another, it's dangerous, as with the DEP which is a fixative and solvent in fragrance oils, and has not been shown to be harmful to humans even though other phthalates have.

Loads of the recently banned ingredients were *never* used in cosmetics in the US anyway.

Several of the compounds triggering the Ifra 49 changes occur at much higher levels in food we eat daily than in fragrance oils used in soapmaking... but nobody is suggesting banning pepper, dill, nutmeg, basil or oranges.

Too, note that if there were people being injured by fragrances, there would be medical reports by the hundreds and there are not.

(There are dermatitis reports from use of many of the non-paraben preservatives, and "natural" syndets, but those don't seem to be mentioned by the EWG & so on.)

As to levels: Ifra go by total batch weight. I don't know how Brambleberry calculate their recommendations in their calculator.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

And then there is a bit of contradiction. @math ace said above that Sweet Cardamom Chi was "SAFE"...at 16.67%?!?

So, what the IFRA list is reflecting is the MAXIMUM usage rate, not the recommended usage rate. So if you usually use a usage rate of 5%, then you are below the MAXIMUM of 16.67% and within the safe range of usage for this product. Hope I am being clear.

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

I have some soaps that used their scents; never bought from them as their shipping to Canada is ridiculous! But I'm absolutely in love with the "shave and a haircut" scent

 

[Soaplizard]

Understand that my favorites were safe under the current IFRA regulations - IFRA -48. However, in May 2022, the IFRA-49 regulations kick in. Some fragrances are seeing a higher rate of use allowed under IFRA-49, while others are seeing a drastic reduction in the MUR ( Max Usage Rate). Unfortunately, 3 of my favorites will be reduced to a level not practical for use in soap. Lemongrass and Spearmint essential oils are suppose to become unsafe for use on skin too. I don't think it necessarily means cancerous. IFRA is suppose to include a factor for people who are developing sensitivities to compounds.

I probably won't purchase any new fragrances from Bramble Berry because they are expensive. I was waiting for a sale and then stocking up on my favorites.

There are several other suppliers out there that are about 1/2 the cost of Bramble Berry. I use Fragrance Buddy a lot. They have 1 ounce size bottles for $2.50 to $3. This is very cost effective for testing the fragrance. They max out at $17 - $18 per pound of fragrance. UNFORTUNATELY, they do not have the IFRA -49 information published yet, so you are buying blind until they publish the information. So of their fragrances are awful, but the ones that I like are WINNERS. They have 3 or 4 sales a year when everything is about 25% off.

I use micas and more. She tests all her fragrances. The owner has spent the last year having her fragrances re-formulated so that they will still perform at the IFRA-49 rates.
She doesn't have a huge selection of fragrances, but what she does has is SOLID performers for soap. She ships quick and prices are reasonable. No sales from her, but every weekend she gives something free away with orders from the weekend. Sometimes it is a free mica sample and sometimes it is a free 1 ounce bottle of fragrance. She also provides free soap samples. When she tests fragrances, she gives out the soap so that you can tell what the fragrance smells like without having to purchase it. LOVE this customer model because we all have different noses!

Nurture Soap is another soap friendly fragrance supplier, BUT she doesn't have the IFRA-49 information published for her fragrances either! You will be buying blind with her too! Nothing free here LOL. She runs $3.5 per 1 ounce sample and around $29 for 1 lb fragance. It's rare... but she does occasionally have a sale.

Cierra Fragrances does have IFRA-49 information available and does some testing ahead of time on her fragrances. I am new to this particular vender. I know her Shampure is solid in CP. I am currently testing about 6 fragrances from her. The prices seems fair with her too. Her one ounce size is $2.50 and her 1 lb bottles of fragrance run $18 - $25. AMAZING quick shipping from her.

Thank you for this valuable piece of information! Have you or anyone you know of experienced any allergic reactions from these fragrances? I remember pouring .5 ozTemptation fragrance into a thin plastic cup and forgot about it for a day, came to see the fragrance oil “burned” through the cup. I know fragrance/essential oils in concentrated amount can be potent on its own. My friends really liked it in soap though lol.

 

[math ace]

Thank you for this valuable piece of information! Have you or anyone you know of experienced any allergic reactions from these fragrances? I remember pouring .5 ozTemptation fragrance into a thin plastic cup and forgot about it for a day, came to see the fragrance oil “burned” through the cup. I know fragrance/essential oils in concentrated amount can be potent on its own. My friends really liked it in soap though lol.

Allergies can occur to anything at anytime. I know someone who is allergic to oregano leaves. I have had a couple complain that lemongrass essential oil soap was drying. Since it is made the same as the rest of my soaps, it had to be the lemongrass essential oil that was messing with their skin. I haven't had anyone have an issue to any of the fragrances as long as I was using them at the recommended MUR levels.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Per @paradisi comment, the Bramble Berry calculator is based on total batch weight, as in step three, here, but, like @dibbles , I calculate based on oil wt. and it works out fine scent-wise.

BB was the first supplier I ordered from when I started using FOs about 2 years ago. I have quite a few favorites, including Wild Rose, White Tea & Ginger, White Ginger & Amber, Heavenly Honeysuckle, Tobacco & Bay Leaf, Expresso, Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Apricot Freesia, Grapefruit Lily, Cedar & Amber. I recently tried Peaceful Lavender for the first time, really like it and will order more if it sticks. I‘m happy with the orange 10x and other eos I bought from BB.

I’ve slowly been discovering that some FOs, especially floral blends, give me a headache or make me sneeze, but have had relatively few problems with BB FOs.

 

[MelissaG]

The prices on brambleberry FO are insane. Not to mention really long waiting times. I don't think I'll buy from them again.

 

[math ace]

The prices on brambleberry FO are insane. Not to mention really long waiting times. I don't think I'll buy from them again.

Did you have to wait a long time recently? I placed a couple of orders with them this year and shipping time was very good.

Wholesale supplies plus and bramble berry are running over $40 a lb for fragrance oil which I think is insane too! Only with a really good sale do I go near their shipping carts.

 

[MelissaG]

I haven't ordered from Brambleberry in quite a while. Last time it took three weeks before it was sent. WSP hasn't been too bad in shipping, at least it's been less than a month recently. 1-3 days? Not remotely. But a couple weeks, sure.

 

[math ace]

I haven't ordered from Brambleberry in quite a while. Last time it took three weeks before it was sent. WSP hasn't been too bad in shipping, at least it's been less than a month recently. 1-3 days? Not remotely. But a couple weeks, sure.

Yes, I left Bramble Berry a couple of years ago because of shipping delays. However, after a few people posted about their quick shipping earlier this year, I decided to try them again. Sure enough, the shipping time is much better, even after a really good sale. Both of my 2021 orders shipped within 48 hours of ordering (UNHEARD OF IN THE PAST). After that, UPS takes their own sweet time getting to me in Florida. However, Bramble Berry did their part correctly... Got the order processed and on a truck within 48 hours of ordering.