Your favorite INEXPENSIVE but good/great FO's/EO? Please share.

[not_ally]

FO's are expensive, especially in CP. It is really frustrating when you spend a bunch of money on them and then you end up with a scentless soap a month later. So do any of you have suggestions for ones that (a) smell good (it would be good if you could say why); (b) stick well and (b) best of all, almost, are inexpensive, or at least relatively so? If you have noted/remember the price (or sort of do), that would be good, too. There are not that many for me, just b/c there are not many FOs that fit this particular bill! All of these are under $20/lb except the last, and as I remember, all are easy to use in CP.

Here are my favorite "cheapies but goodies", listed by supplier. My favorite scents are mostly green/warm/unisex ones, this will be heavier on those, so input on other scent families would be great for those who like other types. More time spent on Gemlite, just b/c it is easier to find reviews on the others, but I found it difficult to find them on Gemlite and had to do more testing of various GL FO's myself, kind of a pain:

Gemlite: Sandalwood, Lavendar, Linden Blossom. Gemlite is the star w/r/t inexpensive, but extremely hit or miss and they have a lot, so a good one is a great find. Owner is very nice/helpful/responsive, postage is fast and cheap.

Sandalwood ($15/lb): I am a sandalwood freak, and have never found one that I think is perfect. This is a really good one as far as they go though, well balanced mix of spicy/sweet/deep without the extraneous floral/powdery notes others have, and sticks hard. Lavendar ($12/lb): a nice, straight lavendar, mellow and v. slightly floral, slightly herbal, neither overpowers, again a good strong sticker. Great for sellers, I would think, smells exactly like what buyers expect and again, so inexpensive. Linden Blossom ($12.00/lb): I am not a floral person, but like this one, as it is an interesting, pretty, green floral which is well behaved in CP and sticks well.

NG: Teakwood and Cardamom ($16.99/lb), Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro ($15.59/lb), Green Clover and Aloe ($15.99/lb), Green Irish Tweed ($16.99/lb). Teakwood and Card is fantastic if you like warm scents, sticks great. CWC is more singular, it is very green, fresh, a bit wild. If you like (eg) OT's Bonsai or labdanum EO, I think you will this. GC and A (fresh, clean, I think a BBW dupe) and GIT (very nice men's cologne dupe) are both very good versions of those scents - maybe not the best, but the best value, IMO - and stick v. well.

BB: 10X Orange E.O ($25.54/15 oz.) What is up with BB's weird slightly-less-than-everyone- else oz/lb amounts? I think that they should charge a titch more and just normalize the size, I realize it is irrational but I always feel like I am getting robbed of the last little bit. Ok, this is an EO, not an FO, and it is over $20 a lb, but still a good price for that amount of EO, even a typically inexpensive one like orange. I have had terrible luck getting EOs to stick in CP (but I like scents strong-ish in soap and usually CPOP) and this one is a good, basic orange which is an excellent blender and sticks very well.

Anyone else? I need to spend less money on fragrances, they are the most expensive part of CP for me, and make me wince the most when they are a waste, so any input would b​e much appreciated.

Mods: Just realized this should maybe be on the FO bd, would you move if so? I don't know how to do so.

 

[dixiedragon]

The FO category is too broad for me - honestly I don't know what I spent.

EOs - mint and lemongrass tend to be cheap and are very good. I prefer lemongrass to an actual citrus EO b/c the scent sticks better, it doesn't make the soap soft and it doesn't have photo-reactive properties.

 

[dixiedragon]

I will also add - you get what you pay for. Companies like Sweet Cakes can charge a premium price b/c they offer a premium product.

I've gotten some cheapo FOs from Just Scent and Bitter Creek North, and it's definitely hit or miss. Morphing, fading, etc.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Even though I dont want to buy much more if anything from BB, I think I will be purchasing their lemon verbena FO again. It is sooooo strong that a very very little goes a long way. If you look at the FO calculator its only like 0.16 oz ppo for "strong" fragrance. I sticks really well and people love the scent. It does accelerate a little bit but I was able to do some layering with it and still get them to come out great. 2 oz has lasted me forever and at $25 per pound its not the cheapest but you also use 5x less than a typical FO

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with Dixie. Sometimes you get what you pay for though I have found many reasonably priced FO's that I use in CP that perform well.

You also need to remember that sometimes FO's will perform differently in different recipes.

A few of my favorites are from NG - Teakwood & Cardamom, Cracklin Birch, The Perfect Man, Peach Magnolia Raspberry, Bite Me, Hummingbird & Mango Sorbet. There are others but those come to mind first. Also, with NG if you purchase 5-16 oz bottles you will save an additional 1.00 per bottle.

I have favorites from Symphony Scents, Soapalooza, WSP and a couple other places.

 

[not_ally]

I agree about *usually* getting what you pay for, the scents I use the most are not on this list b/c of that, most are from companies like SC, OT, BB, PFO and the like. I am willing to spend money on my faves from them. I will even spend money on stuff that doesn't work in CP but I love in other BB (eg, SOS's Lime Basil Mandarin FO, expensive at @ $50/lb and reputedly not good in CP but fabulous in lotion.)

But I really wanted to get some suggestions for the few that combine value and quality for CP. All of these are great for that, and the reason that there are so few for me. They stand out b/c you are getting way MORE than you pay for with them as fragrances go. I am definitely not encouraging people to buy crap FO's to save money, that is the biggest waste.

I agree with you about JS, some I really liked OOB and for about a day, but they faded really fast. BCN was better for me, but none I have used that combined value/quality enough to make my list here.

 

[navigator9]

Well, I was going to recommend one of my all time favorites, even though it's a bit over your $20 ideal, but I thought I'd go check, just in case my memory didn't serve me well, and WSP's Nag Champa wasn't the $25.95/lb that I remembered. Well......I was in for a surprise. Since the last time I ordered it on 1/16/15, it's gone up in price......by $10/lb. REALLY??? Ten dollars! I hate to spend that much for any FO. Even though I really love their Nag Champa, I may have to look elsewhere. $10!!! I'm still in shock.

 

[Seawolfe]

I'm still big on the basic EO's: Rosemary, mints, Litsea cubeba, citruses, lavender, eucalyptus, patch, geranium rose. I like Soap Making Resource's sales and quality. I have only found one or two FO's that I like so I'm still not on that bandwagon.

 

[dixiedragon]

The best way to save money on FOs is to find a soaping buddy, order a larger amount and split it in half. Of course, you save money per ounce of FO but you do end up buying more FOs in general....*waves at Dorrietta*

 

[not_ally]

Oh no, Navigator, WSP's NC is my favorite too, and that is a big hike. Also, I remember reading reviews saying that some people had found it had faded some recently. Next time I order I might stick w/an 8 oz'er to check.

 

[Dorymae]

Right now I love, Chanel type from mikes fragrances. Soaps beautifully with no acceleration or discoloring. Great in lotions as well and it is spot on Chanel No.5, which I love. It seems others love it to by the sales of the scent.

Edited to add: 14.50 per 16oz
Or 91.95 per gallon

 

[not_ally]

Dory, that is an *amazing* price for a spot on Chanel No. 5 dupe. I don't generally like perfume dupes, except for the one exception I mentioned, but have never ordered from Mike's. I am going to have to check him out for other stuff now.

 

[kumudini]

I bought Sweet Orange from BA, before I ever read that straight EOs of anything citrus won't stick in CP and to my surprise I find the scent sticking even after 5 months, used it in combo with their 40/42 lavender. That's my most favorite combo so far, fresh and sweet but not overly sweet.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Mikes is one of those hit or miss ones IMO. I ordered the VS very sexy dupe the other day and was very dissapointed b/c to me it smelled nothing like Very Sexy. Its missing that "oomph" factor and is too floral. Some of his FOs are great though. I really like the way that guava mango soaps! No acc. Some discolor. Scent sticks really well though. Only 0.5 ppo and its still going strong at 2 months. I would love to do a FO swap for his fragrances since they are so inexpensive it would be worth it for the good ones!

 

[SplendorSoaps]

Litsea Cubeba EO is one of my all time favorite low-cost fragrances. You can use it in combination with so many other EOs, it's cheap, isn't a dermal irritant like lemongrass can be for some people.

I also love Oatmeal Milk and Honey from both WSP and NG. It's quite a bit cheaper at NG - $15.29/lb. versus $25.95/lb. at WSP. Out of bottle, there's a huge difference, and I preferred WSP's version. Once I tried it out however, the cured version is so similar that I could barely tell them apart. NG also has a deal that if you buy 5 or more of their FO's in 1 lb. bottles, you get $1 off of each bottle. I'd definitely go with NG's version on this one! Someone else mentioned their Teakwood & Cardamom scent, which is another really good one.

 

[snappyllama]

I'm going to echo other folks...

I really like NG Cracklin Birch and NG Indian Sandalwood. Their Bite Me smells just like hi-c fruit punch in B&B products, but I haven't tried it in CP.

I'm not sure of the prices on the others I like. I just remember NG as having very reasonable prices.

 

[OliveOil2]

Navigator I was in shock too! I had purchased some a couple of months ago, and it was very different, and not in a good way, WSP's Nag Champa was a favorite for me, so I am sad that it changed, but really $10 more. Dorymae if you see this how was the Fragrance Buddy Nag Champa?
Fragrance Buddy has been a real surprise to me I love many of the Moonworks and Lush Dupes. Lavender Sage, Patchouli Passion, Karma, Earth & Sun stick like glue,are strong, and are popular, plus they are easy to work with in CP. Not Ally the $20 mark for me is where I usually say a FO i affordable or not. I am willing to pay more, but it should be really good. I think that Candle Science also has some affordable FO's under $20. The lavender is realistic, Oak Moss & Amber is a great guy scent, Mediterranean Fig all stick well and are easy to work with. I am not sure if Love Spell is still popular, but theirs is nice, and sticks for at least a year.

 

[not_ally]

Olive, you are right about CS Mediterranean Fig, I forgot that one. I like it, it sticks, and my notes say it is $16/lb. Spendor and Seawolfe, I like Litsea EO too, I add it as a blender a lot(one of the few EO's which seems to work well for me) , and it does tend to be inexpensive.

Galaxy, I love lemon verbena as well, good to know BB's is good and strong. I have been using OT's, which I really like, but I will try BB and compare.

Ok, have to go look at NG's Cracklin' Birch now. ETA: It looks really great. Put it in the cart for the next order. Thanks for the rec, you guys. Another good NG one that I forgot: Fresh Bamboo.

 

[OliveOil2]

I am also a Hugh fan of Litsea Cubeba, it is probably my favorite EO, and very reasonable, so I purchased a Liter.
I also forgot another Moonworks Collection at Fragrance Buddy, the Winter Festival is easy in CP, really strong and sticks. I also love their Lush dupe of Sultana, probably my favorite Lush scent. Very much there, but soft and comforting, a natural smell if that makes sense.

I am very picky about fragrance, but really do try to watch what I spend. Bay Rum is not my favorite scent, the Dark Knight from Moonworks is very strong at 3%. I took one smell and thought that I would be in trouble, clove, nutmeg, etc. But easy in CP. Guess it is a popular guy scent with wet shavers, my nephew wants the whole log. I blended it with a little Earth and Sun.

 

[navigator9]

Navigator I was in shock too! I had purchased some a couple of months ago, and it was very different, and not in a good way, WSP's Nag Champa was a favorite for me, so I am sad that it changed, but really $10 more.

Oh noooo......more expensive, AND it's not the same??? Well, it will be interesting. I ordered a pound of it in their recent 20% off sale. I have some of the old stuff, so I'll be able to compare and see if it's the same or not. At least I didn't pay $35 a pound for it. :-(

I remember when a well known supplier went out of business some years ago, and they were selling off their stock, I bought a few of my favorites, and they were not the same as previously. They swore up and down that they were, but I had the old versions to compare and to my nose, they definitely were not. Why oh why, do suppliers do that? If they let customers know that they were going to make changes, they could at least let them stock up before they did. I really hate that.