Using essential oils is different than using fragrance oils making soap. Some scents are better suited more for products where there isn’t a lot of heat, such as in soap making. Some scents have a lot of alcohol, and this can lead to seizing when making soap (like lime fragrance oil). Other times, the scent will be heated and evaporated right out of the soap base, leaving you with an unscented bar (like cranberry and watermelon). Again, this will depend on the maker of the scent.
Some suppliers offer you information to help you select the right type scents or fragrance oils for cold process soap making or other bath product. You may come across information in the descriptions of the fragrances, such as:
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- all fragrances are cosmetic grade and oil soluble
- are suitable for use in all types of personal care cosmetics such as lotions, as well as related products like potpourri and incense
- the fragrances are sub-categorized by application and/or base
- all fragrances would be suitable for all uses, except….
- soap and candles have specific issues when it comes to fragrances
- “all uses” fragrances are specifically formulated to work well and hold their scent in the difficult medium of cold process soap and in candles
- “eo based” fragrances are made with essential oils or essential oils blends in a base of DPG (Di-Propylene Glycol), and not recommended for use in cold process soap or candles as the DPG base can cause pooling in candles and speed trace in some cold process formulas
- “DPG based” fragrances are not recommended for cold process soap or candles
- always test any new fragrance in your formula for compatibility
- for cold process soap, test using rate of 0.7 fl. oz per pound of oils.
Some of the abbreviations listed when looking at the descriptions of the fragrance oils for cold process soap making, may include:
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- BS – for bath salts
- CA – candles
- CP – cold processed
- CO – cosmetics, except lip balms
- M&P – melt and pour soap base
- PP – potpourri
I used fragrance oils in cold process soap making in products for years, although I preferred any natural scent over a fragrance, but I know some of fragrances are absolutely great to smell. Fact is, my best selling soap was scented with a fragrance oil, and the second best seller was half fragrance and half essential oil blend.
More about nasty fake scents here, an article on whether perfumes are toxic or not.
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