I have more photos for our Fragrance Testing Series! This is a long series of blog posts that shows the testing of our fragrances in Cold Process Soap. We are testing ALL of the fragrances in our catalog at their maximum recommended usage rate for Cold Process Soap and showing you pictures of what the finished soaps look like in a side by side comparison with an unscented control batch. Since these fragrances are all being tested at their maximum recommended usage rate, I wouldn’t recommend using more fragrance. These soaps are strongly scented and will smell much stronger when wet.
| Our first fragrance today in Cold Process Soap is Tahitian Flowers. Our catalog notes that it’s “Back by popular demand!! Have you ever heard of the special gardenia flowers that grow in Tahiti? Does Monoi de Tahiti sound familiar? Well, we have worked to make a fragrance suitable for soaps and cosmetics that smells just like these beautiful flowers. A tropical paradise of Tahitian gardenia, a fresh twist of tropical fruit all into one sensual fragrance. Works fabulously in soaps and the staff loved the scent in the lotions and creams. Do not think this smells like a domestic gardenia, it does not! This monoi de Tahiti smells tropical and island like.” What a nice soothing floral scent that will have you coming back for more.
There was not any discoloration of note and this means you can make that yellow and white swirl you have always been dreaming of without worrying about the fragrance causing discoloration. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch. |
 Tahitian Flowers scented soap on the left and control on the right. |
 Wicked scented soap on the left and control on the right.
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Our second fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Wicked. Under the description for Wicked, our catalog says “So, what fragrance could appeal to your inner Good Witch as well as your inner Bad Witch? Wicked, of course! This fragrance combines musky notes of patchouly, vanilla, and woods with kisses of sweet citrus and plums. Was that a hint of pure white lily? Or was it the tip of the iceberg of sensual vanilla? Only you can decide if this scent should be worn by day to release your inner Good Witch, or by night to release your inner Bad Witch. This one-of-a-kind scent is sure to please all witches and warlocks!”
This fancy and fun fragrance will not disappoint. There was a moderate amount of discoloration, a medium brown hazelnut color. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch. |
| Our third fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Sahara Sandalwood. According to our catalog, Sahara Sandalwood is “A soft, masculine sandalwood with notes of vanilla and coconut. Warm sensual, perfectly masculine and certainly a winner for soaps and lotions. Some staff members said the scent reminds them of sandy beaches, mostly naked men, warm sunshine and suntan lotions. Does this mean we are ready for summer?!?!” I believe we are all ready for summer and this scent definitely puts us there.
There was not any discoloration of note and this means you can make any swirl without worrying about the fragrance causing discoloration. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch. |
 Sahara Sandalwood scented soap on the left and control on the right. |
 Sap Moss scented soap on the left and control on the right. |
Our fourth fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Sap Moss. According to our catalog, “Aveda has done it again! Sap Moss products from Aveda are blended with Iceland moss, quillaja, yucca, olibanum and galbanum. A soothing fragrance with a fresh appeal. Don’t be surprised if you are ready to make linen sprays, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, cuticle oils, foot creams with this marine-green blend.” There is nothing on Earth like it! The smell is fabulous, light and calming.
There was not any discoloration of note and this means you can make any swirl without worrying about the fragrance causing discoloration. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch. |
| Our fifth and last fragrance for today in Cold Process soap is Peach. Peach according to our catalog states that “I love biting into a fresh peach and having the sweet juices envelope my senses. It is one of the things I look forward to each fall. This peach fragrance is so good it brings back all those wonderful memories. It is sweet and tangy, complex and very refreshing.” We wish peach season was year-round here. Peaches are a great treat to eat or to add to your iced tea. What a lovely treat to add this fantastic scent to your soaps and other products so you can enjoy this fragrance year-round.
There was not any discoloration of note and this means you can make that orange and white swirl you have always been dreaming of without worrying about the fragrance causing discoloration. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.25%, which is 0.36 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch. |
 Peach scented soap on the left and control on the right. |
Thank you for joining us today! We will be releasing more pictures as we continue testing soaps. If there is a fragrance you would like to see, let us know and we will put it at the top of our list!
Here are the details about our test batches before we added any fragrances!
| Ingredients Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Coconut Oil Olive Oil Shea Butter Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Water |
Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes Immersion Blender Soap Mold |
Recipe:
| Recipe in Grams 170 grams Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 142 grams Coconut Oil 113 grams Olive Oil 29 grams Shea Butter 64 grams Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 177 mL Water |
Recipe in Ounces 6 oz Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 5 oz Coconut Oil 4 oz Olive Oil 1 oz Shea Butter 2.26 oz Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 6 fl oz Water |
Recipe in Percentages 37.5% Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 31.25% Coconut Oil 25% Olive Oil 6.25% Shea Butter Q.S. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Q.S. Water |
Our temperatures for lye and oils are between 125°F and 130°F to handle our currently cool weather. We make our soap with a 6% superfat. All of the batches we make are mixed to light trace and then the fragrance is added. After the fragrance is added we mix until the fragrance is incorporated and then we pour into the mold.
I am surprised to read that peach worked in your cold process soap. I have experienced a lot of problems with peach disappearing and leaving me with an unscented bar. In developing my peach soap, I tested 6 fragrances, including MMS peach, and it wasn’t until I used another company’s Peach Smoothie that I got something that still smelled. Am I doing something wrong?
I don’t know why this happened. If you can email more information about your tests to info@thesage.com, we can help you solve this!