Fragrance Testing in Cold Process Soap: Juicy Grape, Gardenia, Snow Drops, Toasted Coconut, and Sandalwood Vanilla

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 Juicy Grape. Our catalog notes that “Juicy Grape is a wonderful fragrance with the intensely scented concord grape at the core. The fragrance is perfect for soaps, shampoos and conditioners. A real fresh and energizing scent.” Juicy Grape is one of my all time favorites, I love this fantastic scent in room sprays and lotions too. I have several friends that request this scent because it reminds them of a sweet candy grape treat. There was not any discoloration of note and this means you can make that purple 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.

Juicy Grape fragrance oil on the left and control on the right.

Gardenia scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Our second fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Gardenia. Under the description for Gardenia, our catalog says “Imagine white blooms on a warm summer night wafting fragrance through the air. That is Gardenia! A very rich fragrance” Reminds me of my grandma’s flower garden, she had these blooming every year. Brings back some great childhood memories. There was a minute amount of discoloration, a light buttery yellow 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 Snow Drops. According to our catalog, Snow Drops is a “Limited Edition! Snow Drops is a fresh and cool scent. Ozone meets with a slight sweetness, marine notes blend with a faint fresh evergreen. This is a great refreshing scent and reminds me of a crisp winter day in our high mountainous valley.” What? It can’t be, a limited edition? Better get yours now. I love this scent and so did several of you so it was brought back for a limited time. I recommend this scent it is a light and calming scent. 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.

Snow Drops scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Toasted Coconut scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Our fourth fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Toasted Coconut. According to our catalog, “Toasted Coconut – Need a fragrance that smells like sunshine and sun tans? Toasted coconut is it! Need a fragrance for warm bodies on the beach? Toasted Coconut is it! Toasted Coconut can be used in lotions, soaps and more. Coconut with caramel notes, paradise and vanilla. Yummy!” This scent is getting me in that summer time mood. Temperatures are rising and chaise lounge chairs with a side of lemonade is just what I’m dreaming for about now. There is a significant amount of discoloration of note a lovely tan in color. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.25%, which is 0.36 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Our fifth and last fragrance for today in Cold Process soap is Sandalwood Vanilla. According to our catalog “Sandalwood Vanilla is “an incredibly masculine scent. Sandalwood and vanilla are the perfect mix. Warm, sexy, inviting and comforting are the words most often uses to describe this scent. Sandalwood, vanilla, oak, moss and crisp linen blend to make this sent the best.” Sandalwood is one of my favorite scents and what is better than sandalwood? Sandalwood combined with the sweet scent of vanilla. The best combination of scent and a fabulous scent for just about anything you want to make! There is a significant amount of discoloration of note a very nice shade of soft brown hues. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Sandalwood Vanilla fragrance oil on the right 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!

Recipe:

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.