Wine fragrance?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PrimDawg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2017
Messages
27
Reaction score
26
Location
Alpharetta to Cherry Log, Georgia
So my whole endeavor started with our new mountain cabin and my hope to offer it as an Airbnb rental. My plan was to make my own soap and include that in a welcome basket for renters. As I got into research I realized that I need to start with something less involved to get my feet wet. So to that end I am concentrating mostly on lotion bars and shower bars at this point. Once we sell this house and move permanently to the mountains I will have a space to dedicate to this hobby and can hopefully expand to cp soap.
I'm working on a few lotion bars and have come up with a good basic blend. As there are wineries in the area where the cabin is I'd love to do a theme weekend and try a lotion bar with a wine scent or swirl.
Is there a fragrance oil that will smell pleasing? Or would you just go with actual wine? I'm thinking a red would be fun plus I can play in the resveratrol and anti oxidant properties.
 
I would say actual wine in a lotion bar might go bad but I would be happy to be proven wrong. In my experience open wine goes bad in a week or two in the fridge - turns vinegary and I question if it's even still drinkable. I also admit to having a more sensitive palate when it comes to tasting alcohol.

Unless you find the best preservatives possible I think it would be iffy to offer a lotion bar with food ingredients. You don't want the wrong sue-happy person to stay there and get that one last bar from the batch.
 
I would say actual wine in a lotion bar might go bad but I would be happy to be proven wrong. In my experience open wine goes bad in a week or two in the fridge - turns vinegary and I question if it's even still drinkable. I also admit to having a more sensitive palate when it comes to tasting alcohol.

Unless you find the best preservatives possible I think it would be iffy to offer a lotion bar with food ingredients. You don't want the wrong sue-happy person to stay there and get that one last bar from the batch.

I would also question how the wine was stored before you bought it. I know oxidation is a thing but I have not had an experience like that with most of the wines I buy and I leave wine in my fridge for up to two weeks. I also don't buy more commercial wines often, however.
 
I'm in agreement with the actual wine being discouraged. Partly because I'm not sure how it would do in a lotion product, but also because outside of soap you have to start getting into some cosmetic chemistry once you start combining non-oil liquids with oil. That's the realm of emulsifiers, preservatives, etc.

Which is not to say don't go there; but if soap is feeling like taking on a project before moving, cosmetic chemistry and liquid lotion making is an equal but different commitment.

I don't have any wine fragrance recommendations, but I know Brambleberry has a champagne fragrance.
 
I wonder if I could cook down the wine first before adding it in. Basically wine becomes vinegar which is shelf stable for a very long time. I found a fragrance oil to try so may do a batch for fun.
 
I wonder if I could cook down the wine first before adding it in. Basically wine becomes vinegar which is shelf stable for a very long time. I found a fragrance oil to try so may do a batch for fun.

You could cook it down, but you'd still need an emulsifier and preservative. Think of it like salad dressing: you could mix the most beautiful wine or vinegar, or wine vinegar, in the world in, but it would still separate from the oils.

You could cook it and hold all of the temperatures at a high level to sterilize the mixture, but once people start handling it bacteria is introduced. It's why even though shower scrubs are technically safe to make without a preservative, people use them in the shower (a warm wet environment). Unless the scrub is kept out of the shower and in the fridge, it will become contaminated and turn into a fuzzy mold farm.
 
Last edited:
I leave wine in my fridge for up to two weeks.

I'm fairly sensitive to yeasty flavors in my drink and don't like alcohol flavors. I can't drink beer because it ALWAYS tastes like I'm drinking a cup of yeast, the same for kombucha. If I don't finish a bottle of wine in a day there's a pretty good chance the next time I want wine it will taste more like yeast or vinegar than the wine I originally enjoyed. I know it's a me thing. I've never heard of anyone else with a similar complaint.
 
I'm fairly sensitive to yeasty flavors in my drink and don't like alcohol flavors. I can't drink beer because it ALWAYS tastes like I'm drinking a cup of yeast, the same for kombucha. If I don't finish a bottle of wine in a day there's a pretty good chance the next time I want wine it will taste more like yeast or vinegar than the wine I originally enjoyed. I know it's a me thing. I've never heard of anyone else with a similar complaint.

Yep, that's a horse of another color. Eww... LOL. I still blame how the wine is stored but it would actually be expanding to what brands you may get too if they aren't local. I kind of wish I could recommend one of the the wines from PA. It was GOOOOD. Yum! It's just as good chilled as it is mulled. Too bad I have a bottle of NY wine waiting for me to finish my mixing bourbon up. All these wines... #WhataWine-lenma
 
Back
Top