Aren't All Fragranced Soaps Cosmetics?

[ErinO]

I'm very new, I have yet to make a single bar of soap for my own use that I thought was really great. But I'm wandering through the forums and learning.
It seems to me that by FDA regs, any soap with a fragrance would be intended to fragrance/deodorize the body -- a cosmetic claim. Is anyone selling plain, unscented soap? Who would ever buy it? Is it generally about what you say/imply it is for?

 

[Obsidian]

Soap isn't intended to scent the body, its intended to wash, thats all. A scented soap doesn't generally leave a scent on the skin after rinsing, if it does its faint and only for a short period.
Scent is just their to make the washing experience more pleasant. I only sell small quantities to friends and family but my most requested soap is my unscented. The people buying it have allergies or sensitivities.

 

[penelopejane]

In Australia whether a soap is scented or not it still comes under the NICNAS regulations as a cosmetic that required a chemical reaction to make it. Only M&P soap doesn’t require regulation.

My most popular soap is unscented. As obsidian said most use it because they have allergies or sensitivities. It’s difficult to get unscented soap with no additives commercially.

 

[Lin19687]

Soap isn't intended to scent the body, its intended to wash, thats all. A scented soap doesn't generally leave a scent on the skin after rinsing, if it does its faint and only for a short period.
Scent is just their to make the washing experience more pleasant.

Exactly. I have found that anyone selling a soap that says it scents your skin is likely to be using TOO much FO and that can be dangerous thing.

 

[shunt2011]

I only have a few scents that actually leave a scent behind and they are manly scents. Everything is very mild or none at all. I generally scent at 6% except my men's fragrances as they are much stronger and overpowering.

 

[Lin19687]

But I am sure they only last for say 30 min max ?

Only a few of mine leave a scent behind and you have to bite your nose into the skin to smell it. And even that only lasts about 20-30 MAX . I always laugh when I shove my nose on my arm...

 

[shunt2011]

Nope, my Perfect Man and Cracklin Birch stick round for quite some time. It's not over powering but it's there for several hours.

 

[amd]

I think it depends on your skin as well. My husband and I can use the same soap, and no scent sticks to my skin, but he still has the scent on his skin the next morning (we shower at night). Even my lightest scented soaps stick to him. My daughter and I just smell like soap, hahaha.

 

[jcandleattic]

I think it depends on your skin as well. My husband and I can use the same soap, and no scent sticks to my skin, but he still has the scent on his skin the next morning (we shower at night). Even my lightest scented soaps stick to him. My daughter and I just smell like soap, hahaha.

Agreed, my sister and I are the same - scent sticks to her, not to me.

But I never make that claim (even though I always label my soaps) - my soaps are for the sole purpose of cleansing the body in either a shower, tub, or sink.

 

[amd]

^^^Agreed. The fragrance is the incentive to buy what cleans the body. Works the same way when people ask if I have soaps made for dry skin. Nope, I make soap for dirty skin.

 

[shunt2011]

My soaps as well. No claims, just soap to get you clean!

 

[cmzaha]

Unscented soap is my worst seller of all. It can take up to a year to sell a 14 bar batch of unscented. My customer base like scent and some do say the stronger one's like DB stick on the skin for awhile. I do not have any that stick on my skin for more than 15 min

 

[amd]

Unscented soap is my worst seller of all. It can take up to a year to sell a 14 bar batch of unscented.

Agreed. Made an 18 bar batch in January 2017, I have 2 bars left. I made a 9 bar castile that was fully cured in January, I've sold 1 bar of that. I now have soapers regret because I put 18 bars of castile on the cure in January. All are unscented. I didn't trust a fragrance to last through a full year cure, maybe I should have taken a chance. I am not looking forward to hauling around those soaps.

 

[shunt2011]

Me too. I made 16 bars in January and still have 13. People like good smelling soap.

 

[dndlyon]

I'm very new, I have yet to make a single bar of soap for my own use that I thought was really great. But I'm wandering through the forums and learning.
It seems to me that by FDA regs, any soap with a fragrance would be intended to fragrance/deodorize the body -- a cosmetic claim. Is anyone selling plain, unscented soap? Who would ever buy it? Is it generally about what you say/imply it is for?

Let's take the same bar with fragrance, but with a different label. Bar A says "Soap" and Bar B says "Deodorant Soap" then you may have just bumped the bar into the cosmetic category - depending on what country you live in. A lot of the regulations in the US line up with the intent that the label communicates to the consumer - Is it clearly labeled as just a soap, or does the label imply a cosmetic use as well (moisturizing, deodorizing, etc.).

I also make unscented soap, and have the same experience as the others. Lots of people I know are looking for something without all the additives in a commercial bar of soap, and fragrances and colors (even essential oils and "natural" colors) can be irritating to sensitive skin.

 

[Lin19687]

I have had 3 people ask for unscented soap... they also wanted it to be moisturizing.... Nope, it is soap and I DO NOT make unscented.
What is the point ? You can buy that anywhere. I make scented because you can't get those scents at the grocery store
Shoot, I still have a few scents that didn't sell from May ! Will be using them up in blends

 

[shunt2011]

I make 1 batch a year/2 years. I do have one customer that has problems with fragrances of any kind. She buys a couple bars at one of my annual festivals. Otherwise they just hang around.

 

[amd]

Once my unscented soaps are gone, I'm only going to offer it as a custom order. For the few sales I get for it every year, it's not worth hauling around and relabeling after a year of being handled.

 

[Primrose]

I have had 3 people ask for unscented soap... they also wanted it to be moisturizing.... Nope, it is soap and I DO NOT make unscented.
What is the point ? You can buy that anywhere. I make scented because you can't get those scents at the grocery store
Shoot, I still have a few scents that didn't sell from May ! Will be using them up in blends

What is the point? Some people can't use fragrances. Some just like unscented soap.

I love a plain bar of goat milk soap. My absolute favorite.

I definitely can't buy it anywhere. Can't get it in the shops anyway.

 

[Lin19687]

Agreed that 'Some' people can't use scents. Those people usually do not come to smell the soaps.
I don't remember where you are since it isn't in your avator. But you can buy unscented soaps in stores, maybe not Goats milk. You might even have to work extra hard to get those types of customers in, not talking about friends. Because they don't usually like all the scent that surrounds you when you get close.
As others said, when you sell, you don't want to haul around soap that doesn't sell well nor have it sit around a year.

I even have a couple scents that sold ok, but not well enough for me to keep making it.
Come February I will be going over what sold this year. Great sellers, Ok sellers, NON-sellers and they will be discounted and not made again.