Discoloring FO's- CP prob only?

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Mommy

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So I have a few bakery scented FO's that I unfortunately didn't read enough about, and it turns out they discolor to a dark brown, which really doesn't match the flavors (blueberry muffin? lemon poppyseed?...)

I was thinking about it and suddenly wondered if discoloring FO's behave that way only in CP (because of the active lye) or is it the same in HP?
For example FD&C colors morph in CP but stay as they are in HP.

If HP is not a solution- what do you suggest? How do you deal/get around the darkness of some bakery-type scents?
 
If the discoloration is from vanilla in the FO then it will discolor in most applications, including lotion, M&P and bath bombs. I have to be careful how much chocolate FO I use in lotion or it will get too dark and look gross.
 
There just is not anyway to work around a discoloring fo other than embrace the dark and work with it. For Example my blueberry I separate out some of the batter and do not add in any fo. Add the fo to the base color and either layer or swirl the other un-fragranced colored batter. With my blueberry I pour out some to color light lavender and leave some the natural color base. If your colors are light they will show up in the dark base. Most bakery type scents will discolor with varying degrees of tan to dark brown. In my opinion vanilla is just a waste of money and is expensive because eventually they will still darken.
 
Here is an example of my HP soap using a vanilla fragrance oil with no other color. Unfortunatly, fragrances will discolor regardless of HP or CP. Its just harder to get uniform color in HP. I was lucky with this batch. It was Arabian Spice FO from BB.

ETA: embrace the brown! Its a warm color, just make it look intentional. ;)

s626965474417904829_p32_i4_w2560.jpeg
 
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I embrace the brown and use it. In my vanilla soap, I use a fair bit of titanium dioxide to whiten it, then add the vanilla. Instead of mahogany, I get more of a mid-range brown that isn't unpleasant (it's kind of rustic looking, actually).

In another design, I used the vanilla to create an invisible swirl. Over the cure period, the vanilla slowly darkened, marbling the white soap with brown veins. That was actually rather impressive, and fun to watch develop in!

Any scent with vanillin in it will discolor in any alkaline pH environment. So CP, HP, and even melt and pour all discolor over time.
 
Lot of expert opinion here. Sometimes we reach a limit, we either embrace it or find another path. Sounds like the fo will do what it does. But maybe you can still make it work, just with a different mindset. :razz:
 
IME, HP does make the soap be a slightly lighter brown. But it also has this variegated look, which is quite lovely and makes the soap look like brown marble vs. poop.
 
Galaxy, that is pretty HP! I like the stamp/bubbles, too.


Thanks, I carved the top, and lightly sprinkled some cinnamon on it to highlight it.

View attachment 14674

Also, this is an example of a marbled HP soap that I made a few weeks ago with a coconut/honey fragrance. This happens when you don't mix the fragrance 100%. That happens if your batter is cooling very quickly.
 
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