Essential oils and Fragrances

[MissChris]

i am FRUSTRATED with Essential oils and fragrances info.
would like all that info simplified. ha
First of all, we all know how expensive they are. With that in mind, I am some what confused at what to buy.
I surely do not want to buy a bunch of oil only to find out it is not suitable for soap making.
The supply places simply are to costly for me to get started. What is acceptable that can be used. What to look for and NOT put in soap? I know not to put oils that are for burning. I do have places I can order such, however I am afraid to because I fear I might order wrong kinds. Only because i am not sure of what is acceptable and what is not for soap making. I see lots of oils I can use that say are skin safe or spa. Can one use those in both melt and pour and cold processing, and in re-batching soaps. And what about fragrances?

NOT nec asking about the different types like sandalwood, rose, certain flowers and plants, etc... and what it change colors or cure faster using that one or this one.

Question is about, in general, what KINDS can and can not be used.
What to look for or look out for if i just see such online or in a store to even know if i can use it.

What do i look for that can be used to start with outside these expensive oils from soap making supply stores.

Lost in the sense of things.. ha

 

[cmzaha]

First of all you want to purchase from a reputable supplier. Not all body safe fo's are made to work well in cp soap. Any body safe fo will usually work in m&p. Essentials oil and Fragrance oils are not necessarily cheap and soap making is not an inexpensive hobby. Mostly because it is addicting and falling down the fragrance rabbit hole is a whole nother story... Natures Garden actually has some of the most reasonable prices with good reviews. Always read reviews so you have some idea how the fragrance works. Florals, Spicy, and Sea Air fo are notorious for accelerating. As for essential oils they do not always hold as well as fo's in soap. A couple reliable suppliers are Liberty Naturals, NDA and Camden Grey. California Supply has a delicious Lemongrass Fragrance that hold well and soaps nice. Sadly there is no one place or answer for everyone. It becomes a lot of trial, error and testing. Purchasing small amounts and testing the fragrance is best.

https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/
https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/
https://www.libertynatural.com/
http://calcandlesupply.com/lemon-grass-fragrance/

 

[MissChris]

not sure what abbreviations meant. sorry.. body safe fo?.. was that meant for >any body fragrance?

see, one of those links indicate candles. so their must be some basics to look for and look out for, although i also realize what your saying about go to certain suppliers, who to go for is not my question. it is what to look for and look out for.

Lets pretend a store went out of biz. they have all types but the clerk is from a temp service is only one working who does not know the differences. lol like me... lol so if you HAD to get a couple of them, what would someone look for and what should be avoided types.

 

[cmzaha]

not sure what abbreviations meant. sorry.. body safe fo?.. was that meant for >any body fragrance?

see, one of those links indicate candles. so their must be some basics to look for and look out for, although i also realize what your saying about go to certain suppliers, who to go for is not my question. it is what to look for and look out for.

Lets pretend a store went out of biz. they have all types but the clerk is from a temp service is only one working who does not know the differences. lol like me... lol so if you HAD to get a couple of them, what would someone look for and what should be avoided types.

Perfumes are body safe but not made for using in soapmaking. You need a body safe fo=fragrance oil. Yes a couple of the links I listed have Candle supplies, but also carry body safe fragrance oils. Some can be listed as candles only and they are not to be used in body products. Many sites such as Natures Garden, Brambleberry etc, will list the IFRA safe usage for the particular oil. Like I said, you want to purchase from a reputable supplier. IFRA stands for the International Fragrance Association which test fragrances for body safe usage. It is a self regulating organization that many manufacturers use to test their fragrances although not mandatory it is becoming a standard and many suppliers supply the IFRA usage rate for their fragrances. You may not have asked who to go to, but you really should know who you are buying from. Not all fragrance oils are created equal

 

[earlene]

See this thread for acronyms you often find in posts at SMF and other soapmaking forums: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/the-acronym-and-abbreviation-definition-thread.51841/

SMF = soap making forum

 

[penelopejane]

Where do you live? That will make a difference to recommendations.

 

[ItsForrest]

As another soaper noob, I have spent a fair bit of time trying to figure this out as well. My rule is basically, if I'm not sure, don't buy it.
I found some suppliers are very helpful with their descriptions on their sites and others don't tell you much of anything.
If you are in the US, Bulk Apothecary was the first one I bought fragrance oils from because they list suggested uses for their oils and suggested amount ranges to use. This kind of info is worth spending a few more bucks for me as a beginner.
Brambleberry has good info also as well as customer reviews.
Hobby Lobby here in town has soap stuff but mostly melt and pour supplies so I don't trust that their fragrances will work well with cp.
Read all the reviews you can find before buying! Go to the Fragrance Oils/Fragrance Reviews forum here. There's a link to a spread sheet with tons of reviews organized by supplier.
Yes, it's somewhat frustrating at first but the more you read and research, the more it makes sense.

 

[cmzaha]

... who to go for is not my question. it is what to look for and look out for...

Apparently recommendations were not asked for

 

[dixiedragon]

We can't answer your question because we don't know. Which is why we buy from reputable soap supply places. There are certain standards and ingredients that make a product body safe or not. What are those? I have no idea. I'm not a chemist or a perfumer. We use soap supply stores because they know and they test. Brambleberry and Nurture Soap (two of my faves) will show pictures of soap with different fragrances so you know what it looks like. The vast majority of fragrances you'll see in non-soap stores are not suitable for soap because they AREN'T MEANT TO BE.

Same applies to EOs. I'm sure there is a certain component that clove and cinnamon share that make them make soap seize up like cold mashed potatoes. I don't know what that is and I have no way to test for it.

Some hobby stores (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Joann's) have a small soaping section. Those fragrances are designed for MP (melt and pour). They are at least body safe, but no way to tell how if they will stand up to CP. Your only other option is a healthfood store for essential oils. You can google to find some good list of what EOs work in soap.

" I see lots of oils I can use that say are skin safe or spa. Can one use those in both melt and pour and cold processing, and in re-batching soaps. And what about fragrances?" - can you post a link to these? Generally speaking, perfumes can't be used in soap - the alcohol will make the soap separate, and also the lye will gobble up the scent. You could probably make some lotion, though, with a perfume. For a simple test, get some unscented or lightly scented lotion. Put some lotion in a bowl, spritz the perfume and stir!

 

[shunt2011]

not sure what abbreviations meant. sorry.. body safe fo?.. was that meant for >any body fragrance?

see, one of those links indicate candles. so their must be some basics to look for and look out for, although i also realize what your saying about go to certain suppliers, who to go for is not my question. it is what to look for and look out for.

Lets pretend a store went out of biz. they have all types but the clerk is from a temp service is only one working who does not know the differences. lol like me... lol so if you HAD to get a couple of them, what would someone look for and what should be avoided types.

There is nothing you can look for physically with the FO. I would not purchase said fragrance. Hence, you need to purchase from a reputable seller (several links provided) will depend on where you live. The seller should list or be able to tell you what the usage rates are for Category 9 (soap). Reputable companies will have what the suggested or max usage is and many will even list how they perform in CP.

 

[dixiedragon]

"Lets pretend a store went out of biz. they have all types but the clerk is from a temp service is only one working who does not know the differences. lol like me... lol so if you HAD to get a couple of them, what would someone look for and what should be avoided types."

What store? Do the products have brand names on them? You could Google the brand and product and see what it is used for. For example, if they are room fragrances, you can assume they aren't skin safe.

 

[earlene]

Look for reviews about a particular EO you are interested in, with an eye to how it performs in the kind of soap you make (ie, CP - cold process, etc.). Reviews can be found on many reputable soap supply sites. If no review on the company website, look for reviews by other soapers. We have some fragrance reviews here at SMF and there are others out there, as well. If you can't find a review, ask if anyone has used 'x' EO from 'y' manufacturer in soap (of your type, i.e. CP, etc.) and how it performed for them.

What performance do you want to look for? Does it accelerate trace? Does it cause ricing? Does it cause overheating? Does it last during cure and beyond? (In other words, does it 'stick'?) And you can look at documents of regulatory agencies for safe use of particular EO's, as that is very important when used in different products. In fact, in some cases, certain EO's should not be used by pregnant women or children under a certain age.

These 3 links might might help:
http://www.lovinsoap.com/2016/07/understanding-ifra-guidelines-essential-oil-use-soap/
http://www.ifraorg.org/en-us/standards#.WqFxUZPwZTY . You can look up a particular EO, and although it looks intimidating, it contains the most up to date information that the International Fragrance Association has available.
https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/essential-oil-usage-rates-ifra-guidelines/

 

[jcandleattic]

if you HAD to get a couple of them, what would someone look for and what should be avoided types.

who to go for is not my question. it is what to look for and look out for.

Carolyn did answer your question.

You look for soap safe scents that will preferably give you an IFRA usage rate, and then you test. With your recipe and your method of soaping and you continue. That's the only way you will know for sure what works for you because there are too many variables for us to give you an 'exact' answer. We can give you guidance, but you will have to put the work in and find what works for you.
There are literally hundreds of reputable fragrance suppliers out there, so the reason you are getting people saying "it depends on where you live" means, just that. Find a reputable supplier close to you, (cheaper shipping rates) that has soap safe fragrances, purchase sample sizes, then test, so you know how they work for you.

Just because a fragrance is sold by a candle supplier or a batch and body supplier does not necessarily mean they will not work in soap. Case in point - Natures Garden is a (generally speaking) candle supplier. They carry wax, wicks, molds, containers, etc., for candles, but they also carry scents. They give information about whether those scents are body safe, soap safe, etc., and the recommended usage rate for each.

 

[MissChris]

thank you

 

[cmzaha]

Here is a neat pdf file for Nature Gardens Fragrances showing test results https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/theme/ngc/pdf/fragrtest.pdf

 

[MissChris]

thank you cmzaha.

 

[cmzaha]

I really their Egyptian Dragon, Werewolf and Mango Sorbet is beautiful, especially in lotions and balms. Iced pineapple is fantastic in lotions but does not hold well in soap other than m&p. It is a shame because it is a fantastic fresh pineapple fragrance