Fragrance disappearing/fading - hot process soaps

[JackofallShaves]

I have been soaping HP and adding 3.5% FOs post cook. I prefer my shaving soaps to be mildly scented but most of my customers prefer a strongly scented soap. Given this, I increased the FO % to the maximum allowable %, but I still think that the scent is mild in some of my soaps. They smell fine when I put my soaps in the tubs, but the scent fades away after about a week of curing.

One such example is NG Cognac and Cubans - I absolutely loved this scent and made a test batch and I thought I added too much at 4% in my test batch, as it was strong. I shaved with it today(1 week cure) and the scent is almost gone.

Question 1:
What can I do to make the scent stick? I thought FOs should stick in HP soaps as everything is already cooked.

Question 2:
Is it unsafe to add 2 FOs in one batch of soap? For example, I added NG Balsam & Cedar FO at 5%(max allowed) in a batch of soap and then decided to add 2% of the Balsam & Cedar FO from WSP to increase the scent strength. I shaved with the soap today and experienced no irritation but wanted to know if this is safe before I decide to make more of the same.

Thanks as always for all your help!

 

[glendam]

Could you possibly be adding the fragrance when the soap is still too hot/ steaming? And it might be steaming away? I do not usually do Hp, but I have done it for an expensive fragrances and some EO’s and they have been very fragrant. I have not tried that fragrance though.

 

[DeeAnna]

Sometimes fragrance in soap seems to get milder for awhile, but then the scent comes back as the cure time passes. This doesn't always happen, but my rule of thumb is to never judge a fragrance until 4-6 weeks have passed. This temporary fading seems to start about 1-2 weeks after the soap is made. You mention your fragrance was weaker 1 week after making, and part of the problem might be this issue. Even shave soap needs at least 4-6 weeks to cure, so maybe wait a little longer before you judge.

Not every fragrance works in soap, whether you do HP or CP. You have to test your fragrances to know how they perform for you and weed out the ones that don't meet your expectations. Some fragrances start out strong but fade no matter how much you add. Some start out smelling weak and stay that way. Some start out strong and stay strong for a long time. And so on.

If you have a fading fragrance, it's gonna be a fader no matter what. You could load the soap up with a huge amount of the fragrance ... and it will still fade. You can try cornstarch or clay as an "anchor" ... and the fragrance will still fade. There's nothing you can do to make these fragrances "stick"and smell strong if they are faders by nature.

Yes, you can combine two or more scents. Just don't exceed the IFRA guideline for each individual fragrance and don't exceed the total fragrance load in the soap to prevent weeping.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Sometimes fragrance in soap seems to get milder for awhile, but then the scent comes back as the cure time passes. This doesn't always happen, but my rule of thumb is to never judge a fragrance until 4-6 weeks have passed. This temporary fading seems to start about 1-2 weeks after the soap is made. You mention your fragrance was weaker 1 week after making, and part of the problem might be this issue. Even shave soap needs at least 4-6 weeks to cure, so maybe wait a little longer before you judge.

Not every fragrance works in soap, whether you do HP or CP. You have to test your fragrances to know how they perform for you and weed out the ones that don't meet your expectations. Some fragrances start out strong but fade no matter how much you add. Some start out smelling weak and stay that way. Some start out strong and stay strong for a long time. And so on.

If you have a fading fragrance, it's gonna be a fader no matter what. You could load the soap up with a huge amount of the fragrance ... and it will still fade. You can try cornstarch or clay as an "anchor" ... and the fragrance will still fade. There's nothing you can do to make these fragrances "stick"and smell strong if they are faders by nature.

Yes, you can combine two or more scents. Just don't exceed the IFRA guideline for each individual fragrance and don't exceed the total fragrance load in the soap to prevent weeping.

Great info.

 

[JackofallShaves]

@DeeAnna - thanks for the great info. I think I might be experiencing this "fragrance becomes milder for a week or two and then comes back again" issue. I wonder why this happens from a chemistry perspective though.

Also, thanks for putting together the SMF FO Review sheet, I will be updating the sheet with some of my findings as well!

 

[DeeAnna]

I hope so too. The "milder but comes back" thing is much better than "fades and stays that way".

 

[dixiedragon]

have you asked other people to sniff for you? I think we become a bit nose blind.