Fragrance turned soap into porridge

[Blufuz]

Hi all,

It’s happened twice now, and so it finally clicked that the Mystic Moments Caramel fragrance oil was turning my soap into porridge! I had done 5 seconds with the stick blender, then whisked in the fragrance, and after preparing the measuring scale and color, I find that the soap doesn’t pour! It had pretty much gone solid. I was able to keep stirring, but then it got this porridge texture.

Is there any way to avoid this? And for this batch, is it going to be ok to use?

 

[TheGecko]

And for this batch, is it going to be ok to use?

I'm going to say 'no'. Looking at the texture and the 'sparkly' stuff, the FO caused ricing and is not incorporated fully. Also, the sparkly' could be from your batter not being fully emulsified.

I looked to see if there were any reviews for this product in soap making and there weren't any. It is always a good idea when trying a new scent (colorant or additive), to purchase the smallest amount possible and do a small test batch using just that item. If the test turns out well, then you can purchase an additional small amount and test how it would work in the soap you want to make. I usually start out my making a 20oz total batch test batch, and then I go to a 50oz test batch because sometimes there are problems when you go to a larger batch or sometimes scent and colorants don't play well together.

 

[Andf]

It says the fragrance can be used for “soap” but that can often mean it can be added to melt and pour soap.

There are a lot of fragrances that are safe to use in cold process/cp soap. Look for those, and read reviews.

Some sites like brambleberry, candle science, wholesale supplies plus, nurture soaps, etc. will even have testing notes. So you know before you buy the oil that it’s been tested, and if it will cause ricing, acceleration, discoloration, etc.

 

[Ephemerella]

I've had that happen twice. The first time, the soap wasn't really pleasant to use and I tossed it, the second time the soap ended up fine to use just horribly ugly. Both times I determined the FO was simply not for use in CP in MY recipe.

This is a good example of a difficult FO:
https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-b...fn1=FOScentFamily&prefv1=Fresh&start=13&sz=12
This FO is known to rice. Though its "safe" for cp soap, it may not be "great" for cp soap. And the way the description is worded makes it confusing. In one area, it's stated: "You'll love this scent in handmade soap", then in another area, they write "Recommended for Cold Process: No". If you read the reviews, some people have experienced issues with CP, and some have purposefully used very slow tracing recipes for this particular FO, and didn't have as many issues.

Picking an FO that works for you goes beyond just finding something that you like that is safe for soap, it also has to work for your particular recipe, your temperatures, etc. Sticking with FOs that have a LOT of performance testing reviews will help, but ultimately, with any new FO, you need to be prepared to test, and prepared for disaster. That's why making small test batches is a wise idea.

 

[AliOop]

This FO is known to rice. Though its "safe" for cp soap, it may not be "great" for cp soap. And the way the description is worded makes it confusing. In one area, it's stated: "You'll love this scent in handmade soap", then in another area, they write "Recommended for Cold Process: No".

Sounds like they were trying to say that this fragrance is best suited for HP soap. You can often use naughty fragrances in HP after the cook is done.

 

[FrayGrants]

Sounds like they were trying to say is that this fragrance is best suited for HP soap. You can often use naughty fragrances in HP after the cook is done.

Nice advice there Ali, never thought of that. Also, Kentish rain from WSP soaps very nicely btw.