Question about adding fragrance oil & Soapcalc numbers

[catwabbit]

Hi, everyone! I have a "senior moment" question regarding crunching the numbers in Soapcalc when adding fragrance oils. Hopefully you can help me out.

Soapcalc right now is worthless to me when calculating fragrance. It just says to assume the number g/kg that comes filled in (30, I believe). I can't find any other instructions for fragrance. That gave me a small amount of FO (something like 24 g of FO) compared to using Bramble Berry's fragrance calculator (64.17 g for medium strength).

So, there's no number for fragrance on the Soapcalc page since I'm using BB's number and can't key that in. But how do you account for the fragrance oil when calculating the liquid and lye, and the total ingredients? Do I just take the FO weight and add it somewhere else so my recipe isn't heavy on the oil side (FO)? It is an oil, but I can't just add it to the oils in Soapcalc. /smackhead/

Hopefully this makes sense, and I'm not overthinking it too much. I ran a batch just to see the outcome, which of course gave me a pretty loaf that is fairly tacky along its sides in its silicone mold. This is after 2.5 days of sitting.

I started making soap in the summer of 2020 and never ran into any problems. I made it through several months, but I had multiple spine surgeries that year and had to stop. I've started again and now, of course, I'm stumped right out of the gate. Can someone help me out?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DeeAnna]

Fragrance oils and essential oils are not triglycerides, so they don't saponify. That's why you don't find them on the list of fats in a soap recipe c@lc.

FOs and EOs are an additive that's in addition to the main soap making ingredients -- the triglyceride fats, the water, and the alkali (NaOH, KOH, etc.)

As far as how to calculate the amount of fragrance to add, there are a few calcs that will do that for you, but you can also figure the amount yourself if you're comfortable with the math. I use IFRA guidelines, the supplier's guidelines, and (eventually) personal experience to determine the amount of fragrance to add -- BrambleBerry only helps you with fragrances they sell, AFAIK. Most people calculate the weight of fragrance as a percentage of the total fat weight. That's the easiest way to handle it.

I have more info here that you might find helpful -- Soapy Stuff

 

[Zany_in_CO]

question regarding crunching the numbers in Soapcalc when adding fragrance oils.

Using the default settings on SoapCalc, knowing how much fragrance oil to add is pretty much a "no-brainer". Start with the default setting. Do a test batch and go up or down from there.

I also use MMS fragrance calc. Even thought it's designed for their FOs, I find something close to what I'm using and it works for me.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

there's no number for fragrance on the Soapcalc page since I'm using BB's number and can't key that in.

That's correct. You can ignore the soap calc number and put BB's number in the place for Notes, Addiitives on the second page. OR

You can type "64" in where it says "31" -- although that sounds like a bit much for a 500g batch.

It's pretty much a matter of preference. Some like strong; some like subtle; some like in-between. Personally, I use 0.85 oz. PPO (per lb of oils) for FOs. You just need to trust your judgment on how much to use. The more soap you make the more confident you'll feel about the amount of fragrance you choose to use.

 

[catwabbit]

Thanks, DeeAnna. I think I'm relying too much on fitting the FO number into Soapcalc to have all fields calculated with a nice printout for my records. And it's dawned on me that Soapcalc should simply be a guide and I'll need to calculate some info on my own that can't be addressed in the program since I use manufacturer's information.

Someone here was talking about making an Excel spreadsheet, maybe I should do the same sometime in the future...

So tomorrow I'm going to try again and look forward to seeing a better product like I've made before. I'll go back and run all the numbers again and look at the % of fat weight method you suggested. I'll also let the soap I've made already stay in the mold for a couple more days. I did add sodium lactate to the final batch (of 3) to see if that helps. Some sleep would probably help as well.

Thank you for your reply and for the extra information. I don't know any soapers in real life, so your input Is most appreciated!

Yowza, Zany, I will be doing some deep reading tomorrow! Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Yowza, Zany, I will be doing some deep reading tomorrow! Thank you very much for your help!

You're welcome!

 

[cmzaha]

For most fragrances, I use the rate of 1 oz per lb of oils in soap calc, which works for my fragrances. When I first started soaping there were no IFRA guidelines, I do somewhat take IFRA into consideration but it is based on total batch weight. There are other ways to configure fragrance usage and I think DeeAnna has some written here. I did not go look.Soapy Stuff

 

[catwabbit]

OK, here's batch #3 which I poured on Monday afternoon. Just cut, it's firm, smells lovely and would take fingerprints easily should I press too hard. The top is pretty, the inside is "meh" but first time playing with the hanger tool, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Batch #2 gets unmolded tonight. My husband chose color, scent and sparkly top so he's claiming it as his (for now, anyway lol).

 

[AliOop]

Those are quite lovely - great work!!

 

[catwabbit]

Aww thank you!

And hubby's batch #2. (He did the choosing and I did the soaping. He's learning!)

 

[Paulie]

Beautiful soap! Love the color combos.

 

[penelopejane]

I use the same rate that others have mentioned but I find it easier to work it out as 5% of the weight of my oils.
So 500g (1lb) oils x 5/100 = 25g FO

 

[TheGecko]

Soapcalc right now is worthless to me when calculating fragrance. It just says to assume the number g/kg that comes filled in (30, I believe). I can't find any other instructions for fragrance. That gave me a small amount of FO (something like 24 g of FO) compared to using Bramble Berry's fragrance calculator (64.17 g for medium strength).

SoapCalc gives you 'default' settings....nothing more, nothing less. If you are new to soaping making, you can use those settings to make a product that will be 'safe'. This includes the FO rate, which is about 3%, and will cover just about any FO that is out there. It is up to YOU, as a responsible soap maker, to research your ingredients, additives, colorants and scent...NOT SoapCalc (or any soap calculator).

I use SoapCalc...my base recipe is 33% Lye Concentration, 5% SuperFat and 1oz/lb Fragrance (about 6%). Do I use 6% all the time? No. I do check usage rates, but it is the max rate I will use.