Soap Fragrance loss

by Jeffrey Dromm
(Clearwater, Florida)

I used a Pomegranate FO from Natures Garden at .7 ounces per pound. The CP soap smelled great, but after 3 weeks of curing the scent has faded. I read somewhere that you can revitalize the soaps fragrance by putting the soap in a closed container for 2 to 3 weeks with some of the Fragrance oil. Is this correct? If so do you have a procedure I could use? Thanks

Answer:

I'm afraid I've never heard of this technique.

How have you been storing the soap? Is it in a location where you would be able to pretty much smell it every day?

Our noses contain receptors that can become "full" of a scent and you may not be able to smell it after a while. Have people who live outside your home also said that the soap lacks scent?

Not all fragrances have staying power either. Some don't perform as well as others and sometimes you have to do a bit of trial and error to find ones that are keepers.

Try washing with the soap as well...sometimes the outer layer loses its scent but after the first wash you can smell it again.

Cathy

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Soap Fragrance loss

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Soap Fragrance Loss
by: Heavenly Scent Soaps

Hi:

I have also experienced fragrance loss and/or morphing with similar fragrances. For me, most of the "fruity" or "tropical" type fragrances don't do well in CP after a few weeks of curing. Or, some of the more delicate top notes fade away.

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Fragrance idea
by: Blackbird Soap Company

I agree with Cathy our noses do tend to stop smelling scents after a while when we are exposed to the same fragrances day in and day out. Thank goodness I keep to my recipes! Other wise I might drown my soaps in fragrance.

However if you are concerned with soap losing it's boldness I suggest (after soap is fully cured) to keep your soap in plastic bins with a cotton ball or two of the same scent inside. I find this helps my soaps keeps that fresh smell even months after making it.

Hope that helps,
Heather

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Do I add orris root?
by: Anonymous

After making a batch of soap I was really pleased with myself, although the scent of the essential oils used can hardly be detected,should i use orris root as a preservative? and can this be used when making any kind of soap?

Answer:

Orris root isn't a preservative...it helps to fix a scent to the soap. This means that the scent will usually last longer. Orris root works well with cold process and hot process soap making. I believe you can use it in melt and pour as well but be aware that transparent soaps may show the orris root particles.

Cathy

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Mine loses smell too.
by: Kerry

I have the same problem with my soap losing the fragrance after just a few weeks. It's not just me either, other people have said it doesn't smell of what it was intended to but smells greasy! I use 10ml of fragrance per 1kg of soap (inc water and lye). It smells really really strong for the first week and then the smell just disappears and smells horrible. Tried a few different fragrances, synthetic and essential oil ones and the same thing keeps happening :(

Answer:

Keeping fragrances true in CP soap can be a challenge. One thing I have found is that you have to keep the soap in a cool and dry environment before using it. This seems to really help preserve the scent.

The standard amount of scent used in CP soap is around 3% - 5% of the weight of the base oils. ie. if your recipe uses 1000 grams of base oils, you will need from 30 grams to 50 grams of scent.

Cathy

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