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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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Soap Scents
by: Anonymous

I worked in a soap factory for years.
I was very surprised to learn that the fragrance for soap powder is actually sprayed on the inside of the boxes and then permeates the soap powder.
Locking your soap in with cotton balls with the same fragrance would seem to be the way to go considering how they do it commercially.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scent
by: Anonymous

Try this peeps:
Lye at 35 degrees c, oils at 35- 37 degrees c.
add kaolin clay to lye water before adding to oils. scent strong using bramble berrys fragrance calculator online. Research your essential oils!!! top, middle, base notes. add essential oils to trace. insulate soap but watch temp as you will cook out the scent if its too hot and it will all smell the same. research, research research. This is a science.. and why I love it.
store after 4-6 weeks in a cardboard box with scented cotton balls. Not plastic as the soaps will sweat!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Forgot to add scent
by: Freya

Somehow I forgot to add the essential oils (scent) to the soap batch but did not realize it until the soap was molded and looking very pretty. Is there anything I can do to "fix" it or enhance it? It is so pretty, I really don't want to rebatch it.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		EO scent lasting in soap..
by: Zarzar

Hiya...this may or may not be for all oils - but I've found that mixing my usual blends of EO's with about a gram or two of castor oil helps retain the scent longer. I do it with both hp and cp recipes and it seems to have made a difference.. but I also use kaolin clay in most of my soaps, so it may be the combo that works best..
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fragrance Issues.
by: Anonymous

Hello!!

I started making cold process a few months ago. At the beginning I was using also about 10 grams of fragrance pero kilogram of soap because I didn't know the standard amounts needed and to me it smelled pretty strong already while I was pouring the fragrance during my light trace.
This were super beautiful to design but the smell faded away after curing time.
Then I learned the correct amounts I should have been using and I started using more.
I get my fragrances in gracefruit.com and Im so happy with their services and they state the acceleration for each fragrance but I have been really getting serious seizing issues with ALL of them! even when they state there is no acceleration.
I don't think they are bad quality as they don't smell alcoholic or are too cheap!
I tried all the advices I could found in the internet about how to avoid seizing and acceleration but nothing has worked!
When I use pure essential oils in my batches it turns out beautiful and perfect with perfect trace and texture!
I mixed cold fats with cold lye to avoid that the essential oils evaporate and has worked pretty well but im afraid it's anyway gonna fade away after a few weeks!
Am I doing something wrong with the fragrances?
Do you think they are just not good quality?
Do you have advice about using for example coffee or juice instead of water for the lye solution to make them smell even stronger with the essential oils?
Does that contributes for smell or does it just fade with the lye?

Thanks soooo much!!! :) :)




Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Loss of fragrance
by: Abuela mom

I keep my soaps in a cool dry place and the first week smells really good, but by the time they are cured all of them smell the same. I always put the fragrance and essential oils after a light trace.

What can I do please?

Answer:

One thing to keep in mind with scent...our noses contain receptors that recognise new scents. Over time, those receptors become used to a scent and it will no longer smell as strong.

Since you are living with the scent day in and day out, I suggest getting someone who does not live with you to 'test smell' the soap for you to verify if the soap no longer has it's fragrance.

If the soap is losing it's scent then I would try increasing the amount you are adding using the guidelines listed in Kerry's question below.

You may also want to look into adding in ingredients that act as fixatives. These are ingredients that help to maintain the scent for longer.

Benzoin powder or e/o (e/o = essential oil), orris root powder, frankincense e/o, patchouli e/o, oakmoss e/o, cedarwood e/o, myrrh e/o, ylang ylang e/o, vetiver e/o, copaiba balsam e/o and kaolin clay are all examples of fixatives that can be used in soapmaking.

Cathy
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		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
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		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
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		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.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		smell
by: venu

soap making time smell is good after smell nill.i think perfume add into oils after lay solution added after trace perfume can add lightly it can work i am trying

any one give me good advice
Rating
starstarstar 		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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