Soap is an essential part of our daily body care routine. But did you know you can customise your soap by adding your own fragrance?
Previously, you learned how to scent your candles and wax melts. Now it's time to put the wax aside and move on to soap.
Adding your own fragrance gives you a one-of-a-kind soap that suits your personal taste. However, it's important to know the different methods and dosages so you don't spoil the final product. In this article, we'll explain how to fragrance your soap according to its base and its properties.
How much fragrance should I use in my soaps?
You can scent your own soap to personalise it and create a unique product. Depending on the base you choose, you'll need to adjust your fragrance dosage.
For solid soaps, whether Melt and Pour bases or cold or hot process soaps, it's best not to exceed 5% fragrance. Please check the IFRA certificate for the relevant class to find the maximum dosage allowed.
For liquid soaps, the calculation is based on the weight of the product: with our detergent fragrances, allow 2% fragrance, i.e. 20 g per 1 kg of liquid soap. For saponification, however, the fragrance weight is calculated on the oils and butters that will then be saponified.
Scenting your own soap is a way to personalise it and create a product that is truly yours.
Choosing your fragrance
In most cases, choose an oil-based fragrance, except for liquid soaps.
For your liquid soaps, such as hand soap, use our detergent fragrances: they are designed to blend into our neutral liquid soap base at 2% fragrance. This is because an oil-based fragrance can alter the viscosity of the liquid soap base.
The same range also scents your other homemade household products: multi-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner and washing-up liquid.
For Melt and Pour bases and cold or hot process soaps, an oil-based fragrance is perfect. You can also use essential oils to scent your soaps and benefit from their properties.
Adding the fragrance
With liquid soap base, the fragrance is stirred into the base cold. Simply mix the fragrance thoroughly into the base until it is perfectly uniform.
For Melt and Pour bases, the fragrance is added once the base has melted: stir the mixture for a few seconds to scent your future soap.
When it comes to saponification
For cold or hot process soap, you have two options: either add the fragrance to the oils and butters before adding the lye, or add it at trace (when the mixture turns into soap batter). The second option can hold a few surprises, especially if the fragrance accelerates trace: you'll then have very little time left to pour your soap into the mould.
In saponification, adding fragrance plays an important role beyond personalising your product: fragrance can accelerate trace. If you prefer to add your fragrance at trace, it's best to do so at light trace. The fragrance can speed up the process and make the soap batter thicken quickly, going from the texture of thin custard to that of thick pastry cream in a matter of seconds.
Fragrance properties can change the end result
Fragrance can also colour soap, which is why it's useful to know whether the scent contains vanillin or ethyl vanillin. Depending on its percentage, this component can turn your soap anywhere from beige to dark brown.
Finally, some fragrances can be altered during saponification: certain notes, or even the entire fragrance, may disappear during the process.
To improve fragrance retention, you can use clay, which acts as a fragrance fixative in your soap while also adding certain properties, depending on the clay you choose.
Conclusion
Scenting your soap is an easy and fun way to personalise your body care product.
However, it's important to follow the dosages and methods so you don't spoil the soap base. It's also crucial to choose the fragrance best suited to your soap base, whether an oil-based fragrance, a water-based fragrance or essential oils, which is why it pays to understand the difference between natural and synthetic fragrances.
Finally, clay can not only help fix the fragrance but also add properties that are good for your skin. With these tips, you're now ready to scent your own soap and enjoy a unique, personalised product.
You probably have other questions about fragrances for your creations.
