Fragrance Testing in Cold Process Soap: Gingerbread & Spice, Honey Almond, Pumpkin Pie, Welcome Home, and Mulberry

I have more photos for our Fragrance Testing Series! This is a long series of blog posts that will show the testing of our fragrances in Cold Process Soap. We are testing ALL the fragrances in our catalog at their maximum recommended usage rate for Cold Process Soap and showing you pictures of what the finished soaps look like in a side by side comparison with an unscented control batch. Since these fragrances were tested at their maximum recommended usage rate, I wouldn’t recommend using more fragrance! These soaps are strongly scented and will smell much stronger when wet!

Our first fragrance today in Cold Process Soap is Gingerbread and Spice. According to our catalog, Gingerbread and Spice “go hand in hand. This old fashioned medley is the perfect infusion of molasses and brown sugar; topped with the perfect blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Be modern, be nostalgic. What ever you call this fragrance everyone will agree it is awesome.” A sure way to get you motivated and baking up some cookies. This scented soap is delicate and soft not overwhelming but you definitely can detect the sweet and spicy blend. There was moderate discoloration of note and this means it is a medium tan in color. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Honey Almond scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Our second fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Honey Almond. According to our catalog, Honey Almond is “a wonderful combination of sweet, golden honey, mixed with the very popular almond scent. Most people love to put this in an oatmeal, or facial soap. You might want to try it with milk or lanolin soaps to give that sweetly soft caressing scent.” A lovely and velvety scent, you get hints of sweet honey with a bit of almond. Very subtle and enjoyable in this soap. There was moderate discoloration of note and this means it is a medium darker tan in color. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Our third fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Pumpkin Pie. According to our catalog, Pumpkin Pie is “A holiday favorite! Pumpkin pie is loved at so many tables across the US that you may not be able to imagine the holidays without it! Spices and pumpkin are combined with a buttery crust note. Yummy!.” The soap has a warm sweet pumpkin pie scent that has a moderate scent. The holiday spices come through with a pleasing scent. There was moderate discoloration of note and this means it is a medium darker tan in color. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Pumpkin Pie scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Welcome Home scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Our fourth fragrance in Cold Process Soap is Welcome Home. According to our catalog, Welcome Home is “Our version of the Salt City Candle company’s Welcome Home fragrance. A festive indulgence of spiced apple cider, combined with crisp evergreen notes that undoubtedly transcend into a festive nirvana. We think this is sure to be a holiday hit.” This is one of my top fragrances to use around the house and in this soap it a top choice as well. The scent stays strong in the soap so you don’t miss the cheerful holiday aroma. There was moderate discoloration of note and this means it is a medium darker tan in color almost light brown. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch.

Our fifth and last fragrance for today in Cold Process soap is Mulberry. Mulberry according to our catalog states that “Mulberry is one of the sweetest holiday scents I can think of. Things like Christmas Tree, Bayberry and Warm Vanilla Sugar are all nice holiday scents but Mulberry offers something so different that the others just can’t. If you always love the dark red and purple potpourri sold during December, you are certainly getting Mulberry. Berries, sweet and slightly citrusy.” The Mulberry scent in the soap comes out a very subtle and soft scent. A sweet and uplifting scent keeps me coming back for more. There was moderate discoloration of note and this means it is a medium darker tan in color with a slight greenish tint. We used the maximum suggested usage rate of 2.5%, which is 0.4 ounces of fragrance in our 1 pound test batch..

Mulberry scented soap on the left and control on the right.

Thank you for joining us today! We will be releasing more pictures as we continue testing soaps. If there is a fragrance you would like to see, let us know and we will put it at the top of our list!

Here are the details about our test batches before we added any fragrances!

Recipe:

Our temperatures for lye and oils are between 125°F and 130°F to handle our currently cool weather. We make our soap with a 6% superfat. All of the batches we make are mixed to light trace and then the fragrance is added. After the fragrance is added we mix until the fragrance is incorporated and then we pour into the mold.