Teach Soap

I been wanting to start my small business selling lotions for two years now. I have some questions.

How much product do I start with? I mean as far as 50 bottle of 8oz lotion or 10 bottles of 8oz lotion for example.

I want to start very small and build because I don't want to invest thousands of dollars into a business that may not grow.

How many scents do I start out with?
I plan to use bases and add my own scents. Can I still sell it on etsy.com? I know they have a "handmade only" policy.

How do I calculate the amount of EO/FO to add to a base? If it says 5% or 2% what does that mean?

Preservatives vs. not using preservatives. The long drawn out debate.
Is there a market for those who do buy body products with preservatives? I feel like I should use preservatives because as I read in another thread, that is asking for a lawsuit. I used to be one of those "if its not natural it's not right" kind of people and I have bought some handmade body butter and hair butter that has lasted me over 2 years. I kind of think they either didn't list the preservatives or... Is it possible for a product to last nearly three years without a preservative, but then again the butter wasn't water base. It's was all butter and fragrance so that could be why.
To avoid lawsuits I prefer to use preservatives and I am not sure if my business would be successful with the use of preservatives being that everyone is on this "all natural" thing. I am pass that phase but don't want to be blasted for using preservative in my products even if its just to make the product last longer and avoid lawsuits. I honestly believe its the best thing to do.
I also learned there's really no such thing as a natural preservative. All of this preservative is a big headache and its what caused me not to do through with this two years ago. I didn't want to get blasted for not being "All natural." But I don't want people to stear away from me because its not "all natural." There were bases and FOs I wanted to use and I felt I couldn't because "this is synthetic and not natural stuff." It was driving me crazy and doing this has been lingering for a while now and I have decided to just go through with it. But I just needed some extra info.

What products do I need to mix EO/FO besides a base and the EO/FO. Do I need a double boiler a spoon? How many boilers do I need? Do I need a separate boiler and spoon for each type of product?

If I am just adding the FO, do I need a chemists? I don't think so but I just wanna make sure.

Thanks. Happy Holidays!

If you're using premade bases, you can make up scents you need them. Premade bases will already have a preservative in them so you won't need to add more. Body butters and products without water "technically" don't need a preservative. Before you start a business, you need to look into your local and state laws about starting a business and have liability insurance. You need to do lots of research before starting a business.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Before you sell anything, do you have all your paperwork? License(s), liability insurance, resale license etc....?
Why not do a few local craft shows in your area that would give you a better idea what sells.
Fragrances are a personal preference. Use as many or as few as you like.
Sure, you can sell on Etsy, but it's a very saturated market there. Don't expect to be making money right off the bat.
To calculate a scent and it's 5%, take the amount of base you will be using that, times that by 5%.
Not all fragrances are used at the same rate. I would research the fragrances you are planning to use or ask the vendor for a safe % where you purchased your scents from.
Using body products that have water but no preservatives is very foolish and asking for trouble. Germs, mold and bacteria will grow in a water based product, even if you can't see them or smell them. If someone sued you for an unpreserved product, they would easily win. That's a big liability issue. Not all natural is good and not all synthetic is bad.

You will need separate utensils, pots, spatulas etc. You will also need an accurate scale. You work area and any utensils you use have to be sanitized. If you are using a base, you do not need a double boiler. If you heat up your base, you will negate the preservative. Adding more preservative could make it irritating. You don't need a separate utensil for each fragrance. You just have to make sure that you don't cross-contaminate different products.

If you are in the US and are using a base, you don't need a chemist. I will not buy a product that's water based without a preservative. Lots of Etsy folks fudge on the ingredient list and don't list a preservative, just so they get a sale. I also see sellers there using the word "healing" which makes it an over the counter drug. Take a look at the FDA rules and regs.

There is no standard for the word "natural". It means different things to different people.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I don't have business licenses and stuff yet but it is actually the very first thing on my to do list for next month. I live in NY and I am gonna see if there are any craft shows.

I read etsy is a good place to start but I guess ill use another site as my starting point. I have no plans on using any words "healing" or anything similar In my product descriptions. That's quite misleading.

So I don't need any heating supplies I just mix for a certain period of time? Cause some of the bases say to heat for under 5 minutes with use of FO/EO.
Also, it says that you either use 4% or up to the IFRA guidelines on one of the sites. So ill just multiply 4% * a gallon if I purchase a gallon. I only plan on purchasing samples for now to see what I like and can work with.

I thought a bout doing Private Labels but my issue I'd that they can be very expensive.

I know even as I am adding Fragrance I will have to run some trial and errors and I will be using the products on myself before selling them. I have dry sensitive skin so if something does not work I would definitely know.

Thanks!

A "normal" gallon is 7 lbs. or 112 ozs. At 5% that would be 5.6 ozs. of fragrance. That sounds like way too much to me.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.