Teach Soap

Hi all!

I have a few FO's where I read the description online, thought it sounded awesome, and when I opened it up almost made me gag. I read descriptions, think they sound great, and hate what I get... how do you all pick FO's online? They're quite expensive and take time and money to ship, therefore I am not eager to make another internet order. Can someone give some hints or tricks that may help? I know BB did sniffy samples but I can't find them anymore and companies closer to me (and cheaper to ship from) don't offer any such thing.

Also, since I'm here making a new topic, another question. Do many of you have "scent lines"? How did you pick them? Do you have a woodsy, a citrusy, a flowery, etc. or do you just soap with what you like and let your customers dictate your scents?

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ween rules

Scent preferences differ from person to person. What one might like another won't. It's very subjective.

I make what I like and I also listen to my customers what they might like. If I have a new fragrance I will give it some time to see how well it sells. If it sells well, I'll keep it in my line. If it doesn't I'll drop it. I don't go by flowery, woodsy, spicy etc... I have enough types of soaps that people can usually find what they like. If someone request a specific fragrance that I have, but it doesn't sell well, I'll make them a custom batch and charge accordingly.

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

I agree with Soapbuddy, I try new FOs or EOs in small batches. See what sells and what dosen't. I recycle most of what is old or didn't sell well. I tend to have groups of soap FOs. Like Lavender, Lavender mint, Lavender Citrus. Vanilla, Raspberry Vanilla and Tahition Vanilla. The Vanilla and Lavender I make in large batches. The others I do in small batches. I like the way the 3 soaps go together in gift baskets.

I like to buy my FOs from a website that offers feedback so I can see what others have to say about it. I know that a lot of people will write that they didn't care for a fragrance out of the bottle but liked it in the finished product. So you might try some in a small batch, just to see how it works. And see what others say. Maybe others like the fragrance where you don't?

Good luck!

Do you cold process or melt and pour. Fragrance or essential oils act differently in some.

I know exactly what you are saying, one of my challenges is fragrance also. I certainly know what I like, but how that translates from or into all the marketing hype I haven't caught on to yet.

One thing I have learned is the fragrance from the bottle is totally different in many cases, from the fragrance from the soap bar. Time also affects the fragrance from the soap bar.

You might try the scentreviewboard and read what other people suggest as their favorites, but then again it is all very very subjective. Favorite combos and or suppliers are protected in the soaping community just as they are in the vestiges of the French Perfumery business.

So I suggest start with a few basics and when they start working for you then venture out. It is expensive and most of us can't purchase an entire bookcase full of fo's like some on this board!

That said, I have had good luck with a few of the BB scents I have purchased.

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

I tend to buy all of my initial FOs in 1 oz amounts. This fits my standard size batch and gives a moderate scent using most FOs. I generally pick what sounds interesting to me and I listen to what customers comment and ask about when I am doing a show. They don't always ask me about something specific but they usually will talk to the people they came with and I evesdrop shamelessly listening to what they say about not only the scents I use but others they may have liked.
I have gotten a few I didn't personally like or that didn't smell at all like I imagined I usually make a very small batch with them and I give them away as test samples to the tellers at my bank, the women who work for me and the hairdressers at the shop I get my hair cut at. Several that I hated were very popular and have sold well and I would have just tossed the out or traded them with another crafter in my area who may find a use for them I have gotten one really nice scent that way from someone who didn't like it.

I tend to have a basic line of frangrances that I use all the time and seasonally add and subtract others.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding the descriptions, as I don't know what stuff smells like off the top of my head. For instance (from fssoap.com):

"A reassuring casual blend of chamomile and lavender, paired with bright Californian lemon and sweet orange with a drydown of irresistible musk and wood"

ok. what?

I know what lemon and orange smell like, but musks are all different and I just cannot come up with a smell in my brain from reading this. I hope I'm making sense here and I wish more companies would offer sniffy samples. I would be willing to drop big bucks to order large sizes of stuff I know I'm going to like, rather than big bucks on several tiny 1 oz. samples where god only knows what I'm getting. I guess I'm just whining. I'll shut up now, lol.

I like the idea of the scent review board but I believe you have to have a server email addy to register and I have no idea what mine is. I'll have to look into that.

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ween rules

Soap swaps are a very good way to experience fragrance & essential oils that you would not have necessarily ordered. I think I have ordered just about every scent from the soap swaps LOL. I like to shop! I have met a very good friend 2 soap swaps and we share ideas, disasters, techniques, etc. etc. etc. We often will mail end cuts of soap back and forth to get feedback on scent, texture and so forth. We have a great time with that. I'm about ready to send her some lotion for a scent test & her approval. (She's the queen of lotions) and I trust her judgement on alot of soaping advise.