Fragrance Oil Testing

I am in the process of testing some new fragrances :)

These fragrances are very exotic to me....I usually gravitate towards bakery and sweet scents, so it is good for me to branch out and try new things! I haven't tried any new fragrances in while, so it was nice to pull out my trusty cold process testing recipe to try out these new fragrances.

As many experienced soapmakers will tell you, it is always a good idea to test any new fragrances in CP (and MP) before you use them. The chemical process involved in making cold process soap can very often change the color and performance of your fragrance oils in the cured soap. Even in melt and pour soap, the vanilla content of the fragrance oil can change the color of your finished soap over time.

I like to use a basic olive oil/coconut oil/palm oil recipe for testing my fragrances in cold process soap.When I am testing fragrances, I bring my cold process soap to very thin trace (just emulsion) before splitting it out into individual portions for testing. In this case, I used 4 ounces of raw soap to 0.25 ounces of fragrance oil for testing (which is equivalent to 1 ounce of fragrance per pound of oils, if my math is correct!). I bring the soap to thin trace only, so that I have time to split it out and mix the fragrance oils well into each portion and check for any color changes, morphing of fragrances, or any acceleration that may occur.

The fragrances that I am testing are from a new (to me) company - they have previously been selling fragrances in Latin America, and now have a store in the US, Paris Fragrances.

Here are my observations upon pouring, along with the scent descriptions from their site:

Breu Branco Brazilian Wood: No acceleration noted, no discoloration noted on pouring. Top Notes: Bergamot and lemon in a warm woody fragrance. Finished out with notes of pink pepper, black pepper, paprika.

Buriti Amazonian Fruity: Accelerated, no discoloration noted on pouring. Buriti is a fruity floral musky fragrance from the fruits of a rain forest palm tree called Buriti.

Belissima Bella Donna: No acceleration, no discoloration noted. Sophisticated fragrance. This one is very soft and floral to me. 

Pitanga Red Brazilian Fruit: No acceleration noted, no discoloration on pouring. This Brazilian cherry fruit is from the south forests of Brazil. Pitanga in the native Brazilian language (tupi) means red. Top Notes: Red pitanga, tangerine, grapefruit. Exotic smell, it is fruity - hot and sweet.

Pink Guava Brazilian Fruit: No acceleration noted, slight discoloration on pouring. Top notes: Slightly citrus, like orange or bergamot - a juicy mix of orange, cashew, guava and other notes.

Here are the fragrances just 2 hours after pouring. You can see even after 2 hours, some of them are starting to discolor already. PS - I am in love the butter yellow color of the Bella Donna fragrance! 

First impressions? My nose was immediately drawn to the Breu Branco Brazilian Wood, so that is what I soaped first. While bakery scents are my first love, woodsy fragrances are a close second :)

2 hours after pouring, I can't stop sniffing the Pitanga Red Brazilian Fruit, it is intoxicating! 

I will update this blog post again in 1 week and then 1 month after the soaps have cured, to assess how the colors and fragrances have held up.