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Cold Process Test Results
There are many variables that can affect how a fragrance oil can perform in cold process soap. You likely already know that if a fragrance oil contains vanillin you can expect browning.
Other common problems include acceleration – which is when the soap batter thickens quickly. Usually floral and spicy fragrances are the worst culprits for this.
We test our fragrances in cold process soap so you can have some idea of how they perform, but it’s still a good idea to make a smaller test batch yourself first before committing to a large slab of soap. Your recipe and method, or even the weather, could produce different results than us.
Our Test Recipe
25% Coconut Oil
25% Palm Oil
35% Canola Oil
10% Sweet Almond Oil
5% Castor Oil
5% fragrance, or the maximum allowed under IFRA category 9
Fragrance Oils Tested
| Fragrance Name | Acceleration | Discolouration | Strength | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Poppies (Black Opium) | Yes, very fast | Tan Brown | Medium | Very quick acceleration, I barely had time to plop the soap batter into the mould. Discolours to a tan brown. It's a shame this isn't a great fragrance for CP soap because the scent holds well and it smells divine. |
| Spellbound (Love Spell) | None | None | Good | Lovely scent, no ricing, acceleration or discolouration. |
| Almond | None | Slight Yellowing | Light to Medium | Perfect pour, scent has a light to medium strength. No ricing or separation. |
| Aloe & White Lily | None | None | Good | Absolutely beautiful scent to work with which was a surprise considering many floral fragrances can cause issues with CP soap. No issues at all and the scent has held well. |
| Amour (Coco Chanel) | None | Tan Brown | Great | Nice strong scent. Easy to work with, though the discolouration is fairly brown. |
| Animalistic | None | None | Strong | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no discoloration. Strong scent retention. The scent is amazing! |
| Aphrodisiac | None | None | Strong | Lovely scent in CP soap. Scent retention is strong. |
| Apple Cinnamon | None | Light Beige | Strong | Lovely warm fragrance. Soap at cooler temperatures. |
| Apricot | None | None | Strong | Soaps like a dream. No acceleration. No discoloration. Nice strong scent. |
| Aspen Winter | None | Dark Brown | Good | Lovely warm winter fragrance. Good scent retention. |
| Baby Powder | None | Light Brown | Medium to Strong | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, discolours to a brown. Medium to strong scent retention. |
| Baileys Kahlua | Moderate | Dark Brown | Good | A moderate amount of acceleration, but nothing too difficult to work with. Discolours very dark brown, so if you wanted to add any colours I would recommend separating a portion to be unscented. Scent cured to smell a bit like playdoh in my opinion! |
| Banana Pudding | None | Dark Brown | Good | Turned instantly yellow when I added the fragrance oil so I expected final brown discolouration. No acceleration or any other issues. Nice strong scent which has been likened to the old fashioned banana lollies we used to eat as kids in the 80's 🙂 |
| Beach Daisies | Moderate | None | Mild | Accelerated trace, no discolouration, a very fresh scent especially for summer months. Some have reported ricing. |
| Birds of Paradise | Moderate | None | Strong | Very nice floral, no discoloration, scent stays strong, no ricing, moderate acceleration. Soap at low temp. Move fast. |
| Bite Me | None | None | Strong | Perfect Pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no discoloration, very strong scent. |
| Black Amethyst | None | Light Beige | Medium | Some discolouration, but nothing that will affect using colours. |
| Black Cherry Bomb | None | None | Strong | Perfect Pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no separation, no discolouration. Very Strong! |
| Black Linen & Amber | None | None | Good | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no separation, no discolouration. Nice clean scent. |
| Black Raspberry & Vanilla | None | None | Strong | Perfect pour. Great scent to work with. Great fragrance retention. This is a best seller! |
| Black Tie | None | Very Light Tan | Strong | Nice strong unisex scent. |
| Bliss (Euphoria) | None | Very Light Tan | Strong | |
| Blood Orange | None | None | Strong | Beautiful fragrance to work with. A best seller. Great scent retention. |
| Brazilian Beach Bod | None | Yellow | Mild | No acceleration so lots of time to work an intricate design. Mild scent. |
| Breezes & Sunshine | None | None | Strong | Nice strong scent retention. |
| Brown Sugar & Fig | None | Toffee | Mild | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, discolours to a butterscotch toffee. Light scent retention. |
| Bubblegum | None | Dark Brown | Good | |
| Bulgarian Rose | None | None | Good | Very surprised there was no acceleration considering floral fragrances tend to move fast. This fragrance soaped beautifully and has a nice scent retention. |
| Buttered Popcorn | None | Light Beige | Good | No ricing, fairly easy to work with. Good scent retention. |
| Cafe Mocha | None | Chocolate Brown | Good | Lovely creamy coffee aroma with chocolatey undertones. |
| Camellia & Lotus | None | Beige | Strong | Lovely fragrance to work with. Does discolour somewhat, but I was still able to work with colours. Strong scent retention that leaves a lovely skin smell after showering. |
| Candy Cane | None | None | Medium | Slow to trace with no acceleration. Plenty of time to work with. Medium scent retention. |
| Caramel | None | Caramel - Amber Tan | Medium | Perfect pour. No ricing, no acceleration, discolours to a caramel tan. Medium scent retention. |
| Chica (Miss Dior) | Yes | Slight yellow | Mild | Don't plan on any fancy designs with this fragrance. Prepare to move very quickly. Discolouration isn't so bad that you can't work with it. Mild scent retention. |
| Chocolate | None | Dark Brown | Good | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, discolours to a bright gold, but then turns to a dark chocolate brown |
| Christmas Cabin | Mild | Light Caramel | Good | Some acceleration, slight separation, but does stick blend back in. Discolors to a light caramel. |
| Christmas Night | None | None | Strong | I really liked working with this fragrance - it's very slow moving so you have plenty of time for designs. Scent holds nice and strong. |
| Christmas Time | None | None | Medium | Slow to trace with no acceleration. Plenty of time to work with. Medium scent retention. |
| Cinnamon Sticks | None | Light Beige | Good | Lovely warm fragrance. Soap at cooler temperatures. Note the very low usage rate. |
| Citrus Explosion (Lime, Basil & Mandarin) | None | None | Strong | This is a beautiful strong citrus scent. Holds well over time. |
| Clean Linen | Mild | None | Strong | Some acceleration. No ricing, no separation. No discolouration. Strong scent. |
| Clean Shaven | None | None | Strong | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no discoloration. Strong scent retention. Easy to work with. |
| Coconut | None | Beige | Mild | |
| Coconut Lime | None | None | Good | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, no discoloration, very clean and very fresh. |
| Coffee Flower & Vanilla | Heavy | Light Beige | Strong | Lovely strong scent, but heavy acceleration. Also, heated up in the mould to go full gel phase very quickly. Soap cool and don't plan any designs. |
| Cranberry | None | Very Light Beige | Mild | Lovely scent to work with, no issues. Mild scent. |
| Creamy Coconut | None | Light Brown | Mild | |
| Crimson Lollies | None | Orange - Beige | Mild | Lovely to work with, ample time to do designs. Mild scent. |
| Crystal Blue Waters | None | Almond Milk | Great | Well behaved. No acceleration or ricing. Great scent strength. |
| Cuban Affair (Cuban Tobacco) | None | Yellow | Medium | Very easy to work with. Lots of time for design with no acceleration. Medium scent retention. |
| Cucumber Ginger & Mint | None | None | Subtle | Well behaved. Plenty of time to work with - no acceleration. Subtle but fresh scent. |
| Cypress Forest | None | None | Good | Very nice fragrance to work with. I wasn't sure how nice this fragrance would be in soap, but it has turned into a lovely fresh smelling bar of soap! |
| Dark Musk | None | None | Good | |
| Dark Suede (Tuscan Leather) | None | None | Medium | Very easy to work with. Scent is subtle at first, but after curing for 9 months the fragrance is holding well. |
| Dragon's Blood | None | Dark Tan | Strong | |
| Dragonfruit Chipotle | None | None | Good | Very easy scent to work with. It was fun trying to match the bright pink with white speckled colours |
| Egyptian Musk | Light to Medium | None | Light | Some acceleration however I was still able to work with colours. Don't plan on a design that needs a fluid batter, but multi colours are possible. |
| Eternal Grace (Chanel No 5) | None | Slight Yellow | Great | Perfect pour, no ricing, no acceleration, slight yellow discolouration, amazing scent that lasts a very long time. |
| Eucalyptus Spearmint | None | None | Good | Lovely fresh and clean scent. Stays strong. |
| Exotic Potion (Poison) | None | Almond Milk | Good | Soaped beautifully. No acceleration and lots of time to work with. Very slight discolouration about the shade of almond milk which is easy to colour. Good scent strength. |
| Exotic Woods | None | Dark Caramel | Strong | Lovely to work with. No acceleration, plenty of time for designs. Initial discolouration to bright yellow which turns to a caramel brown. Strong scent. |
| Floral Explosion (Flowerbomb) | None | Mid Brown | Good | I was expecting acceleration but there was none - plenty of time to work with. Good scent retention. |
| Frankincense & Myrrh | None | Light Brown | Good | Please note the low usage rate for soap. |
| Freesia | Moderate | None | Good | No ricing, some moderate acceleration which is common to floral fragrances, no discolouration. |
| French Lavender | None | None | Strong | A very pleasant floral fragrance to soap with. Good scent retention. |
| French Pear | None |