Testing, Testing. A Bunch of FO's in CP Soap.

I have been collecting a lot of little fragrance testers lately. When I see a sale for a company that I like to order from, my credit card shudders a little. I decided that before I buy any more fragrances, I need to try those I already have. Here are just a few of the things I needed to test. In reality, there are waaaaaaay more than this.
Key Questions:
1: Does the FO accelerate, rice or seize?
2: Does the FO discolor?
3: Does it morph?
4: Does it fade?

This is where silicone molds come in very handy. I have 2 round "puck", 4 heart, and a few other shapes just taking up space. I decided that 2 oz tester bars would answer the key questions without sacrificing too much soap batter.

I also wanted to test out the new Vanilla Stabilizer from Nature's Garden Candle Supply on a couple of FO's that I know for a fact discolor DARK: The Scent Works' Pink Sugar and The Scent Works Vaniglia de Madagascar and a new FO that I'm sure WILL discolor, Nature's Garden Vanilla Extract. The Vanilla White Stabilizer usage rate is .3% of the total batch (water, lye and oils).

Here's the math:
40 fragrances
2 oz testers, (approx 56-60 grams each)
80 total oz of soap (lye + water+oils)
Vanilla Stabilizer = .003 * 2 oz or .003 * 60 grams = .18 grams VS (thank goodness I have the tiny gram scale from TKB-Trading!)

I figured a 60 oz batch using a 33% lye solution would do the trick. Rather than waste precious cocoa and shea, I stuck to the trinity: Coconut, palm and Olive. SF was 5%.
FO at approximately 1 oz PPO = 2.5 grams per 2 oz tester.

I used the thermal transfer method to help ensure a long working time. No colors to worry about, but lots of FO's to measure.

Here's a photo of the aftermath:

The process:
LABEL YOUR TRAYS!!!
I used letters in the top left corner to orient myself in case the tray got turned. Good thing too, because they DID get turned.
Pour the 6 cavities in the first mold with approximately 2 oz of batter. The first 3 FO's were to try the vanilla white, so I pre mixed the VW with the FO's then one by one poured the FO mixture into the mold stirring briskly with a chopstick until it looked blended. Rinse, repeat for each one. I kept the bottles of FO lined up in order of where they were poured so that I could take notes later.

Repeat for tray #2. Instead of pre-weighing the partial grams of FO, I used a graduated pipette to dispense the fragrance into the muffin cups.

Lecithin Test:

One FO started to rice. I stirred as best I could then reached for the lecithin. I used a 400 IU caplet for the FO in a mixing cup. It was probably too much lecithin, but I was in a hurry. The second pour of the FO was much smoother. Mental note.

Repeat for trays 3, 4, and 5. By this time the soap batter was getting thick. I added some water to the batter to thin it a bit but I couldn't expect miracles! Tray #6 was a tiny muffin tray, so 1 oz testers...

I remembered to write down the FO's in each tray by the positions and have to make little tags to keep with the soaps once they come out of the molds.

4 trays are sitting on the pellet stove in hopes of coming to gel. The rest will have to sit for a few days before they can come out of the molds. I suppose I could stick them all in a low oven to gel, but that requires me to trek up/down stairs several times.


I will post after photos of them so you can see if the VW does its job or not. I'm a little hopeful, but at the same time worried that it will morph the scent.

Fragrances Tested:

1. TSW Pink Sugar with VS
2. TSW Vaniglia de Madagascar with VS
3. NG Vanilla Extract with VS
4. Peaks Frankincense & Myrrh
5. AH Vetiver
6. NG Cucumber Melon
7. Pear Pleasure
8. Peak Bartlet Pear
9. NG Nag Champa
10. NG Sweet Pea
11. AH Mint Julep
12. AH Gap Heaven
13. NG Cucumber Melon
14. Amber Musk
15. AH Gap Earth
16. AH White Tea
17. AH Cotton Blossom
18. AH Amber Romance
19. AH Almost Paradise
20. AH Amazing Grace
21. AH Dreamcatcher
22. CC Victorian Rose
23. AH Childs Room
24. AH Barbershop 1920s
25. NG French lavender
26. AH Aqua
27. AH Pineapple
28. AH White Tea & Ginger
29. NG Fresh Raspberry
30. NG Rice Petals and Shea
31. NG Bamboo Hemp (with and without Lecithin)
32. NG Mango Papaya
33. AH Neroli
34. AH Pomegranate & Oak
35. AH Lemon Verbena
36. AH Japanese Pear & Ginseng
37. AH Falling Leaves
38. AH Black Linen & Amber
39. AH Blackberry Sage
40. AH Interlude
41. AH Oak Barrel Cider
42. AH Badedas
43. AH Black Raspberry Vanilla
44. AH Celtic Moonspice
45. TSW Creamy Coconut
46. TSW Ginger Souffle