Testing Session - Why do it?

New Fragrances! I'm always excited when I start reviewing new fragrances. But before a soap is released and add to our product line, the first step is fragrance testing. How do I test a fragrance and why do it? Every fragrance oil / essential oil reacts differently in soap.

Discoloration is a common issue, depending on how much vanilla is in the fragrance oil. The more vanilla, the darker brown the soap. That means that no matter what pretty color I might want the finished soap to be, no amount of artificial or natural colorant is going to make a difference.

Another reason to test out my fragrances before releasing them for sale is to see how the scent is going to hold up in the finished product. What might smell like heaven in the fragrance oil itself might morph drastically when the fragrance oil goes through the soap making process. That perfect coconut cream might turn into something that smells like burnt plastic when it's been soaped!

So how do I test a fragrance? It's as simple as making a small batch of cold process soap using Indigo's basic soap recipe and using the new fragrance oil, without adding any additional colors or additives to the soap. This allows me to see if the new fragrance will turn the normally white soap into any shade of color ranging from creamy white, to tan, to chocolate brown. Knowing how this final color reacts will allow me to base my color 'scheme' for the finished product in my line. Now that I have the finished soap, I can also see how well the fragrance held up through the soap making process. Did it hold all of those wonderful notes? Or did it turn into something completely different? All of our fragrances go through this testing process, and only the top picks get added to the Indigo line.

You never know what will come up next!