Candle FO in soap?

[Ramr]

Can you use candle FO in soap? I know the politically correct answer is no and perhaps even the LEGAL answer, when selling to the public, is also no. However, there is that gray area where someone might say, " if these soaps are for your own use, and you know the risk you might be taking, then go ahead and give it a whirl. Worst case scenario, you throw your soap out because it makes your skin peel off in great, bleeding slabs or it corrodes the plumbing. "

 

I know there is the party line that says oh no, we shall never do anything unless blessed by the testers who work to prevent every bad thing from ever happening to us. Except taxes. They can't prevent taxes. Well, I want to hear from the people who have tried it and either it worked for them, or it didn't.  I know the technical answer is no candle FO in soap - but I want to hear practical, real world usage stories.

 

And in the same vein, what, exactly, is the difference between candle FO and soap FO? Is there one specific ingredient that will peel the hide off a person? I mean, people put essential oils in soap and some of those things are pretty darn aggressive! While I wait I'm going to lather up with my soap that I scented with CANDLE vanilla. So far no peeling skin.

[TallTayl]

It all depends on the particular fragrance. Some skin safe at reasonable usage rates, some are not.

 

Look for the I FRA certification to be sure. You really don’t want somebody breaking out in a rash or worse.

[TallTayl]

Sharing one anecdote, I have broken out from head to toe in hives from soap That had a questionable fragrance. That was not a fun experience. Now every time I come near that fragrance I break out in hives and begin to have a hard time breathing. Anaphylaxis is not something I look forward to.

[Ramr]

Talltayl, I would suppose anaphylactic shock would definitely be a downer at bath time!

 

I ask this question because MOST of the FOs I've been looking at are used in both candles and MP soap. 

 

However, many of the FOs I 'inherited' come from a seller that does NOT list any of the technical data about each FO. They have one list of FOs for soap, and another for candles. The soap list is very, very limited. I have a hard time believing that other sites have fragrances that are useful in both applications, but this site has FOs that are strictly good for candles. I suspect it was a whole lot quicker to make a website without adding all the extra information / typing / downloading nd easier for them to just say, nope, no good, don't do it, candles only. 

 

I will do a bit more digging because I do want to dabble a bit in M&P soap, but don't want to invest too much in new scents. It would be great to be able to use the FOs I already have. 

[scrubzz]

You definitely want to check the actual IFRA data - I have seen an FO listed as "skin safe" but when looking up the IFRA noted that its use in soap was at 0.2% -  now 3% is 1/2 ounce per lb - 0.2% is almost unmeasurable

[Candybee]

This is why I only buy FOs from suppliers that list the info and technical data I need from each fragrance oil and essential oil. I want to see the IFRA sheet showing the exact safe % for soap, lotion, candles, deodorant, etc. If the supplier doesn't bother to have their fragrance tested by the IFRA and show their test info sheet on their website I don't shop from them. 

[TallTayl]

@Candybee, thy don’t need it tested by ifra per se. The lab makingthe fo just prints the ifra report for each formulation. All they need to do is ask for it.

 

@Ramr loads of retail available fragrance is manufactured for both body and candles. It increases their potential buyer pool to offer formulations useful in both. Not knowing the manufacturer of the bottles you inherited it is impossible to tell. Some easy ones to eliminate from skin use include clove, most cinnamon, wintergreen, etc. 

[kandlekrazy]

I know it's an extra step, but back when I was making soap rather than having just a separate spreadsheet with the fo information and % that were safe, I put a waterproof label on the bottom of each bottle that had the IFRA info I needed so I wasn't wasting time later.  If you do it as soon as your fragrances arrive it doesn't take long.  You can also mark their label but I found fo drips and then you can't read it.

[Ramr]

I did contact the place that sells the FO. They said if I ask for info on a specific FO they will find out for me. Good grief, I have a box full of FOs. Why wouldn't they make this information public on their website? Ridiculous.

 

Tonight I made my 2nd M&P ever. Scented it with a FO that I was so excited about. Wow, did it ever turn out overpoweringly strong. Now, several hours later it is overwhelming the entire house and I am starting to seriously hate it. It makes me ill to think I will end up tossing this soap in the trash, but unless it settles down, WAAYYYY down, that's where it's going! Even now my eyes are watering.

 

I made a 2 pound batch using 1 tsp (5 ml) per pound. That worked fine with the rootbeer FO I used last time. This time the Tobacco FO is ripping my face off! But I do know for certain that this FO is safe to use in soap. Soap that I have to throw away. (weeping)

[Moonstar]

On 12/20/2018 at 6:33 PM, TallTayl said:

Sharing one anecdote, I have broken out from head to toe in hives from soap That had a questionable fragrance. That was not a fun experience. Now every time I come near that fragrance I break out in hives and begin to have a hard time breathing. Anaphylaxis is not something I look forward to.

WOW thats horrible . May I ask what FO that is ? Just curious . Happy New Year