Would either of these ingredients cause a base to have a bad "base smell"?

[DonnaPatrick]

Would either of these 2 ingredients cause a base to have a bad smell? Steryl Alcohol or BHT ?

JS & New Directions Aromatics both carry a body butter base. The ingredients are exactly the same & listed in the same order, except for those 2 ingredients.

Here is JS:

Ingredients:

• Purified Water

• Sweet Almond Oil

• Sunflower Seed Oil

• Coconut Oil

• Emulsifying Wax

• Safflower Seed Oil

• Grapeseed Oil

• Beeswax

• Glycerine (By Product of Soap Manufacturing)

• Petrolatum

• Cetyl Alcohol

• Jojoba Oil

• Methyl Paraben (Preservative)

• Propyl Paraben (Preservative)

• Cocoa Butter

• Shea Butter

Here is New Directions:

INCI Ingredients:

• Purified Water

• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil)

• Helianthus Annus (Sunflower Seed Oil)

• Coconut Oil

• Emulsifying Wax

• Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower Seed Oil)

• Grapeseed Oil

• Beeswax

• Steryl Alcohol

• Glycerine (By Product of Soap Manufacturing)

• Petrolatum

• Cetyl Alcohol

• Jojoba Oil

• Methyl Paraben (Preservative)

• Propyl Paraben (Preservative)

• Cocoa Butter

• Shea Butter

• BHT

NDA has some customer reviews & they are about 95% favorable, except for one or two people who claim that the base had a base "smell" that was hard to cover up without adding alot of FO to it. Would just those 2 ingredients(Steryl Alcohol or BHT) cause that? NDA would be cheaper for me, but I don't want a hard base to cover up.

[socoolsoap]

I've used both in my own formulations (we don't use bases) and never noticed an off smell, and I have a good nose, so I've been told.

Anyhow, I'd purchase samples first and test them with some of your fo's and see how they turn out. Testing is key regardless of what anyone else tells you.

[carmellajarvis]

I ordered unrefined shea butter and sent it right back, I could not cover the smell with any FO.

It may be the difference in the shea butter that they are using. Refined does not have a smell. Unrefined smells very bad to me. It almost smells like a smokey camp fire is the best way I could describe it.