# Deciding on Scents



## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

I've been trying new scents and have it narrowed down to a few that I know I want to keep in the line up. I want to run my scent list by some of you pros so you can tell me what I need or do not need. I don't have much experience with customers so I don't know what sells and what doesn't. I know I don't want to wind up with all berry and citrus scents. Of course my goal is to have something for everyone. I want to keep my number of scents at or around 15. Here's what I have so far:

Yuzu (citrus)
Oatmeal & Honey
Lemon Ice
White Tea & Ginger
Goji Berry Bliss
Masculine Musk
Rosemary Mint
Sweet Pea
Unscented

What am I missing?


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

You need a lavender. Everybody requests it. Maybe a clean spa type scent?


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Ok. I just soaped a nice lavender scent. I have one called "Clean Cotton". Maybe it would do for the "clean" scent. 

Thanks Heather!


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Must have lavender. I sell a lot of sandalwood and vanilla sandalwood. Also I sell a good bit of Rose ( I use Aroma Haven Victorian Rose and Rose Geranium FO's)
Must have EO soaps for my area would be tea tree, peppermint, PATCHOULI (always), and Lemongrass.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

I have Patchouli, Peppermint, and Lemongrass FO's, do I also need the EO's? I will add the Rose and Vanilla Sandalwood. Thanks, Lanell.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Adillenal,
Do you use a Fo Ptchouli? and how about vanilla. I have tried so many of these two and can not find any I like.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I use Patchouli EO. I have a small customer base that uses only EO soaps so that is why I have a small line of EO soaps. 
I used to have a fabulous vanilla but the goat soaper that sold that FO quit selling oils and I honestly have not found another vanilla that I like.
I use the vanilla sandalwood from Elements ( I think) and the plain sandalwood from Bertsheavenscents.

Oh forgot about Bluebonnet but that may just be a Texas thing.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

I haven't found a vanilla I like either. I soaped one a couple of days ago that is definitely the best so far. It's Vanilla Buttercream from WSP. I've had several people ask for vanilla. I'm thinking about ordering Warm Vanilla Sugar from WSP. It has good reviews. I will check out the sandalwood scents you use. Thanks for the resources. Never heard of those two before.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Carli, I know this is not the season but I don't see any food scent. Something yummy you want to bite into. Black raspberry vanilla has been a HUGE hit here. Perfect summer scent in my opinion. I also only see one specifically masculine smell, I have some that are musky and than some that are cleaner and fresher smelling. I have to say I don't know what to picture under Goji Berry ???? Eucalyptus has been a good one for us, folks either don't like it or they love it and that's what they ask for. Great for cooling down after a long summer day, if you get stuck with inventory, it will be good for Christmas. Some folks are turned off by a dark brown vanilla scent so make sure you know how much it discolors.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Lol I don't know what a Goji Berry is either, but it smells great!!! I will probably just call that one Berry Bliss. I was thinking about adding a Blueberry Muffin scent. I have soaped it before and I have a couple of customers that love it.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

And with whatever EO's you decide to soap, I would use only natural colorants for those, or no color, as well. Satisfies the "natural" crowd.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Black Raspberry Vanilla has been, hands down, my best seller since I started selling soap. It's not WSP but I have a sample of Peak's Warm Vanilla Sugar and I was sniffing it the other day thinking I should order a larger amount. I haven't soaped it yet but it sure does smell yummy OOB!


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

I have soaped a nice Black Raspberry Vanilla. Maybe I should replace the Berry Bliss with BRV.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Carli, actually a show would be a good way to see what folks like and what they don't. Take Berry Bliss and Black Raspberry Vanilla and then carry one of the other at the show. Sometimes the name sells, Dragon's blood being one of them  I would also offer a pre-packaged (nice cello bag with ribbon) trio of naked soaps, with similar theme, like foodsy, floral or masculine. Oh, and I am missing COFFEE in your line. Gotta have coffee, frappe, cappuccino, etc. And I found out that women buy soap with their taste buds, what better way to smell all the great food and gain no calories, lol. I would name Goji Berry as Berry Bliss also. Or just Bliss, makes folks wonder what that smells like and grab the bar to bring to their nose, I get that with Love Spell, Dreamcatcher, etc.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I dunno about the coffee...I made a coffee soap and it did not sell at all. In fact, without even smelling it, most people's comments were not positive. Agree completely on the lavender, you must have that, and BRV is awesome. I am one of those women who does not like most foodie type scents, but I love my BRV (it has a green note to it, and is not heavy on the vanilla), my Honey, and my Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. I want a warm vanilla sugar but so far have been disappointed with what I've tried. Also I would think you'd want one sort of woodsy/piney smell.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Yes, coffee is a hate/love thing , and I think it also needs to be the right scent. Our amaretto did well for holidays last year.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

just curious- anyone else sell tea tree? besides LaNell?


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I've done tea tree and it does fairly well. It was requested by a customer and I've sold all I've made. I like it in blends with citrus, etc.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

For every market or festival there are increasingly divers types of customers, so what sells for someone in Oklahoma, does not sell for me in Virginia. To ask for a critique on your scent line is going to be subjective. You need to cover all bases: sweet, clean, masculine, herbal, the proverbial hippie, romantic and unusual. I cover the unusual with my recipe. For masculine, I would do a woodsy/oak moss type, I soap Burmese Wood from WSP and really everyone loves it, Sandalwood and a Patchouli blend. Straight patch does not sell for me. Florals : Lilac, Sweet Pea, White Tea with anything even Patchouli, small amounts of Rose. Herbals: lavender with just about anything. I make a Lavender Clementine which is awesome. Rosemary and your mints are included. Food Scents do not sell well for me so I avoid them. Clean would be Lemon scents: lemon verbena, Lemongrass & bamboo, lemongrass & patchouli, and eucalyptus & spearmint,. The closest I get to a food scent is oatmeal, milk & honey or BRV. I tried a chocolate that came out smelling great, like a Tootsie Roll. That was 2 years ago and I still have 4 bars left of the original 16!

It is sooo personal, what you have in your scent repertoire, that it is difficult for any of us to suggest or critique your line up. I hope this helps. You need to do a lot of markets to judge your customers to know what sells for you and how fast. That sort of information will guide you in your choices.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, I am near Austin so that might explain the love of anything Patchouli. I had never heard of it until I started making soap and selling at markets and kept getting requests for it. Can't keep ahead of it. Always running low. The aging hippie market is alive and well in my area. And that is my age group too.

And I agree that food scents are not the best sellers in my area either. now I like them but not a lot of cutomers buy them.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I had never heard of it....................GROAN!!!!!!!


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I do a Tea Tree because I kept getting asked for it. Straight Tea Tree. I can see my Vicki calls it "Just Soap". Although it does have a "cleaner" smell to it than unscented soap.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Jennifer is right, all the input you are going to get are mere suggestions, something to consider and try - it takes a little whitle to bulid the right range of scents. What some customers love, others hate and I have two ladies taking my soap to work - the slowest seller for one is the best seller for the other, and this is within 20 mile radius  Sometimes it's psychological - I had a scent that I liked a lot but it was not a fast mover. I figured I won't make it again, until I was down to the last two bars and then everyone went crazy wanting that one and asking me to make more. Now it sells well. LOL


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

And don't be afraid to think outside the box...I have a soap that is a Christmas scent, that I am renaming to have available year round, at least to one of the stores that carries my soap, because it is the store owner's very favorite scent.


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