Adding Fragrance Oil to Lightweight Brightening Lotion Formula

Yes, you can add fragrance oil to your lotion formula to give it a pleasant scent. Your formula contains ingredients suitable for a lightweight, brightening, and soothing lotion.

Here's how adding fragrance oil fits with your formula and some considerations:

• Compatibility: Fragrance oils are generally compatible with lotion formulas, especially those containing an oil phase and emulsifiers like your Silky Serum Base Plus.
• Desired Texture (Lightweight, Non-sticky): Fragrance oils are oily. Adding too much can potentially make the lotion feel heavier or slightly sticky. To maintain a lightweight feel, it's best to use a low concentration of fragrance oil, typically between 0.1% and 1% for body lotions.
• Incorporation without a Mixer: This is the main challenge. Fragrance oil needs to be well-dispersed. Without a mixer, you will need to rely on thorough manual stirring. Add the fragrance oil to the oil phase or mix it with the Silky Serum Base Plus before combining with the water phase. Stir continuously and vigorously for several minutes to ensure it is fully incorporated. Be aware that manual stirring might not achieve the same level of dispersion or long-term stability as using a mechanical mixer.
• Scent Strength and Longevity: Adding fragrance oil will provide the desired scent. The strength will depend on the amount added and the specific fragrance oil. Since you want a scent similar to perfume lotion but not necessarily as strong or long-lasting as a perfume, a lower percentage should work. The Flora Fix™ you are already using is a fragrance fixative, which will help the scent last longer in your lotion than it would without it.
• Brightening and Soothing: Adding fragrance oil will not negatively impact the effectiveness of your brightening ingredients like Perfect-C™ (Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate) or soothing ingredients like German Chamomile Extract (Natural Bisabolol). Your formula also includes Vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol) for antioxidant benefits, Xanthan Gum for thickening the water phase, Purified Water as the base, and Mild Preserved Eco™ for preservation.

Recommendation:

1. Test Small Batches: Always start by making a small test batch of your finished lotion.
2. Add Fragrance: Add a low percentage of fragrance oil (e.g., 0.1% or 0.2%) to the oil/base phase of your test batch.
3. Manual Mixing: Stir the mixture thoroughly and continuously by hand for several minutes to ensure the fragrance oil is well-dispersed.
4. Observe: Check the test batch after 24-48 hours for any signs of separation, changes in texture, or issues with the scent.
5. Adjust: If the texture is acceptable but the scent is too weak, try a slightly higher percentage in another test batch. Do not exceed the maximum recommended usage rate for the specific fragrance oil.

While adding fragrance is possible with your formula, achieving optimal stability and a perfectly smooth texture without a mixer requires careful manual technique and testing. Using a fragrance solubilizer like Flora Solve™ Clear could potentially help with dispersion, but given your formula structure with Silky Serum Base Plus, incorporating the fragrance into the oil/base phase is the more standard approach.