Adding Fragrance Oils to Shampoo and Hand Wash Bases

For adding fragrances like Blooming Bouquet (compare to Miss Dior) and English Pear & Freesia (compare to Jo Malone) into a shampoo or hand wash base, here are the details:

1. Can they be added directly without a solvent?

Yes, you can generally add these fragrances directly into surfactant-based products like Sulfate Free Shampoo Base or SweetWash™ Hand (Hand Wash Foaming Base).

• Reason: The surfactants (cleansing agents) already present in the base act as natural solubilizers that help disperse the fragrance oil into the water-based formula.
• Usage Rate: Typically, 0.5% to 1% of fragrance is sufficient. If you are using 10 grams total (5g + 5g), this would be suitable for a 1,000-gram batch (1%).

2. Will it affect the base?

Adding fragrance oils can affect the physical characteristics of the base in two main ways:

• Clarity: If the amount of fragrance is too high for the surfactants to handle, the base may become cloudy or opaque instead of remaining clear.
• Viscosity (Thickness): Fragrance oils can sometimes "break" the thickness of a surfactant system, making the shampoo or hand wash more watery.

Recommendations:

• Small Batch Test: Always perform a small test (e.g., 50-100g of base) first to see how the specific fragrance interacts with your chosen base.
• Mixing: Add the fragrance slowly and stir gently to avoid creating excessive bubbles.
• Solubilizer: If you find that the base becomes cloudy or the oil separates, you may need to pre-mix the fragrance with a solubilizer (such as FloraSolv™) in a 1:1 to 1:3 ratio before adding it to the base.

Related Products:

• Blooming Bouquet (compare to Miss Dior)
• English Pear & Freesia (compare to Jo Malone)
• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base (pH 7, Clear, Foaming)
• SweetWash™ Hand (Hand Wash Foaming Base)
• SweetWash™ Hair (Shampoo Foaming Base Built-in fixative)