The single most costly ingredient in the making of a batch of handmade soap is the fragrance. Whether it is fragrance oil or essntial oil, it takes up the largest portion of the materials budget. In order to keep your costs down, the handcrafted soap maker must be able to find reasonably priced fragrances in order to be able to sell wholesale soap at a competitive rate.
Have you ever wondered why handmade soap makers all carry that horribly astringent eucalyptus soap that smells like Vicks vapor rub. It is because eucalyptus essential oils is one of the least expensive essntial oils. I submit that you are much better off trading that horrible smelling soap for a nice designer fragrance oil like a love spell knock off. This scent has an amazing blend of light fruity fragrances that is pure heaven.
There are many soap makers who insist on selling just essential oils, no matter how terrible they smell. Most fragrance oils are derived from essential oils and they almost always smell better than pure essential oils.
Securing a reliable fragrance supplier should be one of the most important ongoing tasks of your handmade soap busineess. Especially if you intend on selling to retailers who most certainl;y will insist on significant price breaks in order ot carry your handmade merchandise. Most wholesale fragrance suppliers will themselves give significant price reductions for volume purchases. If you find a good fragrance that sells well don't be afraid to stock up. This will give you more pricing options down the road as you market your products to new and different markets.
One must have fragrance that mixes well with many others is lemon. This is also one of the cheaper essential oils. This standard is a keeper, and you must have this in inventory at all times. Another more expensive mixer is vanilla. This is not a true essential oil, and some excellent fragrance oils can be found at great prices in volume purchases. Keeping these two in stock will save you a lot of momey in the long run as they mix with plenty of other fragrances to create new scents and expand your line without buying too many additional fragrances.