When it comes to fashionable trends, the little black dress never goes out of style. As with fashion, there are several popular scents for soap on the market that are always timeless staples. It makes complete sense. Soap fragrance is very much a signature style so consumers will always look for new and exciting scents to be inspired by and, to express their personality, individualism and style.
Top 5 Popular Scents for Soap
Soap scents, and indeed scents and fragrances in general, are very much based on or influenced by our personal feelings, tastes, opinions and experiences. However, when we research the data and market trends within the fragrance industry, it becomes clear that the most popular scents for soaps, no matter the season, that are in constant demand from consumers in no particular order are as follows;
Lavender
Used for centuries, the sweet, soothing, relaxing and long-lasting signature fragrance of lavender is a very popular scent for soap. Furthermore, lavender is believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Some research suggests that lavender may be useful for treating anxiety, insomnia, depression and restlessness.
Milk & Honey
Cleopatra reportedly used donkey’s milk for her baths, and it’s believed she also added honey and lavender to the milk, with scattered rose petals floating in her bath. As such, it’s no surprise that the luxurious, highly moisturising, sweet and creamy paring of milk and honey continues to be a popular scent for soap.
Rose
The expression to “stop and smell the roses” has long been a clichéd way of saying slow down, enjoy life, notice the beauty along the way. What better fragrance than to have rose scented soap in your daily bathing ritual? Rose has long been known for its natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and astringent properties. Rose is also full of natural oils and Vitamin C which is thought to help in the hydration and brightening of dry and dull skin.
Rosemary and Mint
The woody scent of rosemary perfectly coupled with the freshness and zing of mint continues to be a very popular scent for soaps. The invigorating combination is a particular favourite in salons and spas worldwide and, is thought to help stimulate and improve memory.
Sweet Orange
Zesty, uplifting and bright. Sweet orange not only lends itself to a feeling of cleanliness, its known antibacterial properties are excellent for all skin types, especially those with dry and acne prone skin types.
What Can Be Used To Scent Homemade Soap
The most common products used to scent homemade soap is to add either a pure essential oil or a fragrance oil. We also often hear and see people adding textural elements to their home made soap when experimenting. Products like coffee granules, sea salt, oats and pieces of herbs and flowers are often used to create a more naturally fragrant, visually striking and exfoliate soap bar. However, as with any topical application to your skin, it’s extremely important to know what you are putting on your skin so as not to cause any skin irritation or harm ones-self. Be sure to always thoroughly check and research the ingredients of your fragrance oil, essential oil or other scented additives prior to adding to your homemade soap. Soap ideally needs to actually benefit your skin, leaving it cleansed, moisturised and feeling nourished.
Popular Soap Scent Combinations
Citrus, spice, floral, herb and wood are just a few scent families when it comes to grouping scents that have been coupled together because of their similarities and complimentary differences.
The Fragrance Wheel, developed by Michael Edwards a fragrance expert, captures and illustrates that scent groups closer together share characteristics in their fragrances, while scent groups that are further apart on the wheel are less closely related in terms of fragrance.
Each of these scent groups have a myriad of fragrances that sit within their family and, each family has what is referred to as a note; top/head notes, middle/heart notes, and base notes. Just like in a musical song, certain notes have more pleasing harmony when paired together than others. As such, it’s no wonder that some of the most popular soap scent combinations are in fact those that are “neighbours” – fragrances paired together that sit side by side in subfamilies. Furthermore, “opposite” fragrance subfamilies, so those that appear directly across from the selected subfamily also pair very well together.
Popular soap scent combinations are;
- Lavender and Rosemary
- Rosemary and Lemon
- Frangipani and Gardenia
- Sandalwood and Patchouli
- Lemongrass and Lemon Myrtle
Overwhelmed by the amount of possible combinations to create a popular soap fragrance? The team at Fragrance Innovation Australia would love nothing more than to help you create a signature combination for your brand.
