Foaming Hand Soap Base Troubleshooting Guide
We want to set you up for success when making your own foaming hand soap! While the process is fun and rewarding, there are a few common issues that might pop up along the way. This guide will help you identify potential problems and provide easy solutions so you can get the best results every time. Let’s troubleshoot together!
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Problem: My soap base turns cloudy after adding fragrance.
Solution: Some cloudiness may occur when you first mix in your fragrance. This cloudiness is most often caused by aeration and micro-bubbling from the agitation when mixing and will go away! Let it cure for 24 hours to settle. If the cloudiness doesn’t go away, the fragrance you chose may not be soluble for that high of a fragrance load. Try reducing your fragrance load percentage and remember, when it comes to fragrance, a little goes a long way!
Problem: My finished soap has changed color.
Solution: Some fragrance oils contain natural ingredients that can cause discoloration. This is only a visual issue and won’t affect the performance of your soap! If you’d like to work around this, try:
✔ Using an opaque or tinted container to mask any unwanted color changes.
✔ Adding a small amount of personal care-safe dye to adjust the color to your preference.
Problem: My fragrance isn’t fully blending into the base.
Solution: If you see a layer of fragrance sitting on top of your soap, there could be two reasons:
✔ Too much fragrance was added - This tends to be the most common issue makers run into. Try reducing the fragrance percentage and mixing again to see if that helps create a clear, uniform blend without any separation.
✔ Poor fragrance solubility properties - Some fragrance oils are poor solubilizers and don’t mix well with water-based formulas, especially at higher fragrance loads. If a particular fragrance cannot achieve the minimum recommended fragrance load of 0.5% and remain clear without separation, then it would be considered incompatible and we recommend not using that particular fragrance oil.
Problem: I don’t know how much fragrance to add! Fragrance load math confuses me!
Solution: No worries! Fragrance calculations can feel tricky, but we’ve got you covered. Instead of stressing over the math, use our easy fragrance load calculator to plug in your info!
REMEMBER: Always check the IFRA document for the fragrance you’re using to determine the maximum allowable usage rate.
✔ Foaming hand soap falls under IFRA Category 9.
✔ MWFC’s Foaming Hand Soap Base can accept up to 2% fragrance load, but that doesn’t mean you NEED to use that much! We recommend staying between 0.5–1% and conducting your own testing to determine this!
➡️ Click here to use our fragrance calculator!
Problem: My soap base has a smell before I add fragrance.
Solution: This is completely normal! The base has a mild, natural soap-like scent, but once you add fragrance, that subtle smell will disappear, leaving you with a beautifully scented final product.
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We LOVE seeing your creations! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @MidwestFragranceCo so we can admire your beautiful foaming soaps in action. 🫧
Happy making! 😊
