Maker's Blend 150 | Wax Melt Fragrance Testing Guide

February 1, 2024

Written by Kenna Hoff

Makers blend 150 testing notes guide wax melts

February 1, 2024

Written by Kenna Hoff

We created this guide to help you get the best performance out of every fragrance oil we carry when using Maker’s Blend 150 for wax melts. Testing is such an important part of the process, that’s why we put together this detailed guide to help you navigate the nuances of each fragrance oil in our collection. Every fragrance has been tested following the same steps— wax was heated to about 200 degrees, fragrance oil added at around 180 degrees (12% fragrance load), and poured at roughly 140 degrees.

We've paid close attention to cold and hot throw across different room sizes and home layouts. Keep in mind, though, that fragrance performance can be personal and subjective—your space, your wax warmers, and even the climate can affect the results.

This is meant to be a starting point for you, not a done for you guide. You will still want to perform your own testing. We have listed some general notes, our take on performance, and even listed a few favorite blend ideas (because you know we love blending)! Don’t be afraid to get creative with blends, and feel free to tweak things until you find the perfect fit for your vibe!

Don't forget to also check out our clamshell molds (6 cavity or single) and our liquid dye for wax melts to really take your products to the next level!

Fragrance Oil	Cold Throw + Hot Throw	Favorite Blends For Wax Melts	General Notes
After Hours	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Dark Kiss, Woodland Hideaway, Frosted Sugar Plum	After Hours works so well in many products but it is great in wax melts as well! It is very soothing and would work well in a spa or zen line.
Agave Nectar + Lime Blossom	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Sweet Strawberry, White Tea, Pink Sugar, Volcano	Mild out of bottle, but really blossoms in wax and the complexity of the scent notes becomes very easily detectable.
Apple Blossom + Almond	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Mild	Dark Kiss, Cherry Amaretto, Love Spell	A sweet, mild fragrance. The sweet almond balances out well with the soft florals and gives it an almost spa-like quality.
Apple Cider + Oak	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Oakmoss + Amber, Leaves, French Bourbon Reserve	A great apple cider scent for fall/winter, especially if you want something ‘earthier’ than a normal apple cider fragrance.
Apple Cider Donut	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	French Bourbon Reserve, Iced Almond Cookies, Pike’s Peak	An absolute must for fall but sells year round. Apple Cider Donut has incredible hot throw and is perfect for bakery lovers.
Apple Pie	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Medium	Bourbon Butterscotch, Barrel-Aged Maple Bourbon, Cinnamon Spice Cake	This scent is a perfect addition to a fall collection or year round. It really is a perfect apple pie scent!
Apples + Maple Bourbon	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Cinnamon Buns, Caramel Maple Swirl	This fragrance is a really great seller, especially during the fall and winter months, but could also be sold in a year round line.
Artisan Bread	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Roasted Honey Butter, Cranberry Apple Marmalade, Wild Sage	This fragrance smells exactly like real fresh baked bread still warm out of the oven! It is perfect to blend with so many things, such as Sweet Strawberry and Peanut Brittle for a PB&J scent!
Aspen Woods	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Chestnut + Birch, Fireside Ember, Macintosh Apple	This fragrance is a great woodsy scent for year-round use. It could be branded to fit a popular state park or forest in your area so it can sell well locally! It would also blend very well with fall or masculine scents.
Autumn Cottage	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Zucchini Bread, Apple Cider Donut, Artisan Bread	Autumn Cottage is an amazing choice for a fall fragrance line. It can also be blended with most cozy bakery scents to bring out more bakery notes.
Baby Powder	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Cotton Candy Dreams, Lavender, High Tide	Perfect for occasions like gender reveals or baby shower gifts. Very strong and not overpowering like some baby powder scents can be.
Baccarat Rouge 540	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Black Cherry Merlot, Palo Santo, Sweater Weather	The notes of this fragrance truly shine when put in wax and it gains so much complexity in product. This fragrance works well in many different products, too!
Baja Cactus Blossom (type)	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Mild	Pink Guava, Cashmere Sugar, Sea Salt + Orchid	A milder, feminine floral that is a very popular fragrance amongst customer bases.
Balsam Fir	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Peppermint, Macintosh Apple, Peppermint Milkshake, Fresh Mint + Eucalyptus	This is a great scent for the holidays or year round. It is a perfect blender for a scent with a ‘pine’ base.
Bamboo + Teakwood	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Mild	Iced Vanilla Woods, Pike’s Peak, Rose Bouquet	Milder and more ‘spa like’ & fresh. Good for use in bathrooms and bedrooms.
Banana Nut Bread	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Blueberry Cobbler, Sugar Cookie Royale, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, French Toast	This fragrance is a VERY popular scent amongst bakery lovers, and can be blended with so many other bakery fragrances! Blend it with Sugar Cookie Royale 50/50 for a banana pudding scent!
Barber Shoppe	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Wild Sage, Iced Vanilla Woods, Oceanside Air	Surprisingly very popular in wax melts, given it’s more commonly used for body products. The hot throw is REALLY pleasant and it fills a room nicely.
Barrel Aged Maple Bourbon	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Apples + Maple Bourbon, Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Leaves	It’s sweeter out of bottle, but once in product it surprisingly smells more masculine. It has a lot of depth!
Beija Flor Cheirosa 68 (type)	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Pink Dragonfruit, Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Love Spell	Out of bottle, this fragrance seems lighter, but the hot throw is amazing when melting and lasts for a long time!
Bergamot + Sandalwood	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Black Ice, Iced Vanilla Woods, Tobacco + Bay Leaf	This fragrance is an earthy scent that is made more upscale and elevated by the addition of bergamot. It would work well in a luxe line!
Bite Me	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Key Lime, Pink Sugar, Love Spell, Volcano	This version of Bite Me has an effervescent quality to it and actually smells fizzy! It has a lot of depth out of bottle and it’s even better when put in wax..
Bitter Peach	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Oakmoss + Amber, Sherlock’s Study, Dragon’s Blood	Bitter Peach gains much more complexity and depth once put in product. It is very sophisticated and would work well for products geared towards men!
Black Amber + Lavender	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Dark Kiss, Sherlock’s Study, Midnight Moonflower	BA+L smells very dark, mysterious, and earthy. It is extremely versatile and can be used year round for any product line or paired with a theme!
Black Cherry Merlot (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Pink Sugar, Sea Salt + Orchid, Blueberry Cobbler, Rose Bouquet	VERY nice cherry merlot fragrance without any artificial smell. Amazing throw that lasts a long time.
Black Currant + Absinthe	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Peach Nectar, Dark Kiss, Love Spell, Dark Amber Rosewood	One of MWFC’s strongest in parasoy wax melts. Very dark, luxe, sultry; bordering on a masculine fragrance.
Black Ice (type)	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Medium	Bergamot + Sandalwood, Balsam Fir, Leather	While this scent is a best seller for car fresheners, it also sells extremely well for wax melts too. Customers love it, especially if they know it is inspired by the little tree's fragrance.
Black Raspberry + Vanilla (type)	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Sugared Vanilla Wafflecone, Raspberry Custard Tart, French Toast	This fragrance is perfect for spring and Valentine’s Day. It is a great fruity scent on its own, but also great when blended with bakery scents.
Black Sea	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Sea Salt + Orchid, Dark Amber Rosewood, Love Spell, Sweater Weather	This scent is an amazing masculine fragrance that is EXTREMELY strong and perfect on its own, but amazing to blend with as well. Great for a ‘dark and mysterious’ vibe.
Blazing Bonfire	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Pike’s Peak, Sweater Weather, Oceanside Air, Marshmallow Fireside	This fragrance is super deceiving when smelling out of bottle. Once in wax, it smells absolutely incredible! Give it a chance in product and you will not be disappointed!
Blue Hawaiian Punch	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Black Cherry Merlot, Pink Sugar, Lemon Unhinged	This scent is perfect for summer and also does great for a kids’/nostalgia/throwback theme. Amazing alone but also perfect to blend with other tropical scents.
Blueberry Cobbler	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Zucchini Bread, Lemon Sugar Cake, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles	This fragrance packs a PUNCH and is very strong in melts. The oil is typically a yellow/brown color, so try to plan around that with your wax melt design choices. EX: More blue dye may be needed to balance out the yellow FO coloration, so your wax melts do not end up green.
Blueberry Pecan Waffles	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Caramel Maple Swirl, Sweet Strawberry	This fragrance is not only great, but a great blender that you can use as a base for other ‘waffle’ blends. Such as, blended with Sweet Strawberry, you can make a strawberry waffle scent!
Bom Dia Bright Cheirosa 40 (type)	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Queen of the Night, Black Amber + Lavender, Frosted Sugar Plum	This fragrance is soft and feminine, with floral notes that are balanced out with a nice creaminess. Really blooms once in wax!
Bourbon Butterscotch (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Apple Pie, Marshmallow Fireside, French Bourbon Reserve	This scent is INSANELY strong and incredibly good. It is amazing on it’s own, but also blends well with other fragrances.
Brazilian Crush Cheirosa 71 (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Peach Nectar, Sea Salt + Orchid	This fragrance has a lot of depth in wax melts and is extremely strong in a wax melter. Very sweet and heavy on the vanilla! When blending, be sure to use less of this fragrance so it doesn’t overpower others.
Brown Sugar + Fig (type)	Cold Throw: Mild Hot Throw: Strong	Lavender, Roasted Pine Cone, Spiced Winter Tea	Smells light out of bottle, and has a mild cold throw, but the hot throw is amazing. Just trust the process and try it in wax, you will love it!
Bum Bum (type)	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Mango + Coconut Milk, Strawberry Pound Cake, Mahogany Coconut, Champagne Toast	Bum Bum is usually used for body products, but this scent is amazing in wax melts and is a best seller!
Butt Naked	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Sea Salt + Orchid, Sweet Strawberry, Pink Sands	This is an amazing seller that is perfect for summer or to keep for a year round fruity scent! It has a very strong cold and hot throw in wax melts.
Cactus + Sea Salt	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Macintosh Apple, Pink Guava, Cucumber + Melon	This fragrance is extremely fresh, clean, and crisp. Can be used alone or blends very well with a fruity fragrance.
Cactus Water	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Honeydew + Coconut Cream, Rose Bouquet, Oceanside Air	Cactus Water is a great ‘green’ fragrance for spring and summer, or even year round. It can also be used as a ‘plant’ or ‘greenhouse’ scent.
Caramel Maple Swirl	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Espresso, Dark Roast, Macintosh Apple, French Bourbon Reserve	This fragrance is perfect for blending or to be used on its own! It is extremely strong and absolutely delicious.
Cashmere Sugar	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Black Cherry Merlot, Queen of the Night, Smoked Cedar + Oud	When used in blending, this fragrance needs a very little percentage. It is very easy for this scent to overpower the other, so keep this in mind for your blends.
Cedar Musk + Lavender	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Black Sea, Dark Amber Rosewood, Leather	This is an amazing masculine fragrance and perfect for a year round line. It is inspired by Mahogany Teakwood (type)!
Champagne Toast	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Tangerine Passion, Cosmic Berry, Bum Bum, Cotton Candy Dreams	This scent is a great seller due to it being a dupe of one of B&BW’s best sellers. Blends very well with other sweet and fruity scents.
Cherry Amaretto	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Midnight Peony, Lavender, Lilac	This scent has very noticeable almond/cherry notes and blends surprisingly well with florals. The creamy almond and the sweet cherry really balance out strong florals.
Cherry Lemonade Twist	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Blue Hawaiian Punch, Pink Sugar, Lavender	This strong fragrance packs a punch and is perfect to blend with other fruity scents, or even florals.
Chestnut + Birch (type)	Cold Throw: Mild Hot Throw: Medium	Marshmallow Fireside, Vanilla Bliss, Iced Vanilla Woods	This scent is great on its own but also blends well with vanillas that pair amazingly with the woodsy chestnut vibe.
Chocolate	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Sweet Strawberry, Black Cherry Merlot, Marshmallow Fireside, Iced Almond Cookies	This fragrance is INCREDIBLE to blend with. Pair with strawberry or cherry for a chocolate covered fruit scent, or Marshmallow Fireside for a hot chocolate scent, or Iced Almond Cookies for a cookies & cream scent!
Christmas Cabin	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Balsam Fir, Orange Cranberry Spice, Juniperberry + Pine	Christmas Cabin is perfect for the holidays, and is a scent that encapsulates what everyone loves about the holiday season, so it can be marketed in many different ways!
Cinnamon Buns	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Espresso, Dark Amber Rosewood, Caramel Maple Swirl, Macintosh Apple	This version of Cinnamon Buns is heavy on cinnamon and spice, as it should be! Perfect for a great selling cinnamon buns scent, but also a GREAT blender for a blend that needs some strong, heavy cinnamon.
Cinnamon Spice Cake	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Sugar Cookie Royale	This fragrance is a lot like Cinnamon Buns, but more cake-y! You can smell the buttery crust in it, and it is delicious!
Citronella	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Wild Sage, Fresh Cut Grass, Lavender	Citronella is known to ward off bugs while sitting outside during the summer months. You can make this scent in wax melts and suggest for your customers to use it outside with a tea light wax warmer!
Clean Cotton	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Pink Sugar, Love Spell, Lavender, High Tide, Fresh Lemon, Sweet Strawberry	Perfect for a clean laundry scent that customers are obsessed with. Also blends VERY well with sweeter fragrances like Pink Sugar and Love Spell!
Coastal Waters	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Pike’s Peak, Black Amber + Lavender, Fresh Lemon, Sea Salt + Orchid	This fragrance is fresh, clean and amazing for summer. You can also blend it with a more earthy scent like Pike’s Peak to give it a more ‘fresh water’ vibe.
Cocoa Butter Cashmere	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Very Strong	Sea Salt + Orchid, Barrel-Aged Maple Bourbon, Spiced Vanilla + Cinnamon, Dark Amber Rosewood	This is another fragrance that is deceiving out of bottle and with its cold throw. It is VERY strong when melted and customers that try it are obsessed with it.
Cosmic Berry	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Cashmere Sugar, Galactic Skies, Midnight Moonflower, Champagne Toast, White Cake	Cosmic Berry is fantastic and can be used alone or in several different blends. It can be paired with other berries or fruity scents, bakery scents, or can even help to balance out strong florals.
Cotton Candy Dreams	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Lavender, Macintosh Apple, Pineapple Sage, Pink Sugar, Cosmic Berry, Champagne Toast	This is a review of the newest revised version, which is much stronger than the old version. It is a perfect, accurate cotton candy scent!
Cracklin’ Birch	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Dark Amber Rosewood, Patchouli, Roasted Pine Cone	This fragrance is great for a dark, earthy bonfire type scent, and can also be used for a warm fireplace type scent!
Cranberry + Clove	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Cinnamon Spice Cake, Cranberry Woods, Christmas Cabin, Balsam Fir	This scent is heavy on the clove with a nice cranberry base. It is perfect for a spicy and sweet winter fragrance.
Cranberry Apple Marmalade	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Artisan Bread, Apple Cider Donut, Brown Sugar + Fig	This fragrance is very strong! Tart and spicy at the same time! Great for the holidays and can be blended to fit into any line.
Cranberry Woods	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Balsam Fir, Christmas Cabin, Roasted Pine Cone	Unlike Cranberry + Clove, this fragrance is noticeably more earthy, less spicy, and heavier on the woodsy notes.
Cucumber + Melon (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Love Spell, Black Raspberry + Vanilla, White Tea, High Tide, Bum Bum	This nostalgic fragrance is one that customers will LOVE and can be blended very easily with other scents. Pairs extremely well with oceanic fragrances!
Dark Amber Rosewood	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Strong	Oakmoss + Amber, Cocoa Butter Cashmere, Rose Bouquet, Sherlock’s Study	This fragrance is one of MWFC’s best sellers for a reason. It is amazing and customers absolutely love it. It can also be blended very easily with other things to add a ‘masculine’ vibe.
Dark Kiss (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Pink Dragonfruit, Love Spell, Black Sea, Black Cherry Merlot	Dark Kiss is PERFECT for a dark, sultry, sexy feminine fragrance. It is perfect by itself but also so fun to blend with.
Dark Roast	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Chocolate, Caramel Maple Swirl, French Toast, Peppermint Milkshake	Dark Roast is perfect if you are going for a sweeter coffee fragrance. It is great to blend with other scents as well for a flavored coffee scent.
Delicia Drench Cheirosa 68	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Very Strong	White Cake, Cashmere Sugar, Love Spell	Smelling OOB, this fragrance might not seem like it is as strong, but it has amazing hot throw that lasts for days. It is incredible in wax melts!
Dragon’s Blood	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Dark Amber Rosewood, Palo Santo, Rose Bouquet, Patchouli	This fragrance is wildly popular with the incense lovers, and it is amazing in wax.
Emerald Grove	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	High Tide, Macintosh Apple, Sunkissed Paradise	Emerald Grove is an amazing fresh and fruity scent that would be great to include on a year round product line. It has amazing throw, lasts for a long time, and is loved by most people that smell it!
Endless Weekend (type)	Cold Throw: Mild Hot Throw: Medium	Pink Guava, Sunset Citrus, Coastal Waters	Endless Weekend is a soft, feminine scent that is very versatile and can be renamed to fit almost any line or theme!
Espresso	Cold Throw: Very Strong Hot Throw: Very Strong	Caramel Maple Swirl, Cinnamon Buns, Marshmallow Fireside	Espresso is an amazing coffee scent that isn’t too sweet, and like Dark Roast it can be blended with almost anything to make whatever coffee themed fragrance you want to achieve.
Everlasting Autumn	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Cedar Musk + Lavender, Leaves, Wine Country	This fragrance would be a great scent for a fall leaves themed product. It smells like stepping outside on a crisp fall day. This fragrance is complex and features earthy, spicy, fruity, and masculine notes that all pair together well.
Fireside Ember	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Strong	Merry Memories, Sherlock’s Study, Toasted Pumpkin Spice	Fireside Ember is a great fragrance for a fireplace or bonfire themed scent that is more earthy and masculine leaning. It would be a great blender with other scents as well to make a camping themed fragrance!
Flannel (type)	Cold Throw: Strong Hot Throw: Medium	Roasted Pine Cone, Black Ice, Sweater Weather, Blazing Bonfire	This masculine fragrance is great for autumn and winter, but can also be marketed year round. Can be blended with a lot of different things to give it a more ‘musky’ scent.
Frankincense + Myrrh	Cold Throw: Medium Hot Throw: Medium	Balsam Fir, Patchouli, White Tea, Palo Santo	This fragrance is great for the holidays, especially if marketed with a Christmas themed name OR can be used year round as an incense type scent.
French Bourbon Reserve