As many of you already know, I am a huge Bramble Berry fan (soap making supplies). Not only do I love the quality of their merchandise and their superb customer service, but I am hugely impressed by the owner/founder, Ann-Marie Faiola. Her work ethic and business model is truly something to be emulated, she has even been named as her states' (Washington) small business of the year (2010). I love the way that She has grown her small company into what I consider to be a very large, small business!
Several times a year Bramble Berry introduces some new, seasonal fragrances. In order to decide which fragrances will make it through their selection process, and end up on the sales shelves, Bramble Berry has a panel of fans/customers to test their top picks. These people, nicknamed the S.O.A.P. panel (of whichever season it is for), test each of the fragrances delivered to them in a recipe of their choice (soap, lotion, scrubs ect.), and then send a detailed report back for Bramble Berry's consideration. Once all the notes are read and compared, Bramble Berry then decides on which fragrance(s) will be introduced that particular season.
Why am I discussing Bramble Berry and their method for adding new fragrances? Because I really, really WANT to be part of the next S.O.A.P. PANEL, that's why!
Before I found Bramble Berry, I had only ever used organic and natural ingredients in my products (soaps and bath and body). If it wasn't an essential oil, a herb, or a flower, it didn't go into any Unique Garden Essences formula. But then I ordered some essential oil and hard products from Bramble Berry, and received a free sample of a fragrance oil. Not one to waste anything, I mixed that fragrance oil with an essential oil and fell in love! The scent was truly divine, and remains one of my personal favorites to this day! It was Champagne fragrance oil and I mixed it with a white grapefruit EO. Then, last year I decided to reformulate my cp soap and created 60 new recipes to test. Since I had so many to test, and since I was really intrigued by all the fragrance names on Bramble Berry, not to mention the cost factor involved with EO's, I decided to treat myself to fragrance oils. Of course the first name on my purchase list was that fantastic Champagne fo. I have to tell you that I have mixed this fragrance oil with many EO's and even some FO's, and it is great! It is very versatile and it truly sparkles like its name sake! Of course I liked all of the fragrance oils I purchased, but some I really LOVED, like the Berrywine and the Kumquat. Both of these were unique, crisp, and just plain wonderful scents. There are so many others that I could gush about, honesty there wasn't one that I tried that I didn't like, but I decided that these were my top three favorites.
Even though the majority of my products continue to be made with EO's, I have to tell you that there are a few FO's that are now part of my line. Some are seasonal and some are permanent, but all are top quality and smell divine! I thank Bramble Berry for opening my mind to this possibility in the first place, for making such quality products, and for being the trust worthy and professional business that they are. Were any one of these aspects missing from the Bramble Berry formula, I would never have even tried one FO, much less the many that I have. And I certainly never would have added any to my product line. So, Thank You Bramble Berry!
Showing posts with label bramble berry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bramble berry. Show all posts
So What Saturday- the Bramble Berry SOAP Panel
I know that I don'd usually post on the weekends, but this special post deserves special attention. Something you all probably don't know, some of my soap, lotion and potion ingredients come all the way from the west coast. To be more precise, they come from my favorite supplier, Bramble Berry. Bramble Berry has a great reputation, not only for its quality supplies, but for excellent customer service, community and charity involvement, and product accountability.
One of the ways that they test their potential new scents is by the SOAP, Soap Opinion (Awesome) Panel, method. They send out eight unlabeled fragrance oils to a group of chosen panelists, and then base their decision to carry the product or not, based upon what the panalists report. For their part, the panalists agree to test the "secret" scents and report on how they react in various product formulations. As you may know, especially when making soap, fragrances can act differently in different products, and this is important information for the maker of those products.
The big thing about this? Well, many, in fact I'd say MOST, supply companies do not know this information. Yes, That is what I said! Most companies do NOT know how their ingredient will act in different types of soaps, let alone other products. Most simply do not care enough to find out for themselves, let alone share that information with their customer base. But Bramble Berry does, and this SOAP panel thing that they frequently do, is one way that they find out this information. It allows them to know what their clients may like, and also allows them to confirm how the fragrance reacts in different product formulations, and all from unbiased testers. Of course this is not the only way that they decide what they will carry, but it is the most enjoyable way for us, the people who hope to be a part of that panel!
To become a member of the SOAP panel, one must simply be chosen. And I would LOVE to be chosen! Before I found Bramble Berry I would never even have considered using anything but an essential oil to scent my products. But Bramble Berry knows there are people like me, and they send out samples with every order. So I kept smelling this wonderful fragrance that I received as a free sample. It is called Arabian Spice, and since Bramble Berry sends enough of a sample to actually use in something, I finally gave in and made a batch of soap with it. OM is all I can say. This is hands down, the best smelling stuff that has ever crossed your nose!
Well, maybe not the best, because I also received a sample of Berrywine
fragrance, and I also made a batch of soap with it, and I LOVED it too!
In fact, I loved it almost as much as I loved the Champagne, Pink Grapefruit (EO), and orange (x10 esential oil) blend that I made!
As I see it now, my largest problem is that I have looked through all the fragrance oils that Bramble Berry offers, and it seems that I want most of them! Yes, it seems that I am becoming a fragrance convert!
Since I cant afford all of my "wants" right now, I am praying to be chosen for the newest SOAP panel, the Summer SOAP panel, so that I can satisfy this fragrance jonesing that I am going through! So PLEASE, please, please, help a person out, PICK ME!
One of the ways that they test their potential new scents is by the SOAP, Soap Opinion (Awesome) Panel, method. They send out eight unlabeled fragrance oils to a group of chosen panelists, and then base their decision to carry the product or not, based upon what the panalists report. For their part, the panalists agree to test the "secret" scents and report on how they react in various product formulations. As you may know, especially when making soap, fragrances can act differently in different products, and this is important information for the maker of those products.
The big thing about this? Well, many, in fact I'd say MOST, supply companies do not know this information. Yes, That is what I said! Most companies do NOT know how their ingredient will act in different types of soaps, let alone other products. Most simply do not care enough to find out for themselves, let alone share that information with their customer base. But Bramble Berry does, and this SOAP panel thing that they frequently do, is one way that they find out this information. It allows them to know what their clients may like, and also allows them to confirm how the fragrance reacts in different product formulations, and all from unbiased testers. Of course this is not the only way that they decide what they will carry, but it is the most enjoyable way for us, the people who hope to be a part of that panel!
To become a member of the SOAP panel, one must simply be chosen. And I would LOVE to be chosen! Before I found Bramble Berry I would never even have considered using anything but an essential oil to scent my products. But Bramble Berry knows there are people like me, and they send out samples with every order. So I kept smelling this wonderful fragrance that I received as a free sample. It is called Arabian Spice, and since Bramble Berry sends enough of a sample to actually use in something, I finally gave in and made a batch of soap with it. OM is all I can say. This is hands down, the best smelling stuff that has ever crossed your nose!
Well, maybe not the best, because I also received a sample of Berrywine
fragrance, and I also made a batch of soap with it, and I LOVED it too!
In fact, I loved it almost as much as I loved the Champagne, Pink Grapefruit (EO), and orange (x10 esential oil) blend that I made!
As I see it now, my largest problem is that I have looked through all the fragrance oils that Bramble Berry offers, and it seems that I want most of them! Yes, it seems that I am becoming a fragrance convert!
Since I cant afford all of my "wants" right now, I am praying to be chosen for the newest SOAP panel, the Summer SOAP panel, so that I can satisfy this fragrance jonesing that I am going through! So PLEASE, please, please, help a person out, PICK ME!
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