Soap Additives

[ Soap Recipes ]

There are a wide variety of additives used in soapmaking that add scent, texture, color, and other properties to the finished product.

Essential Oils

Also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, essences and absolutes; essential oils are highly concentrated extracts of the flowers, leaves, petals or berries of fragrant botanicals. More...

Fragrance Oils

Fragrance oils are man-made fragrances and are usually less expensive. Essential oils are sometimes included in fragrance formulations, but fragrance oils offer greater options by creating scents that are unavailable in essential oils. More...

Herbs

An herb is a plant or plant part that is valued for its medicinal, aromatic, or savory properties. More...

Exfoliants

Exfoliants added to cold process soapmaking include oatmeal, almond meal, yellow cornmeal, wheat germ, cranberry seeds, and brans, among others. More...

Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera gel is a substance expressed from the leaf of the aloe plant and is said to have potent anti-inflammatory, healing, hydrating, and soothing properties. More...

Benzoin Absolute

This is used as a fixative for fragrances in soaps. Follow manufacturer's instructions and use use sparingly as some people have adverse reactions to it. More...

Borax

Borax is a white crystalline mineral that is composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. More...

Butters

While butters can be added to total base oils in cold process soapmaking, they are often added to a formulation at trace for emolliency (moisturizing) properties. More...

Calendula Flowers

Calendula flowers are added to help soften dry skin. More...

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an additive commonly used as a natural deodorizer that also has antiseptic properties. More...

Clay

There are a variety of clays to choose from, Bentonite and Glacial to name a few. More...

Colors

Spices, herbs, liquid colors, and pigments are among additives that are used to color soaps. More...

Kelp

Kelp is best added in powdered form. More...

Lemon

Lemon can be added as a liquid (fresh or reconstituted juice) or the peel can be grated and used as an abrasive. More...

Milk

Milk is often added at trace in many forms including powdered, fresh, or canned. Milk contributes to a milder bar of soap. More...

Natural Colorants

Alkanet root provides a range in color of blue and purple shades, coffee and cinnamon add brown shades, ground rosehips add reddish shades and sea clay adds green shades. More...

Rosemary Extract

Rosemary extract is also known as nature's best antioxidant and is a good choice for treating oils that are prone to spoilage. More...

Rosemary Oil

The oil of rosemary is not to be confused with rosemary extract. More...

Sugar

Sugar is often used in recipes for making clear soap. Sugar is also the main ingredient in sugar scrubs. More...

Salt

Salt is used by commercial soapmakers to separate glycerin from their soap. More...

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is a powerful antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-viral, insect repellant that is used to treat a variety of skin and other conditions. More...

Natural Deodorizers

Coffee, cinnamon, and lemon essential oil are among the additives commonly used as natural deodorizers. More...

Emollients

Glycerin, aloe vera, honey, cocoa butter, mango butter, and olive butter are among the additive and ingredients used to add emolliency in cold-process soapmaking. More...

Adapted from several sites, including mortarandpestle.net, soapexpressions.com, soapwizards.com, sfsoaps.com, and soap-making-supplies.com.