Making your own soap means you can create a unique product, from the fragrance right through to the colour. But between liquid soap and solid soap, the manufacturing methods and the ingredients used are different.
Which base should you choose, and which rules must you follow to sell your creations? We explain everything you need to know to get started making your own scented soaps.
Solid soap or liquid soap: what are the differences?
Liquid and solid soaps have the same function: cleansing the skin. However, they differ in texture, composition and manufacturing method.
At Terre de Bougies, we offer two solutions for making your own soaps: a neutral liquid soap base and solid Melt & Pour bases, to personalise as you wish. They are more accessible alternatives to cold process (CP) soap making, a traditional method of making soap from fats and lye. More technical, cold process calls for specific knowledge and precautions.
Liquid soap: a natural base to personalise
To make your own liquid soap, we offer a neutral base made in Provence, produced by the traditional saponification of olive and coconut vegetable oils. Formulated with ingredients of natural origin, it is vegan and fragrance-free.
This raw material lets you create your own liquid soap formula, in particular by adding a fragrance that is compatible with its composition and suitable for rinse-off cosmetic use.
No need to carry out the saponification yourself: you start from a ready-formulated base that you can personalise!
Melt & Pour solid soap: a simple, creative method
Melt & Pour, which does exactly what the name says, is one of the most accessible methods for making solid soap at home.
The principle is simple: melt a soap base, add a fragrance and, if you like, a dye, then pour the mixture into a mould. All that is left to do is let it cool, and you have a personalised soap!
At Terre de Bougies, we offer a range of Melt & Pour bases, including white and transparent bases, so you can vary your creations and visual effects.
This method does not involve handling any caustic soda: an ideal solution for beginners who want to experiment with fragrances, colours and shapes.
How to make Melt & Pour soap in 4 steps
Melt & Pour soap is made in four steps: cut up the base, melt it at around 75°C, mix in your additives, then pour it and let it harden.
Equipment you will need
- A Melt & Pour base (see our comparison below)
- A saucepan and a heat-resistant container for the bain-marie
- A kitchen thermometer
- A silicone spatula
- Precision scales
- Silicone soap moulds
- A spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- Your additives
Keep these utensils for your creations only: do not use them for cooking afterwards.
Step 1: cut
Remove the base from its packaging and cut it into small pieces so that it melts evenly.
Step 2: melt
Heat the base in a bain-marie to around 75°C. Stir gently to prevent it from boiling and to get an even melt.
Step 3: mix
Add the additives your formulation requires, following the dosages you will have validated beforehand through your own tests.
Step 4: pour and harden
Quickly pour the melted base into your container and spray with rubbing alcohol to reduce air bubbles. Then leave it to cool and harden completely before unmoulding.
Which Melt & Pour base should you choose?
Choose your base according to three criteria: the look you want, the characteristics of the formula, and how demanding you are about naturalness and labels. All our bases are made by Stephenson.
| Base | Appearance | What sets it apart | Vegan |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST | Transparent | Rich in glycerine, maximum transparency. | Yes |
| SLS Free | Transparent | Free from sodium lauryl sulfate. | Yes |
| WST | Opaque white | Versatile white base. | Yes |
| 3 Butters | Opaque white | Shea, cocoa and mango butters. | Yes |
| Goat milk | Opaque white | Enriched with goat milk. | No (vegetarian) |
| NCO | Translucent amber | Organic oils, free from SLS, SLES and MPG. | Yes |
| OMP C-MB | Translucent amber | Certifiable to COSMOS, NATRUE and RSPO. | Yes |
| OPC | Opaque white | Whipping base, soap-free, neutral pH. | Yes |
Bonus: the OPC whipped base for whipped cream soaps
OPC is not melted: it is whipped cold to create a fluffy texture similar to whipped cream. It therefore does not follow the Melt & Pour method.
It is a “soap-free” base, also known as a syndet: it cleanses with mild surfactants rather than saponified oils. Its pH is neutral, and it is rich in glycerine.
- Cut the base into 4 to 5 cm pieces.
- Whip with an electric mixer, slowly at first, then faster and faster.
- Keep going for 10 to 15 minutes, until the texture is smooth and even.
- If the mixture is too firm, add water, up to a maximum of 8%.
- Mix in your dyes and fragrance.
- Fill a piping bag or fill your jars directly.
Understanding vanillin: why do some fragrances discolour soap?
You have made a white or transparent soap, but it is gradually turning yellow, beige or brown? This can be caused by vanillin in your fragrance.
Don’t worry! Vanillin is an aromatic molecule found naturally in vanilla pods, and it is also produced synthetically. Widely used in perfumery, it brings soft, sweet, gourmand notes to fragrance compositions.
Over time, however, it can discolour soap, more or less intensely depending on its concentration and the formulation used. This change is generally cosmetic and does not, in itself, mean that the soap is dangerous or unusable.
Want to keep your soap white or transparent? We recommend choosing a vanillin-free fragrance to limit the risk of discolouration.
At Terre de Bougies, we have selected vanillin-free fragrances precisely to help you preserve the colours of your creations, provided you check that they are compatible with your soap.
Please note, however: the absence of vanillin does not guarantee a perfectly stable colour. Other components of the fragrance can also affect the final result. Testing beforehand is therefore essential.
Selling Melt & Pour soaps: what you need to know
Melt & Pour simplifies the making, not the regulations. Even if you use a ready-formulated base, adding fragrances, dyes or other ingredients creates a new formulation whose safety you must guarantee.
A soap intended to cleanse the skin is considered a cosmetic product. Selling it is therefore governed by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products.
To help you through the process, the French DGCCRF has published a guide entitled “Je lance mon entreprise de cosmétiques : ce que je dois savoir” (I’m starting my cosmetics business: what I need to know).
To find out more, see the official DGCCRF guide to cosmetics regulations.
