Our Inspiration
Built for makers who want Halloween without the plastic skeletons: adult, romantic and gothic rather than novelty. There is a rose, an oakmoss, a chypre, two gourmands and a spiced floral here; they share a mood rather than just a single fragrance note, which is what lets a three-scent gift set feel deliberate instead of arbitrary.
Five are new this season and three are catalogue favorites that always belonged here. They vary more technically than most of our collections, so the comparison table below is worth a minute before you batch.
Start here
- Making cold process soap?
- Cast a Spell — the only one rated for it
- Building a perfume or body oil?
- RIP
Compare before you formulate
This collection varies more than most. Cold process ratings run the full range, vanillin spans a hundredfold, and one flashpoint sits 32 degrees below the rest.
| Scent |
Vanillin |
Flashpoint |
CP soap |
Candles |
Best built into |
| RIP |
~1.5% |
200 °F |
Untested |
Untested |
Body oils, perfume, lotions |
| Rose from the Dead |
~5% |
200 °F |
No |
No |
Body oils, tinted lotions, M&P |
| Grave Digger |
~5% |
200 °F |
No |
No |
Men’s care, beard oil, body oils |
| Sweet Decay |
~5% |
200 °F |
No |
No |
Sugar scrubs, M&P, lotions |
| Haunted House |
~5% |
200 °F |
Untested |
Untested |
Body butters, sugar scrubs, M&P |
| Dark Romance |
0.4% |
200 °F |
Untested |
Untested |
Room sprays, white lotions, M&P |
| Cast a Spell |
0.05% |
200 °F |
Yes |
Untested |
CP soap, body wash, bath salts |
| Vampire Kiss |
None |
168 °F |
Untested |
Untested |
Body wash, bath bombs, scrubs |
Two things this table cannot show. First, how much to actually use — that is set by the base, not the fragrance, and every base product page states its own recommended load, and the full reference table lists all 86. IFRA ceilings are safety limits, not use rates, and they sit far above what a base can carry. Second, those ceilings differ enormously between these oils, so read the usage section on each product page rather than carrying a figure across. Five of the eight are still awaiting their certificates.
Planning a seasonal release
Halloween sell-through peaks in the first three weeks of October. Working backwards, here is the window.
- Order by early September. The last comfortable point to sample, formulate, produce and still have stock on the shelf when buying starts.
- Sample widely. Order 1oz of a floral, an earth and a fruit. They sell to three different customers and you will know quickly which is yours.
- Build a set, not a single. These were made to sit together — a three-scent gift box outsells one bar every time.
