# Adding fragrance to unscented lotion **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904 "2003-09-21T03:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/1 "2003-09-21T03:05:44Z")
I bought a bottle of fragrance free hand lotion. I like the lotion, but it has a vaguely unpleasant odour that I would like to mask. Can I add my own fragrance? Can I just add a few drops of perfume and mix it up, or do I have to buy fragrance oil like they sell at The Body Shop? ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/2 "2003-09-21T04:00:17Z")
To add: I guess my concern is whether or not perfume has chemicals (e.g. alcohol) that will not mix well, or react badly with the lotion. Is fragrance oil specially suited to mixing with products to scent them, or is any old perfume okay? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/3 "2003-09-21T14:40:05Z")
My suggestion is essential oils. They don’t have any alcohol. Find one which has a scent you like, and mix in a few drops. You could also pour in a few drops of regular cooking vanilla. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/4 "2003-09-21T15:23:18Z")
Yeah, but cooking vanilla is high in alcohol. I’d try essential oils, and do a tiny drop in a small amount of the lotion to see how it works. ---
**Author:** ![otherCarol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee7513/32.png) [@otherCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otherCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/5 "2010-04-25T17:39:24Z")
I have mixed perfumes and cologne in unscented products such as lotion it was not a problem. The things to remember is usually perfume is usually alcohol based vs fragrant oils also it may require more perfume than fragrant oil to scent the product of couse depending on the quality of the fragrant oil. Why not look at Sensible Addictions website they have excellent lotions and fragrances (all cosmetic grade) in addition they have a mini blender with a blade designed to go directly into the lotion bottle. No need to remove the product, mix and try to get it back into the bottle. Even if you don’t use their lotions or fragrance the blender is worth considering. Sensible Addictions has other effects that could also be blended in such as glitter and shimmer. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/6 "2010-04-25T18:38:35Z")
Isn’t this sort of defeating the entire purpose of “fragrance-free lotion”? ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/7 "2010-04-25T20:41:28Z")
The little perfume shop where I buy my fragrances will mix any one of a number of lotions that they stock with whatever scent that they have on the shelf. They use essential oils to do this. They’re the same ones that they use to mix cologne and perfume. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/8 "2010-04-25T20:51:13Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Isn’t this sort of defeating the entire purpose of “fragrance-free lotion”? No, it’s called “custom-blended scented lotion” now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/9 "2010-04-26T04:29:34Z")
Perfume oils can certainly be blended with most unscented lotions. This is the main marketing point of Body Time, a Berkeley, CA company that used to be called The Body Shop. Their stores sell perfume oils and essential oils meant to be blended into their unscented products. Generally, anything that comes in a tiny bottle and is labeled as “perfume” or “parfum” instead of cologne or “eau de parfum” – or “eau de…” anything – will be a perfume oil blend, or close enough to pure that it won’t break apart the lotion. Nonetheless, it’s good to try to find things that are definitely pure oils, as they will blend better. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adding-fragrance-to-unscented-lotion/202904/10 "2010-04-26T19:46:10Z")
I love The Body Shop’s woody sandalwood perfume oil, but I’m not spending the amount of money they charge (or used to - they’ve phased out the scent) for the lotion of that same scent. So, for several years now, I’ve purchased a small bottle of the oil, and added it to the Vaseline Intensive Care unscented lotion I use every day. It seems to work well, and you can add as much or as little as you want. I recommend adding a small amount of a perfume or essential oil at first to see how it blends. I pour in about 1/3 bottom of the oil (which I had to stock up on recently since they’ve discontinued it) into a half-full bottom of lotion, shake up vigorously, and then pour in more lotion from a reserve bottle. That seems to be the good ratio for me.