Scents to start with

[justrightcandles]

I am trying to narrow down the 15 scents (i read that you should start off with just a few) i want to start with. I read that there are 4 catagories for FO like floral, food, designer, etc.... I am trying not to only include just the things i like....What do you guys recommend as a starting point?

[Crafty1_AJ]

A couple of good florals ( I sell a lot of lilac), a good cinnamon one, a good vanilla, a good citrus (if you can find one that doesn't have a fuel smell ! LOL), couple fresh & cleans (I sell a lot of the clean laundry type). Hmmmm....Love Spell (I sell tons of that one). Ummmm....a nice herbal, such as lavender-basil. A good apple is a must, as is a good berry. A good spice fragrance is great. Just food for thought to get you started.

[sockmonkey]

You are on the right track. Good luck with it. I've tried to narrow it down, and I simply can't--it's a difficult task!

I've tried to fill in categories, and all I ever do is buy more and more FO's trying to find suitable ones for the "categories."

I basically try to offer a "green" scent--herbal, woody, outdoorsy scents

(I have lemon/eucalyptus , bayberry, fresh cut grass, juniper breeze, nag champa, and heather in this category)

I offer floral a traditional floral scent--lilac, honeysuckle, or rose (gag).

I offer a spicy scent--cinnamon, apple jack & peel.

I offer a fruit or food scent--lemon meringue, apple, bermuda triangle, chestnuts & brown sugar, maple sugar, oatmeal, milk & honey (yuck), and creme brulee.

I offer a citrus scent--pineapple.

Then I also offer knockoffs (but give them different names--pink sugar, green irish tweed, chanel chance, cool water, and philosophy's baby grace.

Some of the items can cross over under different categories. I don't know if that helps you any. But if you're making candles, all I can say is you HAVE to have a good cinnamon, and I would suggest a good vanilla as well (some companies are combining both, so you might want to think about that). I think the "clean" types would also be a good option--think clean cotton, fresh linen.

[AngelaVA]

AJ's got it right. Adding new scents will be easier once you know your market. Here are a few that might be helpful:

Lilac

Hyacinth Chula Orchid

Lavendar

Clean Cotton (Yanks)

Citrus Linen (JS)

Fresh Linen (the one with a sightly floral note)

Harvest

Apple Jack & Peel

Blueberry Cheesecake

Sugar Cookie

Cinnamon Roll

[Candlebuddy]

IMHO I would start by seasons & holidays. For now, I would pick fo's that compliment the holidays (Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas), fall & winter.

Then, right after Christmas, I would pick a few more holiday (Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Easter), spring/summer fo's and start testing them to add to your line.

That's how I began. Then each year, I add new fo's to each season or holiday.

Hope this helps.