With winter approaching, the sun-kissed summer glow will start to fade from the skin. Rather than watching it go, I decided to get the glow a different way – by creating radiantly soft, supple and moisturized skin. This Caramelized Copper Brown Sugar Scrub is the perfect way brighten up your skin for fall and winter months.
The scrub uses Copper Sparkle Mica and King’s Gold Mica to add a subtle shimmer. Brown and white sugar gently exfoliate the skin, and give the scrub a warm brown color. Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil goes perfectly with the golden copper hues. The scrub is cleansing and non-greasy from the added potassium cocoate, and moisturizing from the avocado butter. Best of all, the scrub is easy to make!
What You’ll Need:
1.5 oz. Avocado Butter
3.5 oz. Potassium Cocoate
10 oz. Brown Sugar
10 oz. White Sugar
.8 oz. Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil
7 mL Optiphen
2.5 tsp. Copper Sparkle Mica
2 tsp. King’s Gold Mica
Three Short 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
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ONE: In a large heat safe container, add 10 oz. brown sugar and 10 oz. white sugar. Make sure there is enough room in the bowl for the added oil, and for mixing.
TWO: In a small heat safe container, melt 1.5 oz. avocado butter on 5 second bursts. Stir between each burst.
THREE: Add 3.5 oz. of potassium cocoate to a separate heat safe container. Pour in the melted avocado butter and mix well. Potassium cocoate is a super foaming, all natural liquid soap base that helps to bind all the ingredients in this recipe together while cleansing the skin gently.
FOUR: Add 7 mL of Optiphen and .8 oz. of Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil to the oil mixture. Mix to fully incorporate.
Note: Although this scrub doesn’t contain water, it will likely get water splashed in it during use. The extra water may cause bacteria and mold to grow. We added a preservative to be extra careful but the preservative is optional. You can read more in the Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives post.
FIVE: Pour the oil mixture into the sugar and mix well.
SIX: Add 2.5 tsp. of Copper Sparkle Mica and 2 tsp. King’s Gold Mica. Stir until the colorants are fully incorporated.
SEVEN: Pour the scrub equally into the three jars and allow them to fully cool. Enjoy by scrubbing those rough elbows and knees in the shower or use it as an all-over-body scrub to reveal fresh new skin. If you want to make this into a facial scrub, mix it with your favorite liquid soap or lotion in a 1:1 ratio, scrub well and, for extra moisture? Leave on your face for a full 10 minutes to let the oils do their job conditioning your skin.
What’s your favorite way to pamper your skin during the fall and winter months?
Caramelized Copper Brown Sugar Scrub
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. Avocado Butter
- 3.5 oz. Potassium Cocoate
- 10 oz. Brown Sugar
- 10 oz. White Sugar
- .8 oz. Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil
- 7 mL Optiphen
- 2.5 tsp. Copper Sparkle Mica
- 2 tsp. King’s Gold Mica
- Three Short 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
Instructions
- In a large heat safe container, add 10 oz. brown sugar and 10 oz. white sugar. Make sure there is enough room in the bowl for the added oil, and for mixing.
- In a small heat safe container, melt 1.5 oz. avocado butter on 5 second bursts. Stir between each burst.
- Add 3.5 oz. of potassium cocoate to a separate heat safe container. Pour in the melted avocado butter and mix well.
- Add 7 mL of Optiphen and .8 oz. of Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil to the oil mixture. Mix to fully incorporate. Note: Although this scrub doesn’t contain water, it will likely get water splashed in it during use. The extra water may cause bacteria and mold to grow. We added a preservative to be extra careful. You can read more in the Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives post.
- Pour the oil mixture into the sugar and mix well.
- Add 2.5 tsp. of Copper Sparkle Mica and 2 tsp. King’s Gold Mica. Stir until the colorants are fully incorporated.
- Pour the scrub equally into the three jars and allow them to fully cool. Enjoy!
Love this recipe.
But I confused how do I calculate or rebatch this for a smaller batch.. is there a ratio formula for making scrubs?
Thanks
Mary
You can resize the recipe by finding the percentage of each ingredient. First, find the total weight of the scrub – in this case that’s 25.8 oz. Then, divide each ingredient by that total weight. So, 1.5 oz. of avocado butter divided by 25.8 is 5.8%. Once you have all the percentages, you can multiply those by the new size of the scrub you want. So, if you only want 10 ounces of scrub, multiply that by 5.8% (.058) and that will give you .58 oz. of avocado butter.
Hi I am new to soaping I have never made soap or scrub before so I’m a little confused. The way I understand it is this makes 24 ounces a finished product and if we want to use it as a facial scrub we need to add 24 more ounces of liquid soap is that correct. I will be making this for my daughter and she does not want the colors in it do I need to change anything in the recipe since there will be less dry product in it? Lastly she wants it to be brown sugar and vanilla scent so do I change the portions to .4 for each fragrance?
You don’t need to add more liquid to this scrub to make it suitable for the face. It will work as is. If your daughter likes a more liquidy texture, you can definitely add a bit more soap to the mix. Leaving out the color will be fine as well, you don’t need to adjust the other ingredients. For the fragrance, you can use our Calculator to find out how much to add: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
And this post talks more about fragrance blending: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/fragrance-oil-blending-tips/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello! I was wondering where to find emulsified sugar scrub label pdf?
Thank you!
Hi there! You can find those labels here: https://www.brambleberry.com/Emulsified-Scrub-Labels-Digital-File-P6021.aspx
Emulsified Scrub Kit: https://www.brambleberry.com/Emulsified-Scrub-Kit-P6027.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
When you said we can add our favorite soap or lotion to make a facial scrub, did you mean to add to end entire finished product? Or do we replace the cocoate with the soap? Also, I made a 100% coconut oil soap paste just the other day but haven’t done anything eles to it yet like dilute it or add anything. Is it the same thing as potassium cocoate? When i dilute it, is it supposed to be more on the thin liquidy side like this one? I haven’t found much info on it or how to dilute it. It was just me wanting to experiment because when i sent my husband to get me a small jar, he came home with a giant tub of it and now i am thinking of ways to use it up.lol So i thought a simple one oil soap would be a good place to start and get more practice making liquid soap. Also, if i may ask just one more question, could you please give me some advice with my cream soap i made? So, my first batch turned out fine, & had the confidence to make another bigger batch. Anyways, after it was cooked i let it sit an cool. Well, i guess i didnt let it cool well enough because it ended up with condensation in the jar and the next day it was more of a thick liquid consistency. Its still creamyish and has a beautiful pearly look. But its definitely not anything like a thick bath butter consistency like i see others. Is it ruined? I put a preservative in it also just in case.
I would definitely recommend diluting the coconut oil soap paste before adding it to this scrub. Potassium cocoate is essentially liquid soap, meaning it’s diluted with water. On its own, the paste may be a bit harsh. It also may be tricky to mix in. So, you’ll want to dilute like normal and then add it! A good dilution rate is 1:3 paste to water. 🙂
If the soap is too thin for your liking, you can thicken it with salt: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-use-and-thicken-liquid-soap-base/
Also, we have tried cream soap recipes and haven’t had a lot of luck. Because of that, I’m not sure why it turned liquidy. Sorry about that. Someone on teachsoap.com/forum may know more though!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I was wondering if Cocamidopropyl betaine could be used in place of potassium cocoate, (I have gallons of it) and wanted to make sugar/salt scrubs as holiday gifts.
We haven’t worked with that before, but from what I understand it’s a surfactant. Because potassium cocoate is a surfactant as well, I think the Cocamidopropyl betaine will work in place of it! To be extra sure, you’ll want to make a small test scrub and test it on your skin. If you find it too cleansing, you can add more avocado butter. If it’s too oily, you can add more Cocamidopropyl betaine. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
When I made the scrub it seemed awfully dry. Can I use more butter in it? Or should I use less sugar?
Hi Angela!
You can use more potassium cocoate in this scrub to make it a bit more wet! That way you’ll still get the exfoliation from the sugar, but it will be more liquidy. I would recommend adding another .5-1 ounce of the potassium cocoate at first. If you want the scrub wetter, you can add more from there. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello,
This recipe seems really great, but I have a small question concerning the glow from the mica. Does the glow stays on the skin after rinsing the scrub off? If I turn this recipe into a body butter, do you know if the mica risks to stain clothes?
Thank you
Ginny
Hi Ginny!
When using this scrub, the glow is quite subtle. I would say most of it washes off, and there are a few shimmery bits left behind on the skin. When I used it, I would really notice the shimmers in the light, but they were more subtle in darker areas.
You can definitely make this into a body butter! I would recommend adding the same amount of color and trying some on your skin. If you want a bit more color, you can add more.
The color can transfer to clothing if it’s still fresh. I would recommend putting the body butter on and letting it air dry for 5-10 minutes before getting dressed to minimize transfer. I can tell you I did get some on my clothing and it washed away really easily. 🙂
You may also like this Whipped Amber Bronzing Butter, which feels great and gives the skin a lovely glow: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/whipped-amber-bronzing-butter/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
The potassium cocoate leaves a waxy feel on my hands after using the sugar scrub. Is there something comperable I can replace it with?
Hi Beth!
Potassium cocoate is similar to liquid soap. It leaves your hands feeling clean and fresh, and shouldn’t leave a waxy feeling. I’m wondering if it may be the avocado butter. That butter is nice and moisturizing, and can transfer to skin.
I would recommend decreasing the amount of avocado butter, or leaving it out completely. That will make a nice cleansing scrub that leaves your hands feeling fresh. I would recommend making a small test batch to see what you think. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you!! I will try that for sure.
You’re welcome Beth! 🙂
Can you use liquid Castille soap instead of Potassium Cocoate? I would love to make this recipe with the gingersnap fragrance oil for the holidays.
Hi Laura!
You can definitely use liquid castile soap if you like! That will give the soap some cleansing and lathering properties. We didn’t try this recipe with castile soap, so a small test batch may be helpful. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Natural Castile Liquid Soap Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Castile-Liquid-Soap-Base-P4609.aspx
Hi,
This scrub sounds awesome for this winter…. If I wish to turn this into facial scrub, do I mix the finished scrub with just any lotion like your Aloe Vera lotion base at 1:1 ratio? If so, do I still need to use optiphen in the scrub itself or will the preservative from the lotion be enough? Thank you much!! ????
Hi Lengie!
This scrub would be perfect for winter! It’s very gentle on the skin, so you can definitely use it as a facial scrub. Mixing in lotion is a great idea. Because the lotion already has a preservative, you can leave it out or use the Optiphen at .5%. That way it won’t be overpreserved.
Also, you may want to decrease the fragrance amount a bit. Because the scrub is being used right near your nose, it can be quite strong! I would recommend starting out with half (.4 oz) and then giving the scrub a sniff. If you want a bit more, you can add from there. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you!!
You’re welcome! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Looks great!
Can Dead Sea Salt or Sea Salt be used instead of sugar, or will salt do something weird to the Potassium Cocoate?
Thanks!
Hi Heather!
You can definitely use salt if you like! Salt is a great exfoliant for scrubs. 🙂
If the grains of salt are on the larger side, it will make this recipe more scrubby. Depending on how sensitive your skin is, you may want to use less salt if it is larger grained. If it’s the fine grained salt, you can use the same amount as the sugar. Read more about exfoliants here: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/all-about-exfoliants/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you! 🙂
You’re very welcome! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I would love to try this recipe! Can you give alternative methods for those who do not have a microwave? Thanks!!!
Hi Myca!
You can use a double boiler! That helps melt the butter slowly and evenly. 🙂
If you don’t have a double boiler at home, you can use this tool to make one: https://www.brambleberry.com/Double-Boiler-Maker-Double-Boiler-Maker-P3796.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
This sugar scrub definitely sounds amazing!
I was wondering however if Potassium Cocoate is the same as Glyceryl Cocoate?
If not, can they replace one another?
What other emulsifiers can work instead of the Potassium Cocoate?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Jin!
We haven’t worked with glyceryl cocoate, so I’m not entirely sure! From a quick internet search, it looks like that product is derived from coconut, and similar to Polysorbate 80.
Potassium cocoate is the potassium salt of coconut fatty acid. It is similar to a liquid soap. It is often used in liquid soaps, shampoos and scrubs. We haven’t used it to emulsify products, so I’m not exactly sure how it would work!
Read more about potassium cocoate here: https://www.brambleberry.com/Potassium-Cocoate-P5902.aspx
If you were looking for something different to use, a liquid soap base would work well. We have some liquid soap bases you may like: https://www.brambleberry.com/Liquid-Bases-C15.aspx
If you do substitute the potassium cocoate, I would recommend making a small test batch to see how it works in this recipe. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry