If you love everything pumpkin spice, we’ve got the scrub for you! This Pumpkin Spice Scrub was inspired by the popular fall beverage and features a delicious blend of coffee and pumpkin spice scents. The base is created using Foaming Bath Butter and coffee butter, which forms an ultra creamy texture. The Foaming Bath Butter lathers when introduced to water which leaves skin feeling clean and non-greasy. Coffee butter adds an amazing coffee scent and skin-loving properties. Ground walnut shells are added to gently exfoliate the skin.
This scrub is super easy to put together; simply add the ingredients together slowly and whip together! To use, apply directly to damp skin and scrub in a circular motion to lather and exfoliate. Because this scrub does not contain water, a preservative is not necessary. But if you plan on storing the scrub where it may come in contact with water (like the shower) we recommend adding a preservative like phenonip at .5% to be on the safe side.
What You’ll Need:
16 oz. Foaming Bath Butter
2 oz. Coffee Butter
4 oz. Sugar
.4 oz Walnut Shells
6 ml Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
2 ml Turkish Mocha Fragrance Oil
Two 8 oz. Tall Plastic Bail Jar
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
- 16 oz. Foaming Bath Butter
- 2 oz. Coffee Butter
- 4 oz. Sugar
- 0.4 oz. Walnut Shells
- 6 mL Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
- 2 mL Turkish Mocha Fragrance Oil
- Two 8 oz. Tall Plastic Bail Jar
- In a large mixing bowl, add 16 ounces of Foaming Bath Butter and 2 ounces of coffee butter. Use a hand mixer to beat together.
- Once thoroughly combined, add 4 ounces of granulated sugar and 0.4 ounces of walnut shells. Turn on the mixer and blend until the exfoliants are thoroughly incorporated.
- Add 6 mL of Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil and 2 mL of Turkish Mocha Fragrance Oil. Turn the beater on low and mix until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the glass bail jar, and enjoy!
Really enjoying the new format of the website! Going to be stuck catching up for hours:) Then….shopping.
So glad you’re enjoying it Carrie! Have fun. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
what do you suggest for shipping this? I am in FL, and want to ship some to a friend in Idaho, but I’m concerned about the heat. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
There are a few tricks you can use when sending your products during the summer, including packing it with ice packs and scheduling a pick up time so the scrub isn’t sitting on a hot porch. Get more tips in this post: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soaping-in-the-summer-heat/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I need advice please … I want to make Emulsified Sugar Scrubs as guest treats at an upcoming bridal shower for my niece. Unfortunately she is very allergic to nuts so I am thinking maybe Coffee Butter? Sunflower oil and or Grapeseed, Apricot Kernel oils? Then adding cocoa powder to alter the coffee scent to chocolate just to make them appeal to a broad range of young gals? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Georgina
You can definitely use coffee butter in your emulsified scrub! It will make the scrub softer overall, but should still feel nice. You can also use the mango butter in the scrub recipe now. In place of sweet almond oil, avocado oil works well. I would recommend a small test batch to see how it feels. As for the cocoa powder, it won’t be very strong. I would recommend a chocolate fragrance instead! It will go well with the coffee and smell like a delicious mocha. Dark Rich Chocolate smells really nice: https://www.brambleberry.com/Dark-Rich-Chocolate-Fragrance-Oil-P3881.aspx
Learn more about working with allergies here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soaping-with-allergies-nuts-gluten-more/
Emulsified Scrub: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/soaks-and-scrubs/emulsified-scrub-scratch-soap-queen-tv/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Coffee butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Coffee-Butter-P3444.aspx
Avocado oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
The coffee butter is sold out, what would be an acceptable substitute?
Avocado butter would work well! It has a similar texture to the coffee butter. You can also use shea butter. It’s a bit more firm, so the scrub will be a bit more firm overall. If you use shea butter, we recommend cutting it into small pieces before whipping. That will prevent any clumps. 🙂
Avocado butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Butter-Solid-P3207.aspx
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I do not have the walnut shells so can I just leave it out and add more sugar? or could I add coffee grounds?
Either one would work fine! Sugar is very fine, so adding more sugar will make the scrub a bit more gentle. Coffee grounds are larger and will be a bit more intense. You can use whichever one you prefer. 🙂
Read more about exfoliants here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/all-about-exfoliants/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
hi,,
i just wanted to say that this scrub is heavenly from the smell to the texture.its fantastic it does not disappoint! i have did many recipes from s/q so far from body butter to scrub.and luv it all. as my friends do lol now I’m going to try my hand @ lip balm. I’m just a beginner @ all this but s/q makes it easy & fun just wish i knew about all this yrs ago! thx s/q 🙂
Hi B!
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for taking the time to let us know! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Hi can I use a liquid Castile soap instead of foaming bath soap? How much liquid soap can be used, if I mix the scrub with olive oil or coconut oil? If I use the liquid soap by itself, will this still whip? Thanks.
Hi Mandy!
Using liquid Castile soap instead of Foaming Bath Butter will change the consistency of the scrub quite a bit. The Foaming Bath Butter adds a fluffy texture to the scrub when whipped. The liquid soap will get more foamy rather than fluffy when whipped. I would recommend whipping a 1:1 ratio of coffee butter and liquid soap. If you want it fluffier, you can add more coffee butter. Keep in mind the scrub will be more moisturizing rather than cleansing. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Liquid Castile Soap Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Castile-Liquid-Soap-Base-P4609.aspx
Works great and I love the fragrance! Want to make some for my best friend, she is crazy for pumpkin spice coffee anything. So my question is, can I add a touch of food coloring to make it look like pumpkin fluff and really wow her?
You can add some color to this recipe! Food coloring can morph, bleed or fade in the scrub. Instead, I would recommend a mica like Sunset Orange or Racing Stripe. You can start with about 1/4 teaspoon. Then, whip that in. If you want it darker, you can add more from there. 🙂
Racing Stripe Orange Mica: https://www.brambleberry.com/Racing-Stripe-Orange-Mica-P6457.aspx
Sunset Orange Mica: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sunset-Orange-Mica–P6348.aspx
I think your friend will absolutely love this scrub!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi!,
How do I calculate the preservative into this recipe? Sorry I’m a newbie and the “at .5%” explanation just isn’t cutting it for me.
Thanks,
Brooke
Hi Brooke!
The .5% refers to .5% of the total weight of the recipe. Sorry about that! This recipe weighs 22.4 ounces, so 22.4 multiplied by .005. That gives you .1 ounces, or about 3 mL. 🙂
This Soapy Math post has some great tips for figuring out percentages: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/math-soapers/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi Kelsey,
Why would a preservative be required? Doesn’t the foaming bath water have some already?
Foaming Bath Butter does have a preservative already! If you want to be extra careful – for instance if you’re selling the scrub or your shower is very wet – you can add a preservative like Optiphen or Phenonip at .5%. That will protect against mold and bacteria, and the smaller amount won’t over preserve the product. 🙂
Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello. I bought it a miracle, and I want to do a scrub. Tell me please. As far as the fine grinding of sugar should be used? Just like bought in a store? Or further grind in a coffee grinder?
You can use the sugar as is! It’s fairly fine already. If you want the grains even smaller, you can use a coffee grinder. That will make the exfoliation a bit more gentle. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
HI,
I tried this recipe and it became hard within minutes. Is this normal? How can I make it more moist? Thanks!
Sorry, not moist but looser and not as stiff in consistency.
Hi Tanya!
More whipping will help loosen the Foaming Bath Butter and make it a bit more soft! I would recommend whipping for another minute or two. If it’s still a bit too stiff, you can add a touch of liquid oil, like sweet almond, olive oil or avocado oil. I would recommend starting with just 1 tsp., then adding from there if you want more. That will make the texture a bit more loose and soft. 🙂
Sweet almond: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sweet-Almond-Oil-P3205.aspx
Olive oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Olive-Oil-Pure-P5246.aspx
Avocado oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks! I will try it tomorrow.
You’re welcome! Have fun. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
With this having a base in it, how would the label read?
Hi Kellie!
When labeling the products, we recommend including all the ingredients in the base! That way your customers know what they’re using on their skin. 🙂
To list it, you can say Foaming Bath Butter (ingredients). Or, you can simply list the ingredients as they appear on our website. Either way works fine!
Read more about labeling products here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/how-to-label-cold-process-soap/
That post is about cold process soap, but applies to this scrub as well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Foaming Bath Butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Foaming-Bath-Butter-P4955.aspx
Looks like my comment was deleted. Any who’s lol. I was wondering how I could incorporate Cocoa butter (unrefined) since I’m out of Coffee butter. Thank u. And keep up the Awesome job!!! Love ya’ll!!!
I answered your question below! If you have any other questions let me know. We’re happy to help! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I’m out of Coffee butter and was wondering how I could incorporate Cocoa butter and Shea butter to replace the Coffee butter. Or should I do Cocoa and Aloe butter. I really would like to replace the Coffee butter with Cocoa butter but I know it’s such a hard (texture) butter, how could I do that. Thank you 😊
Hi Amanda!
We didn’t try this recipe with cocoa and shea butter, but I believe that would work just fine! For the shea butter, I would recommend cutting that up into small pieces and whipping it together with the Foaming Bath Butter. Then, for the cocoa butter, we recommend melting it, as it’s a bit too hard to whip at room temperature. When the cocoa butter is around 120F, add it in batches, blending in between each batch. See that process in the Whipped Amber Bronzing Butter: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/whipped-amber-bronzing-butter/
Then, you can add the sugar and walnut seeds from there! A small test batch would be helpful as well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Cocoa butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Cocoa-Butter-Pastilles–P3218.aspx
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
Thank you for the response, I was a little impatient (a lot) so what I did was 1oz Cocoa butter 1 ounce Shea Butter (both organic unrefined) and melted both then popped in the freezer for about 7 minutes and hand whipped until it was about as thick as pudding. Then added it to the Foaming bath butter. It turned out Fabulous! I also used Warm Vanilla Sugar Fragrance oil. Love how it turned out!!! Thanks again!
That’s awesome, sounds so nice and fluffy! Enjoy your moisturizing scrub Amanda. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Warm Vanilla Sugar Cybilla Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Warm-Vanilla-Sugar-Cybilla-Fragrance-Oil-P3408.aspx
I use this scrub and love it! Because of this, I made several batches to use as Christmas gifts, dividing the recipe in half and using the 4oz. Plastic Bail jars from Brambleberry. A weird thing has happened. A day after making and filling the jars, they started weeping a clear tacky oil from around the seal. I opened the jars up to see if there was any discoloration, molding, or change in texture, but everything appeared to be normal. I wiped the jars off, and set them on paper towels for the next week. Over the next few days, the weeping tapered off on most of the jars, but it took several clean-ups. What do you think caused this? Is there some kind of separation going on? The scrub still works and feels wonderful, and I intend to continue to use it.
Hi Kristyn!
That is very strange, I’m not entirely sure why that’s happening! If the scrub had a liquid oil, it could be that oil leaking out, but because it just uses the coffee butter and Foaming Bath Butter it shouldn’t be weeping at all.
I’m wondering if it could be temperature? If you live in a really hot and humid environment, it may cause sweating. Can you tell me a bit more about how it’s stored? Thanks Kristyn!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi Kelsey,
I live in Arkansas which can be both humid and hot, but this past month it’s been cool, the warmest temperatures around 75 degrees. I’ve stored the scrub in the 4oz bail jars on my kitchen table. It occurred to me that when I packed the jars, I ran them under water to clean off excess scrub. I wonder if water worked its way under the rubber gasket and reacted to the scrub?
Kristyn
My products always weep clear oil too when I use the foaming bath butter, if i put an oil or any type of butter. Even when I just put 1 oz of sweet almond oil in 24ozs or foaming bath butter :/
I’m sorry about that Allison! That definitely sounds frustrating.
I’m going to have our research and development team test our Foaming Bath Butter to see if they notice the same thing happening. We can also contact the vendor to find out what is causing the seeping and how to fix it.
Once I know more, I’ll contact you. Thanks for bringing that to our attention!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I didn’t add any extra oils to the recipe when i made it, but i wonder if it could be from the fragrance oils?
Hmm, that may be it too! I’ll have our testers try several versions with the Foaming Bath Butter, including fragranced and unfragranced. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi Kristyn and Allison!
I just heard back from our lab about the Foaming Bath Butter. We tested several versions, including a fragrance-free recipe and one with the Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil. We didn’t notice any leakage, so I’m not entirely sure what’s happening!
My guess is that it may be temperature related. If handmade products are kept in a really hot space, or go through drastic temperature changes (moving from the fridge to a hot room), they can sweat. It’s similar to thawing food – it forms condensation. Where are you storing the Foaming Bath Butter? Thanks for your patience, and for answering my questions. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can I make a creamy scrub by substituting the foaming butter with another butter like cocoa butter/shea butter?
Hi Tammy!
You can use cocoa or shea butter in this scrub in place of the Foaming Bath Butter if you like! Keep in mind, it will change the consistency. The Foaming Bath Butter has a fluffy, cleansing feeling, while the butters are more moisturizing. A small test batch would be really helpful. 🙂
If you want the scrub to be a bit more fluffy, I would recommend whipping the butters! You can see how to do that in the Whipped Champagne Shea Butter Tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/12-days-christmas-whipped-champagne-shea-butter/
If you use cocoa butter, we recommend melting it before whipping it, as seen in the Whipped Amber Bronzing Butter: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/whipped-amber-bronzing-butter/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
Cocoa butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Cocoa-Butter-Pastilles–P3218.aspx
Thanks A lot! i’ll try whipping the butter first!! Your whipped butters look so lush!!!
I hope the next question I ask isn’t silly but Can you whip melt and pour soap with butter to give this effect as well??
You’re welcome Tammy! Whipped butters feel so nice, especially on dry winter skin. 🙂
Also, you can whip melt and pour soap! It gives the soap a foamy, airy texture. We whipped melt and pour and liquid soap in the Reimagining Honey Ale Soap to mimic foam: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/reimagining-honey-ale-soap/
The soap will eventually harden, but does still have a slightly spongey texture.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
what is the shelf life once mixed and packaged with a preservative added?
Hi Kellie!
This product should last about a year with airtight packaging and a preservative. The shelf life of ingredients will determine the shelf life of your products. Because the coffee butter and Foaming Bath Butter have a shelf life of about a year, the scrub will as well. 🙂
Learn more about oil shelf lives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
is this a lotion or a wash off product?
Hi Kellie!
This scrub is a wash off product. To use, apply the scrub to wet hands and rub in a circular motion. Then, rinse off. After scrubbing you can apply lotion if you like. Scrubs help exfoliate yours hands and help lotion absorb well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is it bad that I want to eat that rather than using it as a scrub? 😉
Ha, it does look quite fluffy and delicious! Definitely better for skin though. 😉
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi!
I am sooooo confused, I read on your site that Optiphen can be used in sugar scrubs and then I read that it cannot be used in sugar scrubs and now I am seeing that it can be used in the above recipe? I’ve read that is is oil soluble and not oil soluble. Can you please clarify if I can use this in a sugar/oil sugar scrub? I am just so confused….
Thanks!
Hi Sara!
Optiphen can definitely be used in sugar scrubs! Sorry for any confusion.
Optiphen works best in oil-based recipes. This scrub contains an oil, coffee butter, and Foaming Bath Butter. Foaming Bath Butter is like a creamy liquid soap. While not technically an oil, we’ve found Optiphen still works great in this recipe.
Optiphen ND is best for water-based recipes. That includes toners, room sprays and gels. Read more about preservatives in this post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks for the clarification!!!
You’re welcome! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I always love new BB videos! I have to say that I miss the out-takes at the end that the older videos had 🙂 I haven’t purchased it, but I don’t know that I will be a fan of the “new” body butter product, I really love the regular creamy fluffy bath whip BB used to carry.
So glad you love the videos! We’ve had some smooth video shoots lately, so not as many bloopers. Maybe for the next video though. 🙂
I’m sorry you’re not a fan of the new Foaming Bath Butter! I do notice it is a bit more firm than the old product. However, after a bit of whipping, it turns nice and fluffy and feels great in scrubs. If you haven’t tried whipping it, I would definitely recommend that!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Foaming Bath Butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Foaming-Bath-Butter-P4955.aspx