This lily of the valley soap recipe is a wonderful way to introduce the fresh, floral scent of this charming spring flower into your skincare routine. The easy melt and pour soap recipe is beginner-friendly and perfect for those who are new to soap making.

For more lily of the valley-themed projects, check out our lily of the valley body butter and lily of the valley candles.

close-up of green lily of the valley soap bars in a wooden bowl.

Nostalgic lily of the valley soap

My late grandma Joann always had a small, white bar of lily of the valley soap in her powder room. As kids, we always had to wash up before lunch. I remember lathering my hands with the sweet-smelling soap while fantasizing about the huge plate of sandwiches she was serving us.

Lily of the valley is one of those old-fashioned floral scents that you rarely see in current cosmetics. Regardless, I love it so much that I decided to create this lily of the valley soap recipe.

The delightful soap features a beautiful design, an enchanting fragrance, and lots of nostalgia and childhood memories. A celebration of spring and days gone by!

In this post, you’ll learn how to make lily of the valley soap with a melt and pour soap base. We talk about materials, the perfect soap mold, and fragrance options.

Homemade lily of the valley soap is a lovely gift for Mother’s Day, teacher appreciation, and everyone who loves this gorgeous little flower.

Materials

Melt and pour soap base: Choose a white soap base for this project. I recommend goat milk soap base because it’s wonderfully moisturizing and nourishing. Shea butter soap is an excellent vegan-friendly alternative.
Lily of the valley fragrance oil infuses the soap with the delicate scent of the flowers. I’ll share more information below.
Allantoin powder (optional) boosts the skincare benefits of the soap. It can help to hydrate the skin, improve the texture, reduce itchiness, and heal small injuries. Use leftovers in my Himalayan salt scrub and green tea toner.
Squalane oil (optional) soothes dry, rough skin and provides excellent moisturization. It’s also said to brighten dark spots and improve the overall appearance of the skin. Make my elderflower salve or cherry blossom lotion with the leftovers.
Mica powder is an excellent soap colorant. I tinted my soap in shades of white and light green, echoing the colors of lily of the valley flowers. I used white and grass green from this set of micas.
Soap mold: This soap mold features a beautiful butterfly surrounded by small blossoms and botanical swirls. The mold produces four 2.6 oz soap bars. I think the design is perfect for a spring soap! Purchase several molds to produce multiple bars of soap at a time. Of course, you can opt for another soap bar mold of a similar size.
High-proof alcohol in a spray bottle helps dissolve bubbles after pouring the soap. High-proof vodka, Everclear, and isopropyl alcohol will work here. You can skip this if you don’t mind a few bubbles on the back of your soap.

lily of the valley soap bars on a wooden table surrounded by lily of the valley flowers.

Why didn’t you create a lily of the valley infused oil for this recipe?

If you browse through my other soap recipes (like this lilac soap or cherry blossom soap), you’ll notice that I often create plant-infused oils. Herbal infusions are a wonderful way to transfer the benefits of a plant to soap and other cosmetics.

Lily of the valley is poisonous, so I decided to forgo the infusion in this instance. Traces of soap may remain on your hands after washing, and if you enjoy food afterward, some could get ingested.

Furthermore, I researched the potential skincare benefits of lily of the valley and couldn’t find any sound scientific research.

There are a few articles floating around the internet discussing the supposed benefits of lily of the valley, but these claims aren’t backed up by any studies, so I wouldn’t pay any heed to them.

3 bars of lily of the valley soap in wooden bowl with fresh lily of the valley flowers.

Finding the perfect lily of the valley scent

Similar to lilacs, lily of the valley essential oil sadly doesn’t exist. The flowers don’t produce enough oil to be distilled into essential oil. And the scent is too delicate for other extraction methods.

If you see any oils labeled as “lily of the valley essential oil,” know that these offers are fragrance oils, not real essential oils. Personally, I would never buy misleading products.

This leaves us with two options: a high-quality lily of the valley fragrance oil and creating a lily of the valley essential blend from other essential oils.

Fragrance oil

Purchasing a good-quality fragrance oil is the easiest way to scent your soap. If you are a first-time soap maker or don’t have a large collection of essential oils, I recommend this route.

My favorite is this fragrance oil from Wholesale Supplies Plus. It smells like the actual flower and doesn’t discolor the soap. The 2-oz size is enough for this recipe (and will even last for my lily of the valley body butter).

Candle Science offers a gorgeous lily of the valley fragrance oil that is formulated for both home fragrance and body products.

Essential oil blend

The other option is to create a lily of the valley scent by blending different essential oils. You can find more details about this blend in this candle tutorial.

Lily of the valley’s scent has a strong, sweet aroma reminiscent of jasmine, lilacs, and hyacinths. The smell is floral, with green notes and slightly woody, musky undertones.

In my blend, jasmine absolute is the starting point to replicate the scent. A touch of ylang ylang adds sweetness. Vetiver provides an earthy, green note. And a few drops of cassia, sandalwood, and cedar create the woodsy backdrop.

Add the oils to a dark amber bottle, shake well, and let the blend develop in a dark location for a week before using.

The recipe makes enough to scent 4 bars of soap. Adjust the amounts to produce less or more soap.

two soap bars, jar of body butter, and candle, and a small bouquet in a rustic gift basket. — Create gift basket with lily of the valley body butter and candles.

Instructions

Materials

10.6 oz goat milk melt and pour soap
1 tsp allantoin powder
1 tsp squalane oil
120 drops lily of the valley fragrance oil
pinch of white or green mica

1. Cut the soap base

Begin by cutting the soap base into small cubes (about 1/2 inch in size).

2. Melt the soap base

Place the soap chunks in a microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl. If using mica, add it now. Heat them in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring halfway through. Repeat until the soap is completely melted.

How much colorant do I need? For a subtle pastel green shade, add only a tiny pinch of green mica. For white soap bars, you can add white mica for a subtle shimmer or omit it.

Double boiler method: Use a double boiler on the stove. Melt the soap base over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat when fully melted.

3. Add mix-ins

Once the soap base is melted, stir in the allantoin powder, squalane oil, and fragrance oil. Mix thoroughly.

4. Pour into mold

Pour the melted soap into the mold, filling it all the way to the top. Spray the soap with high-proof alcohol to dissolve the bubbles.

5. Let it harden

Allow the soap to cool and harden completely. This usually takes 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, or 30 minutes in the fridge.

6. Unmold

Once hardened, gently remove the soap from the mold. Your lily of the valley soap is ready to use or gift. Enjoy!

Storage & shelf life

Wrap the soap: Melt and pour soap contains glycerin. As the soap sits, glycerin attracts moisture, which leads to seating. This phenomenon is called glycerin dew and happens in a humid environment. To prevent the soap from sweating, use plastic wrap or shrink wrap to tightly wrap the soap. I also recommend storing the wrapped soap bars in an airtight container for added protection.
Store in a cool place: Find a dry, cool location to store your soap. Avoid extreme temperatures and direct sunlight, as they can impact the quality of the soap.
Shelf life: The soap will keep for 9 months to a year. You can continue using it after that, but the fragrance will lessen.

More spring soap recipes

Lily Of The Valley Soap Recipe

Yield: 4 soap bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Materials

10.6 oz / 300 g goat milk melt and pour soap
1 tsp / 2 g / 0.07 g allantoin powder
1 tsp / 5 g / 0.17 oz squalane oil
120 drops / 6 g / 0.2 oz lily of the valley fragrance oil
pinch of white or green mica

Tools

cutting board
paring knife
large glass measuring cup
spoon for stirring
butterfly soap mold

Instructions

Cut the soap base. Begin by cutting the soap base into small cubes (about 1/2 inch / 1.5 cm in size).
Melt the soap base. Place the soap chunks in a microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl. If using mica, add it now. Heat them in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring halfway through. Repeat until the soap is completely melted.
Add mix-ins. Once the soap base is melted, stir in the allantoin powder, squalane oil, and fragrance oil. Mix thoroughly.
Pour into mold. Pour the melted soap into the mold, filling it all the way to the top. Spray the soap with high-proof alcohol to dissolve the bubbles.
Let it harden. Allow the soap to cool and harden completely. This usually takes 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, or 30 minutes in the fridge.
Unmold. Once hardened, gently remove the soap from the mold. Your lily of the valley soap is ready to use or gift. Enjoy!
Store. Wrap the soap in plastic wrap. Find a dry, cool location to store your soap. Avoid extreme temperatures and direct sunlight, as they can impact the quality of the soap.

Notes

How much colorant do I need? For a subtle pastel green shade, add only a tiny pinch of green mica. For white soap bars, you can add white mica for a subtle shimmer or omit it.

Double boiler method: Use a double boiler on the stove. Melt the soap base over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat when fully melted.