Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter DIY Recipe
Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter DIY Recipe
Some coastal scents feel bright, sunny, and softly floral.
Tangerine + Ylang Ylang is sweet, creamy, tropical, and fresh. Tangerine gives juicy citrus warmth. Ylang ylang gives soft floral creaminess and a pretty beachy finish.
That is the mood behind Tangerine + Ylang Ylang.
This DIY body butter recipe is for anyone who loves bright citrus body-care scents with a soft tropical floral finish. It is made for dry areas, after-shower routines, and skin-softening days when you want something smooth, cheerful, and pretty.
What You’re Making
You are making Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter, a whipped body butter inspired by sweet tangerine, creamy tropical flowers, warm skin, and smooth after-shower body care.
This formula is about 5.9 to 6.2 oz by weight before whipping, depending on optional ingredients, and will usually fill about one 8 oz jar by volume after whipping.
Details
Prep time: 20 to 30 minutes
Chill time: 20 to 30 minutes
Makes: About one 8 oz jar by volume
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Method: Whipped anhydrous body butter
Scent style: Sweet citrus, creamy floral, tropical, soft, bright
Best for: Body butter, dry skin areas, after-shower routines, citrus-floral scent layering, soft skin routines, and bright body care
What You’ll Need
Digital scale
Heat-safe bowl
Small saucepan for double boiler
Mixing bowl
Spoon or spatula
Hand mixer or stand mixer
8 oz jar with lid
Disposable gloves, optional but helpful
Label or marker
Clean towel for workspace
Ingredients
For one 8 oz jar by volume, use:
2 oz shea butter
1.5 oz mango butter
0.75 oz solid coconut oil
1 oz fractionated coconut oil
0.60 oz jojoba oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed oil
0.20 oz arrowroot powder or tapioca starch, optional, for a softer dry-touch feel
0.05 oz vitamin E oil, optional
0.05 to 0.08 oz skin-safe Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil or scent blend, measured by weight
Make Sure
Use a skin-safe Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil or scent blend approved for leave-on body products.
Do not use candle fragrance oil unless the supplier clearly says it is safe for leave-on body care.
Do not use diffuser oil.
Do not use soap fragrance oil unless the supplier also approves it for leave-on body products.
This is a leave-on product, so the fragrance must stay within the supplier’s leave-on usage rate.
Body butter is usually checked under the leave-on body product category on supplier IFRA sheets.
Do not use tangerine juice in this recipe.
Do not use tangerine zest in this recipe.
Do not use ylang ylang water, floral water, or hydrosol in this recipe.
Tangerine scent may come from:
Skin-safe tangerine fragrance oil
Tangerine essential oil
Tangerine accord
Supplier-approved Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance blend
Tangerine essential oil still needs proper dilution.
Do not use old or oxidized tangerine essential oil on the skin.
If your supplier gives a specific leave-on limit for your tangerine material, follow that number.
Ylang ylang essential oil is strong and can take over the blend quickly.
Ylang ylang essential oil may bother sensitive skin if too much is used.
Keep ylang ylang low, soft, and well diluted.
If using ylang ylang essential oil in this recipe, keep the ylang ylang portion at or below 0.03 oz for a beginner-friendly amount.
If you blend tangerine and ylang ylang separately, the total scent amount should still stay between 0.05 and 0.08 oz for this recipe unless your supplier allows more.
Always follow the lowest supplier usage rate when blending fragrance oils, essential oils, or aroma materials together.
This recipe is an anhydrous body butter, meaning it does not contain water.
Do not add water, aloe vera, hydrosols, tea, milk, honey, glycerin, or water-based ingredients to this recipe.
Because there is no water in this formula, it does not need a preservative if made and stored correctly.
Keep water out of the jar during use.
Use clean, dry hands or a clean spoon when scooping.
Body butter can feel rich, so a small amount is enough.
Do not use this body butter on your face, intimate areas, broken skin, irritated skin, sunburned skin, or freshly shaved skin.
Instructions
Start with a clean, dry workspace and clean tools.
Make sure your jar is clean and completely dry.
Add the shea butter, mango butter, and solid coconut oil to a heat-safe bowl.
Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water to create a double boiler.
Melt the butters and coconut oil gently.
Stir slowly until everything is fully melted.
Remove the bowl from heat.
Add the fractionated coconut oil.
Add the jojoba oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed oil.
Add the vitamin E oil if you are using it.
Stir until the oils are fully blended.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.
Chill until the mixture looks thick, cloudy, and partly firm around the edges, but not rock hard.
Remove the bowl from the refrigerator.
Whip the mixture with a hand mixer until it becomes creamy, lighter, and fluffy.
Add the Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil or scent blend.
Add the arrowroot powder or tapioca starch if you are using it.
Whip again until the body butter looks smooth and fully blended.
Check the texture.
If the body butter feels too soft, chill it for 5 to 10 more minutes and whip again.
If the body butter feels too firm, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and whip again.
Spoon the whipped body butter into your clean, dry jar.
Tap the jar gently to settle the butter, but do not pack it down too tightly.
Wipe the rim clean.
Add the lid.
Label it Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter and add the date you made it.
How to Use It
Use Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter on clean, dry skin.
Apply a small amount to arms, legs, elbows, knees, feet, and dry areas.
Use after a shower when skin is dry but still slightly warm.
Massage gently until the butter melts into the skin.
Start with a small scoop because this is a rich body butter.
Reapply as needed if your skin tolerates it well.
Avoid using right before putting on delicate clothing because oils can transfer.
Do not use on irritated skin.
Do not use right after shaving if your skin is sensitive.
Parlor Scent Lab Notes
Tangerine + Ylang Ylang should smell bright, creamy, floral, tropical, and soft.
The tangerine gives the body butter a sweet citrus brightness.
The ylang ylang adds creamy floral warmth and a soft tropical finish.
Together, they should smell like warm skin, sweet citrus, soft yellow flowers, and a pretty after-shower routine.
This scent should not smell like orange candy.
It should not smell too heady.
It should not smell too floral or heavy.
It should feel bright, creamy, smooth, and close to the skin.
Shea butter gives the body butter richness.
Mango butter helps make the texture smoother and less heavy.
Solid coconut oil adds a creamy body-care feel, but too much can make the butter softer or more melt-prone.
Fractionated coconut oil helps the butter glide on more easily.
Jojoba, sunflower, sweet almond, or grapeseed oil help soften the skin feel.
Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch can make the butter feel less greasy, but too much can make it feel powdery.
Vitamin E oil is optional. It can help slow oil oxidation, but it is not a preservative.
If your home is warm, this body butter may soften or melt. For a firmer version next time, reduce the solid coconut oil slightly and increase the mango butter.
Keep the color soft. White, cream, pale orange, pale yellow, soft ivory, or very light blush works best for the Tangerine + Ylang Ylang look.
Do not add tangerine peel, tangerine zest, dried flowers, petals, sugar, food extracts, milk, honey, or kitchen ingredients to this recipe.
If your body butter smells strange, changes texture, develops spots, becomes watery, or looks contaminated, throw it away and make a fresh batch.
Storage and Safety
Store your body butter in a cool, dry place.
Keep the jar tightly closed between uses.
Keep water out of the jar.
Do not store it in the shower.
Do not leave it in a hot car, sunny window, or warm bathroom.
Body butter can melt in heat.
If it melts and firms back up, the texture may become flatter or grainy.
Use clean, dry hands or a clean spoon to scoop the body butter.
Use within 3 to 6 months for the freshest scent and best texture.
Always patch test before using a new scented body butter all over.
Avoid using on broken skin, irritated skin, sunburned skin, freshly shaved skin, or intimate areas.
Keep away from eyes and mouth.
If irritation, itching, redness, burning, headache, or discomfort happens, stop using it.
Keep out of reach of children and pets.
If you are pregnant, have sensitive skin, or are making this for someone with health concerns, check whether tangerine and ylang ylang are appropriate before use.
If you are selling this body butter, your formula should be properly tested, labeled, and checked for cosmetic compliance in your area.
Scent Strength
For an unscented sensitive-skin version, use:
No fragrance oil
For a very soft Tangerine + Ylang Ylang scent, use:
0.05 oz Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil
For the regular Tangerine + Ylang Ylang version, use:
0.06 oz Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil
For a slightly stronger but still soft leave-on scent, use:
0.08 oz Tangerine + Ylang Ylang fragrance oil
For a tangerine-forward version, use:
0.04 oz tangerine fragrance oil, tangerine accord, or tangerine essential oil
0.02 oz ylang ylang fragrance oil or ylang ylang essential oil
For a ylang ylang-forward version, use:
0.03 oz tangerine fragrance oil, tangerine accord, or tangerine essential oil
0.03 oz ylang ylang fragrance oil or ylang ylang essential oil
For a softer creamy-floral version, use:
0.03 oz tangerine fragrance oil, tangerine accord, or tangerine essential oil
0.02 oz ylang ylang fragrance oil or ylang ylang essential oil
Do not add extra fragrance oil or essential oil unless your supplier’s leave-on usage rate allows it.
If using ylang ylang essential oil, keep it low. More is not better in this blend.
If using tangerine essential oil, make sure it is fresh, properly stored, and not oxidized.
Tangerine + Ylang Ylang should stay bright, creamy, floral, tropical, and close to the skin.
One Last Soft Scoop
Tangerine + Ylang Ylang Body Butter is bright, creamy, and softly floral on purpose.
It is smooth skin after a shower, a little tangerine in the air, a soft tropical flower note on the vanity, and that rich body-butter feeling that makes dry skin feel cared for.
A small scoop, a soft rub, and there she is.
Before You Leave the Parlor…
Don't slip out without signing the guest book — just drop a note in the comments below. Tell us what you loved, what you're trying next, or say hello. We love knowing who stopped by. 💕
