Crafter's Choice Premium Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap Base, 2LB Block (Three Butter Plus) Review (2026)

Who this soap base suits

This base is aimed at melt and pour makers who want to move beyond a basic clear glycerin block and add real conditioning ingredients without switching over to cold process soap making. The Three Butter Plus formula blends shea, cocoa, and mango butter into the base itself, so the moisturizing ingredients are already built in rather than something you stir in separately. Because it arrives as a solid 2 pound block rather than pre-cut bars, it suits makers comfortable melting and pouring their own molds, and the maker notes the block size is enough to test the base across a couple of full loaf pours before committing to a larger order.

What is actually in this base

According to the manufacturer's ingredient listing, the base includes sorbitol, propylene glycol, sodium stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myristate, sodium laurate, shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, and titanium dioxide, which means this is a detergent-containing base rather than a detergent-free formula, since sodium laureth sulfate is present at what the manufacturer describes as a 10 to 15 percent range that helps produce big, dense lather. The melting point is listed between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit, and the base is opaque white from the combined butters and titanium dioxide rather than translucent like a clear glycerin block, so finished bars come out solidly cream colored rather than see-through.

Melting, pouring, and finishing bars

The manufacturer's instructions call for cutting the block into smaller pieces and melting it in short 30 second microwave intervals, or over a double boiler, stirring until it is fully liquid before adding color, fragrance, and other skin-safe additives, with the base able to hold up to about 5 percent total additives by weight. Once poured into a mold, a light spritz of rubbing alcohol on the surface helps clear any small air bubbles before it sets. Because the added butters make the base richer than plain glycerin, bars can take a little longer to firm up fully in the mold and may release best after a longer cool-down than a simple clear base needs.

How it compares with clearer glycerin bases

Against a fully clear glycerin base like a 5 pound ultra clear block, this Three Butter Plus base trades transparency for a creamier, more moisturizing finished bar, which matters if your designs rely on suspending glitter or objects visibly in a clear soap, since this opaque base will hide anything embedded inside. Against a smaller organic clear base sized around 2 pounds, this option adds real conditioning butters at the cost of that clarity, so the right pick comes down to whether your finished bar design calls for a see-through look or a soft, opaque, richer feeling bar.

Bottom line

This is a solid choice for melt and pour makers who want a noticeably richer, butter-enhanced bar and do not need transparency in the finished design, and the 2 pound block size is a reasonable way to trial the formula before buying in bulk quantities. Because the base contains sodium laureth sulfate rather than being detergent-free, makers specifically seeking a detergent-free formula should look at Crafter's Choice's separate detergent-free version of this same base instead. For anyone chasing a soft, creamy, spa-style bar without any cold process formulation work, this base delivers on that goal reliably batch after batch.

Frequently asked questions