Learn how to make 3 kinds of rose-scented sugar scrub cubes – vanilla rose, chocolate rose and pink rose. These homemade sugar scrub cubes gently cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize, leaving dry skin feeling softer and more hydrated. They’re crafted with natural ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and melt and pour soap. Plus, they’re lightly fragranced with essential oils for a non-toxic scent. Read on to learn how to make these fragrant rose body polishing sugar cubes!

I think most of us have used a body scrub a time or two. They have a reputation for being one of the easiest homemade bath and body products you can incorporate into your self-care routine.

For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to create a rose-scented bath product that would be nice for gifting, not only for your Valentine but for your Galentine! In other words, those friends who are always there for you and who deserve a little token of your appreciation.

I thought these rose sugar scrub cubes in 3 rose-based scents would fit the bill. As an added bonus, these little scrubby cubes are incredibly easy to make. In fact, you can whip up a batch in an hour or less. They’re also affordable and don’t contain synthetic fragrances or dyes.

These homemade rose sugar scrub cubes are the perfect gift for those friends who love bath products and the fragrant scent of roses, chocolate and vanilla.

So whether you want to treat yourself, your partner or your friend, these rose scrub cubes are an aromatherapeutic treat for your skin and your senses.

What are exfoliating sugar scrub cubes?

Sugar scrub cubes are individually-sized exfoliating cubes with a sugar and soap base that you use in your bath or shower.

As the name would suggest, sugar is the star ingredient in solid sugar scrub cubes and acts as a natural exfoliator, helping to slough off dry skin.

The oils and butters in the cubes moisturize and soften. At the same time, the melt and pour soap base cleanses the skin, while also helping to keep the entire mixture together.

Why use sugar scrub cubes?

First and foremost, these rose sugar scrub cubes are convenient because you cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize all in one easy step.

But they also have a variety of skin benefits. Some of the butters and oils in the cubes will remain on the skin after bathing, providing more moisture than regular bar soap.

As well, regular exfoliation helps cell turnover, which leads to brighter, healthier looking skin.

Additionally, sugar scrub cubes are less prone to bacterial growth than typical sugar scrubs. This is because you only need to bring a couple cubes into the shower with you, rather than an entire jar.

On the other hand, homemade jars of sugar scrub are more likely to have issues with bacteria, especially if you accidentally introduce bathwater into your jar.

What you need to make rose sugar scrub cubes

To make rose sugar scrub cubes, you need a melt and pour soap base which you will then grate up and melt down.

I chose a white soap base so that the colors of the cubes would be more vibrant. But you can use any variety of melt and pour soap base such as cocoa, honey or oatmeal. Just remember to chose a white or clear soap base if you want your rose sugar scrub cubes to be a soft pink color.

Then, you need a butter, which you will melt along with the soap. I used shea butter in the vanilla rose and pink rose cubes, and cocoa butter for the chocolate rose variation. But you can also use another butter as well. Mango butter for instance would be a good choice for sugar scrub cubes.

You will also need a solid carrier oil for this recipe. I chose coconut oil, but those allergic to coconut products can substitute babassu oil, which is similar in texture to coconut oil.

And for those who don’t like the smell of coconut, or who simply don’t want it to interfere with the fragrance of their cubes, you can also use deodorized coconut oil.

Finally, you will need to add essential oils to fragrance your rose scrub cubes, and a natural food coloring to give your cubes that gorgeous pink color.

Ingredients for rose sugar scrub cubes

Shea butter

Shea butter, derived from the seeds of the shea fruit, is one of my favourite butters for homemade bath and body products. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and E and is highly emollient and nourishing to the skin. It also has a comedogenic rating of 0, which makes it suitable for all skin types.

You can opt to choose a deodorized shea butter for this recipe to avoid the scent of your rose fragranced cubes competing with the earthy scent of natural shea butter. However, this is not necessary, and your scrub cubes will still smell lovely, even with unrefined shea butter.

The shea butter you purchase should also be a light beige color. Do your research before purchasing bright white or yellow shea butter as it may have been altered to save on manufacturing costs.

As always, make sure your butters are cold-pressed for maximum skin benefits, and preferably organic and ethically sourced.

Cocoa butter

Cocoa butter, derived from the cocoa bean, is another skincare favourite.

Besides its incredible chocolate scent, cocoa butter is rich in skin-nourishing saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. It’s especially rich in stearic acid, which helps bolster the skin’s protective barrier¹.

Cocoa butter is also high in flavanols, a group of flavonoids which have been shown to act as potent antioxidants. This means that using cocoa butter can help to prevent oxidative damage to the skin².

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is highly saturated, shelf-stable and solid at room temperature, which makes it a great oil to use in solid rose sugar scrub cubes. It contains antibacterial and anti-fungal fatty acids like lauric acid that promote a healthy skin microflora.

Besides its skin benefits, coconut oil is also inexpensive and readily accessible. But as mentioned above, deodorized coconut oil or babassu oil are suitable substitutes.

Rose essential oil (rose otto)

I used highly fragrant rose otto essential oil for all the sugar scrub cube varieties. There are a few different types of rose essential oil, but rose otto is preferable over rose absolute for topical applications³.

Keep in mind that rose otto is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It’s also expensive, so you can chose a less expensive, diluted rose otto oil such as this one instead.

Cacao absolute

Cacao absolute, informally known as chocolate essential oil, smells like expensive, rich dark chocolate. If you’re a chocolate fan, you will likely be craving it after smelling cocoa absolute. The smell is that incredible, and a little goes a long way with this fragrance as well.

Combined with cocoa butter, cacao absolute makes the chocolate rose sugar scrub cubes smell just like real chocolate.

If you love the rich aroma of dark chocolate, check out our other recipes that use cacao absolute as an ingredient, such as our DIY caffè mocha sugar scrub cubes, chocolate rose tub tea, or our peppermint hot cocoa body butter.

Vanilla oleoresin

Vanilla is one of my favourite scents. It’s both comforting and sweet and has a delicious, rich aroma reminiscent of fresh baking.

The smell of vanilla is said to invoke feelings of calmness and relaxation, so it’s a wonderful scent to include in your homemade bath and body products. Vanilla oleoresin will impart a warm and soothing, yet sweet scent to your vanilla rose scented sugar scrub cubes.

Natural coloring

Finally, adding color to your cubes optional but if you want your cubes to be pink, you will need to add a natural colorant.

I used beetroot powder to give the sugar scrub cubes a lovely pink color. One thing to remember about beetroot though, is that the color may fade. With the light pink cubes, I noticed that they turned beige after a few weeks. It didn’t affect their use but the soft pink was a lot more appealing.

For some reason, the darker cubes (vanilla rose and chocolate rose) didn’t lose their color. Although, that could be because I added more beetroot to those varieties.

If the color is important to you, you can also use rose petal powder, hibiscus powder, or a natural liquid food coloring such as this one. You can also make your own colorant by finely grinding rose or hibiscus petals.

Alternatively, you can also use pink mica powder. We recommend synthetic mica which may come as a surprise considering we are a natural blog, but we explain why we prefer synthetic mica in this post.

How to make rose sugar scrub cubes

Making your own solid sugar scrub cubes is easy. For detailed instructions as well as exact measurements, please consult the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Grate or chop your melt and pour soap base and slowly melt it over low heat.
Once it is completely melted, add your oils and butters.
Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool down slightly before adding your sugar and essential oils.
Scoop the sugar scrub mixture into the silicone molds. Place rose petals on top, if desired.
Place your molds in the freezer for 30 minutes to set before carefully popping out your cubes.

How to use sugar scrub cubes

Before your bath or shower, remove 1-2 cubes from their storage container and bring them into your shower or bath.

As you bathe, crush the cubes in your hands and massage the pieces onto your body, using a circular motion. Ideally, the cubes should be used towards the end of your bath or shower so that the moisturizing oils and butters remain on your skin.

You can also keep a few rose sugar scrub cubes next to the sink as they’re perfect for exfoliating your hands. In addition, they’re also wonderful for smoothing and exfoliating dry feet.

How long do rose sugar scrub cubes last?

If stored correctly, your rose sugar scrub cubes should last approximately 3-6 months at room temperature.

Remember to store the cubes in a cool, dark cupboard and inside an airtight container. Sugar cubes tend to dry out and become too crumbly if you don’t use them before the 6 month mark. I find it’s ideal to use them by the 3 month mark if you can, and simply make smaller batches.

However, if they do dry out, you can still use the cubes, but I find they’re not as easy to use on your body. Therefore, save the older rose scrub cubes for your hands or feet.

20 sugar scrub cubes

DIY Rose Sugar Scrub Cubes 3 Ways

Active Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10

Learn how to make easy DIY sugar scrub cubes in 3 rose-scented varieties: pink rose, vanilla rose, and chocolate rose. These fragrant rose sugar scrub cubes cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize your skin with less mess than traditional sugar scrubs.

Materials

Pink Rose Sugar Scrub Cubes

3/4 cup grated melt and pour soap base
1/2 cup shea butter
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup fine cane sugar
20 drops rose otto essential oil
1 tbsp natural colourant (see recipe notes)

Vanilla Rose Sugar Scrub Cubes

3/4 cup grated melt and pour soap base
1/2 cup shea butter
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup fine cane sugar
12 drops vanilla oleoresin
10 drops rose otto essential oil
2 tbsp natural colourant (see recipe notes)

Chocolate Rose Sugar Scrub Cubes

3/4 cup grated melt and pour soap base
1/2 cup cocoa butter
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup fine cane sugar
12 drops cacao absolute
10 drops rose otto essential oil
2 tbsp natural colourant (see recipe notes)

Tools

Silicone cube mold

Instructions

First, use a cheese grater to grate your melt and pour soap base. You can also chop your soap base if you prefer.

Note: You can also try using regular bar soap, but it won’t be as easy to work with as melt and pour base. I can’t promise the final product will be as nice, either.
Next, place the grated soap base in a small saucepan on low heat. Watch closely. You can also use the double boiler method and place your pot or a heat-safe glass bowl over a shallow pan of simmering water. Or, melt your soap base in your microwave. If you use this method, melt the soap slowly in 15-20 second increments and stir often.
Next, add the shea butter and coconut oil to your soap base and whisk well.
Once melted, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool down slightly before proceeding to the next step. Allowing the mixture to cool will prevent your sugar from melting.
After the mixture has cooled, add the sugar and desired colourant and stir quickly and thoroughly. Then, add your essential oils and mix again.
Scoop the sugar scrub mixture into your clean and dry silicone molds. You can also try using small muffin tins or ice cube trays if you don’t have a silicone mold on hand.
If creating the options with dried rose petals, place the petals on the tops of the cubes while they are still wet. You can opt to mix the rose petals into your mixture but I find that too many petals can clog drains unless you use a drain cover. The rose petals are primarily for decoration.
Place your silicone molds in the freezer for 30 mintues to set.
Finally, pop the sugar cubes out carefully onto a clean plate or cutting board. Store your cubes in an airtight glass container. This recipe will yield approximately 20 sugar scrub cubes, depending on the size of your mold.