FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Our Perfumes

• What size are your perfumes?

  Alkemia perfumes come in a variety of sizes and formats. Our extraits and ultimes are available in 1 ml sample vials, 4.5 ml bottles with stainless steel rollerballs, or 5ml old fashioned amber apothecary bottles. Our perfume sprays come in 30ml/1 oz traditional perfume atomizers. We offer a limited selection of extraits in 1oz jumbo sizes. 

• What's the difference between Extrait and Ultime strength?

  Our perfume extraits are our standard strength which is quite strong but some people need a little more oomph. Ultimes are for people wanting something a little stronger - either because they like to make a more emphatic statement with their perfume, have skin chemistry that 'eats' up scent very quickly, or have challenges getting longevity from perfume (see FAQ -How can I get my perfume to last longer). Generally the sillage is a little bit more for ultimes. Some people the extrait formulation is too strong and they choose to dilute their extraits (see FAQ - My perfume is too strong for me, what can I do?). We suggest starting with extrait strength.

• What's the difference between 1oz Perfume Sprays and Alcohol Free Sprays?

  Alcohol EDPs are very much like the non-1oz Perfume Sprays it's just that we use a different carrier. Alcohol Free Sprays are good if you have sensitive skin, like to wear your perfume in your hair, or if a perfume is shipping internationally (alcohol based perfumes are subject to heavy duty taxes). Both spray types last about the same and are generally stronger than Extrait, but not quite as strong as Ultime.

• Which perfumes are masculine/feminine?

  In the present day, ‘masculine’ perfumes tend to emphasize notes of ozone, smoke, spice, woods, leather and greenery while ‘feminine’ perfumes tend to emphasize florals like jasmine and rose, sweet amber, fruit, and gourmand notes however much of how scents are defined as ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ is connected to 19th century European ideas of gender that have continued on through the influence of modern advertising. Prior to the 19th century, fragrances were not gendered. Wearing any perfume was an expression of status, power, and wealth because only royalty or elites could afford to do so. Given this history, we find it difficult (and a little bit arbitrary) to limit our perfumes by gender. 
  
  Neuroscience research shows that our earliest experiences of scents are typically associated with memories of people. One person might define the scent of rose as feminine because their mother was a rose gardener while another might find it masculine because their father wore rosewater cologne. Thus the definition of masculine or feminine in terms of scent is intrinsically a part of our personal story, culture, and worldview. In fact, a small study at Stockholm University where volunteers rated scents for masculinity or femininity showed little correspondence with the scents’ commercial gender categorizations.
  
  In practice, we find that perfumes are usually best when matched to an individual’s personality and unique skin chemistry rather than strictly adhering to a more generalized category such as gender. We recommend ordering a variety of sample sets and exploring what works best for you. To make the decision making process easier, we have sample collections of ‘more masculine’ and ‘more feminine’ perfumes, non-gendered collections specific to mood and personal expression, and an introductory set featuring some of our customer favorites.

• Do you have a list of past monthly alchemies?

  Yes we do! Here's our list of past monthly alchemies.

• Are Alkemia perfumes vegan?

  We take pride in our proprietary vegan accords (leather, civet, castoreum, ambergris, etc.) that closely match the real thing without involving actual animal ingredients. As of July 2023, we have made a full transition to 100% vegan ingredients (it took us some time to develop honey and beeswax accords that met our olfactory standards).

• How are Alkemia's perfumes made?

  In addition to traditional perfumer's notes, we use a variety of unusual perfumery ingredients and techniques. We blend in small batches and our catalog changes frequently because we are constantly experimenting. We source our natural ingredients from all over the world and our aroma molecules/synthetic ingredients from some of the same laboratories that the very best high-end perfumers use. 

• Do you have any all natural perfumes?

  Ambre Extrait and Ydalir are both 100% natural origin perfumes.

• Are your perfumes all natural?

  No, because not everything natural is safe or ethical. Some natural essential oils, extraits, and absolutes are extracted using toxic solvents or there are heavy pesticide residues that get even further concentrated in the distillation process. Also some natural ingredients like wintergreen, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, and tea tree are quite toxic to companion animals like dogs and cats.

  When we use natural ingredients, we do our best to continually educate ourselves and stay in relationship with our suppliers because there are often sustainability and human exploitation issues with the farming and/or distillation of some rarer ingredients like oud, rose, sandalwood, and vanilla beans. 

• Do you use synthetic ingredients?

  Our perfumes have both synthetic and natural ingredients. When it comes to choosing natural vs synthetic elements, we believe in reading research, being in relationship with suppliers, and making thoughtful, intentional decisions. Some synthetic ingredients are plant derived in origin, but have been processed/de-constructed into specific aroma ingredients.

  Other ingredients, like aroma molecules are entirely lab created. Due to the many recent advances in fragrance research, we are increasingly finding that high quality lab-created aroma molecules are not only more sustainable in environmental terms, but are also often superior to natural ingredients in terms of longevity, nuance of fragrance, and skin safety (much less likely to cause allergic reactions than natural counterparts).

• Are your synthetic ingredients toxic?

  The ever evolving IFRA Transparency List and its related research are our primary sources for determining our ingredient safety; however we also research beyond these parameters. Since our founding in 2009, we have avoided phthalates, DPG, parabens, polycyclic and nitro musks because these are bioaccumulative in both the body and the land and there is research raising concerns of long term toxicity. We also avoid chemical binding ingredients (which is why our perfumes usually need rest for 48 hours after shipping). Our alcohol-free EDP base is made from ingredients that rate 1 (lowest concern) in the Environmental Working Group database.
  
  One of the reasons we created Alkemia was because we love perfume but Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) to both mainstream and niche perfumes left limited affordable options. Our MCS (and the various sensitivities of our testers) now helps us determine which aroma molecules and synthetic ingredients to use in our perfumes but we also recognize that what works for some might not work for others.
  
  If the idea of wearing any synthetic ingredient is uncomfortable, we recommend either using a 100% natural origin perfume like Ydlair or Ambre Extrait or wearing perfume in ways that don’t touch the skin - e.g. clothing, hair, scent locket, etc. 

• What is the base that you use in your perfumes?

  Our perfumes are concentrated extraits so they are undiluted with the exception of a few perfumes with very strong spice notes and our natural origin perfumes like Ambre Extrait and Ydalir. When we do use carrier oils, we use Sunflower, Meadowfoam seed oil or food grade Mineral oil. Meadowfoam is a beautiful white flower native to the Northwest and Northern California. It has a low carbon footprint and is a powerful antioxidant skin nourisher. Sunflower oil is also packed with rich antioxidants and sunflower fields provide important habitats for migratory birds and other wildlife. Food grade mineral oil is hypoallergenic and its occlusive properties provide a moisturizing base that helps perfume stay truer and last longer on skin. We do not use tree nut oils of any type.

• I have allergies/sensitive skin. Can you help me find a perfume?

  If you are wanting to avoid a particular ingredient or class of ingredients because of an allergy, please contact us with the specifics and we can offer some suggestions. It’s important to note that because we do not control every step of the production of our perfume ingredients from field or lab to our workshop, there is always the potential risk of something of which we were unaware. It’s also not uncommon for new allergies or sensitivities to emerge.

  For these reasons, we always recommend patch testing ours or any other new perfume, skin, or body product first. If you start having a reaction to any of our perfumes, discontinue use immediately and cleanse the affected area.
  
  We recommend minimizing the risk of skin reactions by:

  • Not applying perfumes to irritated, inflamed, or wounded skin (this includes tattoos still in the healing process)
  • Not applying perfumes directly after hot showers when pores are open
  • On hot/humid days, wearing perfumes on less sensitive areas like the back or arms instead of the neck 
  • Diluting your extrait or ultimate with a little unscented lotion or body oil if you have generally sensitive skin. 

• Why do I need to let my perfume rest after receiving? What happens if I don’t let my perfume rest?

  We do not use chemical binders in our perfumes as research shows that many of these ingredients are harmful and endocrine disrupting. The downside is that our perfumes can be a bit temperamental after the jostling and temperature fluctuations of shipping. A 48 hour rest at room temperature usually sets things right. Some customers recommend 72 hours for our  resinous perfumes.
  
  There is nothing wrong with trying your new perfume right away. In fact, some people enjoy trying a perfume when they receive it and then again after the resting period to experience the transformation. We recommend a little wait time because we want you to have the most enjoyable experience possible.

• Why does my perfume smell different from what I expected?

  There can be many reasons why a perfume can smell different. If you have recently received your perfume, the most common reason is that your perfume may need to rest after its long journey. We do not use chemical binders in our perfumes which sometimes makes them a bit temperamental after the jostling and temperature fluctuations of shipping. A 48 hour rest at room temperature usually sets things right. Some customers have reported that some of our more resinous perfumes can take up to 72 hours to come to their best. Other reasons can be skin chemistry changes (often due to monthly or seasonal biorhythmic fluctuations, changes in medication, hormonal birth control or hormone therapy, FTM or MTF transition, etc.); minor batch to batch variations; the presence of other scented products on your body; or the age of the perfume (delicate floral notes are sometimes prone to dissipating more rapidly after a year). If, upon opening a new bottle, something smells truly weird (e.g. instead of fresh green grass, you’re smelling warm cookies) please reach out to us.

• Why can’t I get my favorite Special Reserve as a spray?

  After a lot of trial and error (mostly error), we’ve learned that our Special Reserve perfume oils are too concentrated, too resinous, and too delicately balanced to lend themselves to being diluted into a spray format without fundamentally altering the composition. 

• What does it mean that a perfume is in the “Last Chance” section?

  Perfumes in the Last Chance section are slated to be discontinued. There can be many reasons for this: 

  • Seasonal releases are by nature limited in quantity as they are made in small batches and we limit these so we can continue to create new and different perfumes as the seasons inspire us. 
  • At times a key ingredient might become unobtainable, new research on its sourcing has raised a concern for us, or, in the case of natural ingredients, the ingredient is dramatically different from previous harvests and we cannot keep true to the original olfactory composition of the perfume.
  • Sometimes a perfume just isn’t getting enough love and attention and it's time to switch things up to make room for new scents. 

  Perfumes in Last Chance remain listed there until the batch is sold out. If there are enough requests for a discontinued blend to be revived and the components are available in sufficient quantity and quality, we sometimes recreate a small batch for our annual July Cleaning Up the Workshop Sale. 

• Why are my vial tops different colors? 

  Mostly our sample vial tops are black, but sometimes you might get a clear one. This is because we purposefully buy our supplies from other small businesses to better support the indie business community. Usually we get black tops, but lately we’ve had to go with clear ones because everything else was out of stock. Sometimes life is imperfect. Our samples might not always match but they have been hand decanted for you with love. 
  
  

  “And it was the touch of the imperfect on the wouldbe perfect
  that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity.”
  ― Thomas Hardy

Questions About Using Our Perfumes

• How do you apply the perfume from the amber apothecary bottle?

  Our perfume extraits and ultimes are standardly packaged in 5ml amber apothecary bottles. We find that the open top allows for maximum versatility for using your perfume in different ways (on your body, in a diffuser, added to bathwater, etc.). The most popular way to use perfume from the open top is to cover the top with your index finger and gently tip the bottle to wet your fingertip with perfume. Then, using your finger as a dabber, you can apply your perfume to your wrist, neck, hair, etc. If you are worried about spillage or prefer the control of being able to dispense your perfume drop by drop, we suggest purchasing a companion dropper top.

• What is the shelf life of my perfume?

  Our perfumes have a shelf life of two years however many of our customers find that many of our perfumes (especially those with incense or resinous ingredients) get even better over time. As with people, many ingredients only become better with age. In our perfume workshop we have a small stash of 70 year old patchouli that transports Sharra to olfactory ecstasy whenever she opens the bottle. To maximize shelf life, we suggest storing your perfumes at room temperature and away from sunlight.

• How can I get my perfume to last longer?
  

  Try a fixative primer: Our proprietary perfume fixative can be worn as a primer on the skin before applying your perfume. The fixative’s subtle scent elements work to anchor scent molecules with a dose of pH balancing base notes while the oil base moisturizes the skin to help keep your skin from ‘eating’ your perfume. 
  
  Reapply from time to time: Our rollerball bottles and sample vials are easy to slip in a pocket or purse for reapplication during the day (or evening). The downside of not using chemical binders and phthalate based plasticizers in our perfumes are that some of our perfumes (especially those with more delicate, ephemeral floral notes) may need to be reapplied more frequently. Given the endocrine disrupting toxins that are common in many mass market (and even many indie) perfumes, we believe this is an acceptable trade off and we hope you do too. 
  
  Wear your perfume in a different location(s) on your body: We find that where you choose to wear your perfume can make a big difference for longevity. We especially like wearing perfume on the back of the neck because your natural body heat will disperse a beautiful yet not overpowering aura of scent molecules and your hair will help hold the scent longer. In the summer or when we’re rocking more bare skin, we like to also wear our perfume on the back of the knees and a dab near the belly button or solar plexus. As body heat rises, the scent molecules will be transported upward. Also, wearing perfume this way feels extra sensual and sexy. See also: Help! My skin ‘eats’ perfume. What can I do?

• I like to make an emphatic statement with my perfume. How do I get my perfume to be stronger/have more sillage?

  When we want big, voluptuous sillage, we like to layer a spray over an application of extrait/ultime. We also like to wear perfume in our hair so that the air around us carries the scent every time our hair moves. 

• Your perfume is too strong for me, what can I do?

  A virtue of perfume extraits is that their concentration packs a lot of fragrance into a compact bottle. If you prefer your fragrances to be less intense, our perfumes (both extrait and ultime) can be readily diluted by adding a few drops to a little unscented lotion or body oil. We particularly like using Jojoba and Sunflower oil. We also like to do this in the summer or when traveling to hot/humid climates to prevent heavier fragrances from becoming cloying. Also it makes the bottle last a lot longer. 

• My skin ‘eats’ perfume! Can you help?

  Try wearing your perfume extrait or alcohol free spray in your hair! Hair is a tremendous holder of scent and because there are no sweat glands/body pH in a hair shaft, perfumes tend to stay ‘true.’ This hack also works when you love a perfume in the bottle but your skin chemistry turns it all wrong.
  See also: How to get my perfume to last longer

• Which perfumes work best for different seasons or environments?

  Some people like to wear their favorite perfumes year round but others like to switch things up for different seasons (e.g. summer vs winter) or environments (e.g. work day vs date night). We find that a lot of people like to wear light florals, aquatics, citrus, white amber, tea, and tropical fruits for spring/summer (and/or hot humid environments) or for daytime. In the autumn/winter people often prefer gourmands, spices, incenses, resins, heavy florals, and dark amber. 
  We encourage you to experiment with what scents make you feel like your best self in different environments and then play with mixing it up. If leather notes make you feel badass, try wearing in the boardroom (or the bedroom). If gourmands feel like a cozy evening, try wearing on a date. If tropical fruits feel like summer, try wearing on a cold winter day and daydreaming a vacation. 

• Can perfume sprays be worn on clothes?

  Many customers successfully wear our perfumes on clothing, but we recommend doing so with caution and careful testing. Antique, vintage, or delicate fabrics like silk or rayon and white/light colored fabrics generally do not lend themselves to perfume application. We recommend carefully testing a tiny bit of your perfume on a hidden corner of a fabric. 
  
  Our personal favorite ways to wear perfume on fabric include: the inner linings of coats and jackets; the underside of bra straps; woolen scarves and winter sweaters; dark or vintage wash jeans and denim items; pocket handkerchiefs; the inside hems of billowy skirts and dresses; and the inside of our heavier wraps and shawls. We also like to perfume our draw liners, sachets, storage boxes, and clothes hangers so our stored clothing and fabrics can absorb the delicate fragrance molecules. One of our favorite hacks is storing our leather goods with a tissue that contains a few drops of our vegan leather layering note or adding a few drops to our leather cleaner/conditioners to give a luxe aroma that refreshes purses, vintage boots, shoes, and leather goods. 

• My workplace discourages wearing perfume. What can I do?

  Some workplaces, restaurants, and other settings discourage wearing perfume. We find that scent lockets or applying scent to articles of clothing that can be easily removed (like scarves) provide an easy way to ‘take on and off’ a perfume. Always gently test your perfume on an inconspicuous corner of a fabric and avoid thin, fine fabrics like silk, rayon, or polyester or white/light colored items.
  See also: Can perfume be worn on clothes?

• How else can I experience your perfumes? Can your perfumes be used to make candles? 

  Ambient fragrance for your environment is a wonderful way to utilize favorite perfumes or find a use for perfumes that didn’t work with skin chemistry or that otherwise weren’t quite perfect for wearing. We love to use our extraits and ultimes in aromatherapy water diffusers, on wool dryer balls (some folks also use on unscented dryer sheets), in scent lockets, on our car mats, on our bath mats, and the edges of our towels. We’re always hearing about new and different ways that people are creatively using our perfumes. Our favorite innovation? This from a long time customer: “I tried adding some extrait to a cotton ball and vacuuming it up before I vacuumed the rest of the apartment. My goodness, everything smelled magical! I now look forward to vacuuming instead of it feeling like a boring chore.”
  
  While it’s theoretically possible to use our perfumes to make candles, it’s not necessarily economical and the extended heating process can sometimes damage some of the more delicate fragrance notes. Personally, we like to add a few drops of an extrait/ultime to the melted wax puddles of our candles (tea light, container, and pillar) and let the warmth of the wax release the perfume to the room.

• I have lots of perfume vials and bottles. Can you help me figure out what to do with my perfume stash?

  There's a number of ways to repurpose scents that don't work or rekindle romance with scents that you once loved and got bored with. Here's some of our favorite ideas:

  • Experiment with scent layering, either through using single layering notes or by trying blends of contrasting perfume oils (earthy scents to mute florals, smoky scents to mute sweets, etc.). You might just find your perfect signature scent.
  • Dab onto unscented dryer sheets or wool laundry balls and make your laundry smell luxe
  • Add to the rinse water of your hand washables
  • Fragrance your home using electric water or candle oil diffusers
  • Dab on blotting paper and stash in your car, linen closet, or dresser
  • Put a few drops on a cotton ball then vacuum it up. Your house will get fragranced while you vacuum.
  • Host a sample sniffing get together. Pile all your samples into a pretty bowl or tray and take turns smelling, sampling, guessing notes, and choosing favorites.
  • Use for scented craft projects like DIY bath salts, potpourri, scented drawer liners, or perfumed wrapping paper
  • Swap on Reddit, Makeup Alley, or other forums
  • Add to your bathwater and have a luxurious soak
  • Host a perfume swapping party. Most folks have at least one bottle of something they don't wear so much. Get a small group together with everyone bringing 1-2 perfumes that aren’t getting enough love along with the fragrance notes and everyone switches up.

Questions about Alkemia

• Do you accept cancellations?

  Please request any cancellations within 12 hours of purchase. This really helps our workshop team keep things running smoothly.

• Do you accept returns or exchanges?

  We want you to love your perfume, so we strongly recommend trying samples first because our perfumes will change according to your individual chemistry. Health and safety protocols prevent us from being able to accept returns or exchanges, but please contact us at customercare@alkemiaperfumes.com if you have an issue with your order and we can work things out on a case by case basis. 

• Do you have a brick and mortar storefront? Can I find Alkemia in stores?

  At the moment, no. Life is a lot about decisions on how to spend precious (and finite) time. Although we’re growing, we’re at heart a tiny perfumery and we like to spend our time making new friends/customers around the world and creating perfumes to bring a little joy and delight.

• What astrological sign is Alkemia?

  Alkemia is a Virgo/Libra cusp. 

• Why does Alkemia blend perfumes only at certain times of the year and lunar cycles?

  According to folklore/traditional knowledge, the timing of natural cycles (lunar phases, cross and quarter days, etc.) and certain ingredients bring extra beneficial influences like joy, wisdom, empowerment, and/or protection. We incorporate these into our blending processes because who doesn't need a little extra joy or wisdom in their life?

• Do you make custom perfumes?

  We love it when people share their perfume ideas with us, however we don’t create custom blends. While some people are willing to spend thousands of dollars with niche perfumers and wait months to get a single perfume, we believe that personal experimentation is a more practical (and fun) option. We recommend starting this process with a curated sample set. Tell us about yourself and what image/aesthetic/mood/signature you want to conjure with your perfume or what story you wish to tell about yourself in fragrance. From this information we will assemble and send you a set of samples suitable for layering with each other. One sample set yields more than a hundred possible layering combinations for creating your bespoke perfume recipe! When you’ve discovered your special perfume alchemy, you can order the components in full sizes.

• Do you have gift cards/certificates/vouchers?

  Why yes we do. Thank you so much for asking. We think personal choice is a lovely gift to give. We especially like to combine a gift certificate with a perfume sample set so someone can choose their favorite.  

• Is Alkemia cruelty-free?

  We love animals and we do not test our products on them. We have a group of enthusiastic humans (including some with multiple chemical sensitivities) who voluntarily test our perfumes and perfume ingredients. We do find that our beloved animal companions have been known to have distinct opinions about perfumes and we take those opinions into consideration. To the best of our knowledge, our suppliers also do not test on animals. Unfortunately, the scientific research we do on ingredient safety does sometimes include written research derived from animal testing. 

• Do your suppliers test on animals?

  While Alkemia does not test on animals (only happy human volunteers), it’s important to know that the relationship between animal testing and perfume ingredients is complicated. Many perfume houses will state that they do not test on animals, but it’s because the major labs they obtain their aromachemicals or natural ingredients from have already done the animal testing. For this reason, our suppliers are small suppliers and small labs with whom we have long standing relationships and who do not have animal testing as part of their facilities.
  
  We do however have an unavoidable and indirect relationship. Almost all safety research is based on results obtained by using animal testing. Industry guidelines and recommendations like IFRA are based on data from these results. As are EU and US regulatory legislations. Developing perfumes requires using data and science and adhering to legislation that have been derived from animal testing and to that extent we believe that we have an indirect relationship to the suffering and loss of animal life that occurs in laboratory testing situations. 

• What is Alkemia’s commitment to environmental sustainability? 

  Our ultra concentrated perfume extraits do not contain non-fragrance filler ingredients and we believe this is a more sustainable way to wear fragrance. Don’t be fooled by size, inside our tiny packaging is a lot of perfume power. 
  Our compact packaging not only takes up less storage space on your shelf, it requires less glass and packaging and is lighter to ship. Speaking of shipping, we use minimal packaging to get your perfumes safely to your door. This includes using recycled padding materials, compostable glassine envelopes, and FSC® certified paper. Our shipping is carbon neutral and we partner with Planet to closely monitor our carbon footprint and support carbon removing/sequestration technologies like reforestation and soil carbon storage. To further minimize our carbon footprint, our perfume atelier is powered by solar energy. As we continue to grow, we do our best to continually educate ourselves and stay in relationship with our suppliers, supply chains, and the political/social environments of the communities of origin because there are often hidden sustainability and human exploitation issues (e.g. child slavery and sex trafficking in the rose industry, extreme deforestation and vanilla farming). 

• The artwork/artist/poet is problematic. Why do you use these?

  We have spirited debates, interesting discussions, and occasional Google deep dives about exactly this topic. The simplest answer is that we love art and find the experience of art deeply emotional. We adore the sensuality of artistic form, the intricate details and symbolism, the mysteries. We feel a connection in the way that art inspires emotion over the course of centuries and find it fascinating to imagine that someone a hundred years ago may have felt similar emotions upon seeing a painting or reading a poem.

  Simultaneously, we often see problems of exoticism, colonialism, sexism, racism in both art and artist. While some would dismiss these as “norms of the time,” we note that these problems are still with us in art and society to this day. We also note that the 19th century Victorian era question of whether art and artist should be unblemished in morality, wholesome in choice of subject, and purposeful in uplifting of the intellect, continues to be an intense debate that may not ever be resolved as long as there are people creating art. 

  We embrace paradox as a powerful and sacred companion on our journey as humans. We see elements of paradox reflected in myths, legends, and teaching stories from the dawn of humanity. We often incorporate paradox into the creation of our perfumes. In terms of controversial art, we believe that the complexity and paradox that comes from responding to beauty and the related, uncomfortable tension of analyzing the inner intricacies of that response, can provide pathways for deeper learning about self and other. 

  Perhaps as a result of our obsession with the 19th century Aesthetic Movement, we believe quite simply that perfume should bring joy and delight and we hope that in some small way, our perfumes can provide an oasis of respite in a world where joy is too rare. Our eclectic and odd perfume collection is unlikely to appeal to everyone either in aroma or presentation and we believe that if something does not bring beauty and delight, it does not belong in your space of personal sanctuary/home and certainly not on your person.  

  “All art is quite useless…. It has no meaning but its beauty,
  no message but its joy.” - Oscar Wilde

   

Questions about Pheromones

• Which pheromone is right for me?

  P28 is our pheromone for those who are Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB) who wish to attract men and/or queer women. P26 is our pheromone for those who are Assigned Male at Birth (AMAB) who wish to attract women and/or queer men. P42 is ideal for those who are pansexual, non-binary/enby, genderqueer, gender fluid, etc., who want to attract others who fall within various parts of the gender galaxy and/or is for people who enjoy having all around sex appeal. We have been delighted to hear that people transitioning towards and transitioned into transmasculine and transfeminine identities have found our pheromones to be particularly supportive. We have also heard from pansexual and non-binary people that they enjoy toggling between P26, P28, and P42. 

  As introverts with occasionally awkward social tendencies, we enjoy C24 and consider it our social ‘rescue remedy.’ C24 is handy for new situations, parties, networking events, interviews, conferences, working jobs that receive tips, and travel (both business and pleasure). One of our customers describes it as “extroversion in a bottle.” Asexual/Ace people have told us that they particularly enjoy using C24 because the focus is on interpersonal bonding rather than sexual attraction. C24 mixes readily with P26, P28, or P42.

• What are pheromones and how do they work?

  Pheromones are chemicals that work as communication signals between members of the same animal or plant species. Pheromones are connected to mating and attraction/partner selection, marking territory, and facilitating group bonding/cohesion. In mammals they are detected through an organ in the nose called the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The size and shape of the VNO exhibits considerable variability in humans however recent endoscopic and microscopic observations suggest that although it is absent in some, most adults have this organ at least on one side. For some people however, the VNO is not functional. Some researchers believe that olfactory processes in the nose may also function like a VNO. 

  
  We follow the latest research on pheromones as it evolves and this informs our proprietary recipes but we also listen to people’s experiences. Over the years we’ve received lots of stories from our pheromone users. Some people have not found a noticeable difference while others have shared extremely positive experiences. 
  
  Scientific research on pheromones is still in its early stages and all early research is subject to much debate and disagreement. In particular, experts disagree whether pheromones play a special role in love and sexual attraction. While the experts are figuring all of this out, we note that anyone who has longingly sniffed the shirt of a beloved partner seems to instinctively know that scent and desire are inextricable companions.
  
  
  “The fabled musk deer searches the world over for the source of the scent
  which comes from itself.” 
  – Ramakrishna

Have a different question?