melt my heart

ORRIS BUTTER

SCENT: Subtle, delicate and complex, with a sweet-floral, woody-earthy-rooty aroma that is fresh, vaguely medicinal and delicately floral even trace amounts have a noticeable effect on a perfume where it has an exalting effect, meaning that it "lifts" and enhances the entire fragrance accord, makes it richer, and adds a “vibration,” a presence that is not overwhelming.
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Extraordinarily expensive—it takes one ton of iris root to produce one kilo of iris butter through a process that is very time consuming and technically demanding. Orris butter is steam distilled from the roots (not the flowers) of Iris pallida, but only after the roots have been aged for three years.

DARK CHOCOLATE

SCENT: Rich, warm, soft, pronounced note that is deep and not particularly sweet, with a dusty feel and a bitter edge. Inhaling the aroma can reduce stress, anxiety and cravings. Sensual enhancement in perfume; heady deliciousness.
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Obtained from the fruit and seeds of a small tree, Calycanthus occidentalis, which grows across Central America. 

YLANG YLANG

SCENT: Heady, sweet, creamy, balsamic, sensual, floral. Used in aromatherapy frequently for stress relief ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Comes from the Cananga odorata tree in Asia and South Pacific Islands. Distillation of Ylang Ylang is unique in the industry, done only by highly skilled individuals. The process of distillation of ylang ylang is done in situ; it produces four differing qualities of oil which must be drawn off at varying intervals.

silence the sea

AMBERGRIS

SCENT: Ambergris is an alleged aphrodisiac; it is used as a fixative to help scents last much longer and its perfume can be best described as marine, animal and sweet.
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Ambergris is a secretion from sperm whales who secrete a waxy paste to protect themselves from digestive irritation; it obtains its odor when in contact with salt and sun. The longer it floats on the water’s surface, the softer its scent. It is the most costly of all raw materials, worth around 10 times the price of gold.

NARCISSUS ABSOLUTE

SCENT: Scent resembles dark green leaves with a touch of hyacinth and jasmine
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Narcissus comes from the amaryllis family (along with Daffodils)

FRANKINCENSE

SCENT: Has a fresh, almost citrus-like aspect which counterparts a pronounced warm, woody, dominant themeORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Frankincense absolute is obtained from Boswellia trees, native to the Arabian peninsula & northeastern Africa

lost in flowers

RED CHAMPACA

SCENT: Sweet, warm, sensual, with an almost woody undertone.
Known to be a “joy oil” and natural mood enhancer
ORIGINS/PRODUCTION:
Obtained from the flowers of the Michelia champaca tree, which is a Magnolia grown in Asia. The tree flowers once during the monsoon and then again in the Spring, producing a powerful odor.

GARDENIA ENFLEURAGE

SCENT: Sweet, heady floral fragrance
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION:  The enfleurage technique of distillation is barely used anymore as it’s tremendously labor intensive, but make the scent unbelievably rich and intense. It is an intensive process and requires several pounds of gardenia petals per ml of oil.

FRENCH OAKMOSS

SCENT: Earthy, damp, animalic, leather-like -- antithesis of floral notes
Key component of classical Chypré and Fougères structures 
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Tree lichen. Known as “Mousse de Chêne” in French 

fall into stars

ROSEWOOD

SCENT: Slightly rosy, warm, woody, and floral. A highly diffusive oil, it connects well with both heart and top notes.
ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Rosewood oil is obtained by chipping Aniba rosaeodora prior to distillation. The rosewood we use in fall into stars is sourced sustainably from a distillery in the Peruvian Amazon.

JONQUIL

SCENT:  Heady, rich floral with musky undertones.ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: The jonquil in fall into stars is derived from the French daffodil, or "cream narcissus." They are often harvested at the "one bell" stage, when only one flower is open on the spike. Natural jonquil is rarely used in perfumery today.

LABDANUM

SCENT:  Sensual and warm leathery resin, the smell of Labdanum can be reminiscent of Ambergris. Labdanum improves the longevity of a fragrance when formulated well among other ingredients, helping a perfume linger nicely. ORIGIN/PRODUCTION: Obtained from the Cistus plant. Sometimes known as Rock Rose, which grows in Corsica, the South of France. The raw resin is extracted by boiling the leaves and twigs. 

a fire within

vanilla

scent: warm, sweet, rich, and balsamic, with a soft, creamy, almost gourmand depth. one of the most comforting and universally beloved notes in perfumery, it adds sensuality and roundness, smoothing and harmonizing the other materials in a composition.
origin/production: derived from the cured seed pods of the vanilla orchid, primarily vanilla planifolia. one of the only orchids to produce an edible fruit, and one of the most labor-intensive crops in the world, as each flower must be hand-pollinated. the green pods have no aroma when picked; their scent is developed through a months-long curing process of blanching, sunning, and sweating, during which enzymes release the vanillin responsible for its distinctive smell.

incense

scent: resinous, balsamic, and warm, with a bright citrus-pine lift and a smoky, meditative, almost sacred quality. it acts as a bridge between top and base notes, lending depth and a contemplative, ceremonial character to a fragrance. the very word "perfume" derives from the latin per fumum, "through smoke," a nod to incense's ancient origins.
origin/production: obtained from the aromatic resin of the boswellia tree. when the bark is carefully scored, the tree exudes a milky sap that hardens in the air into "tears," which are then hand-sorted and steam-distilled to extract the oil. treasured since antiquity and once valued alongside gold, the finest resins come from regions such as oman and the horn of africa.

cedarwood

scent: warm, dry, woody, and balsamic, with a smooth, grounding character. legendary as a base note and fixative, it anchors lighter, more volatile materials and lends tenacity and quiet strength to a composition.
origin/production: as with all wood oils, the aromatic material lives in the heartwood rather than the foliage, and the wood is chipped before steam distillation so the steam can draw the oil out. several distinct trees are sold under the name: the "true" cedars, atlas and himalayan, and the junipers often called virginia and texas cedarwood. cedarwood is also considered one of the first materials ever distilled, used by the egyptians in embalming.