Hecate Perfume Oil by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

We are extremely careful with the components that we use, as safety is paramount. Essential oils are highly concentrated. Many essential oils are extremely safe and have phenomenal therapeutic properties, but on the flip side, many essential oils can be harmful, either because they are skin irritants or because they may cause serious reactions in sensitive individuals. Some contain thujone, some are nervous system toxins, some are abortifacients. Nutmeg contains myristicin, myrrh in high doses can be cytotoxic, oakmoss absolute is potentially carcinogenic. Just because something is natural doesn’t always mean that it is good for you, so we exercise extreme caution when formulating our blends. We stay as natural as safely possible in all of our lines, both at Alchemy Lab and Trading Post – safely being the key word. There are many natural components used in traditional perfumery that are simply unethical to utilize: civet, castoreum, ambergris, and hyraceum are examples. Our ‘civet’ and ‘ambergris’ are bouquets, and thus, are composite scents created from plant-derived perfume oils combined to best approximate the scent. The popularity of some plants in perfumery has caused their decimation, and have driven some plants, like sandalwood, to near-extinction. We never, under any circumstances, utilize any plant material from an endangered species. In accordance with our vision for Black Phoenix, we almost exclusively work with small growers, distillers, manufacturers, crafters, and extractors, and whenever possible, we work with organic and self-sustaining farms.

We do everything in our power to ensure that our products please our customers while maintaining a high standard of quality and safety. To that end, we employ components that contain essential oils, CO2s, aroma compounds, pomades, concretes, absolutes, solvent extractions, accords, and bouquets in our fragrances. We do not use any nitro musks, polycyclic musks, or any other synthetic material that can be considered potentially harmful. With the exception of the mineral oil in some Trading Post products, we do not use anything that is petroleum based. Our products are as natural as possible without compromising the safety and health of our customers. We will not use any component, natural or synthetic, that is deemed harmful to either the environment or the individual.

We believe in compassionate consumerism, and in giving as much back to the community as we can through charitable contributions, volunteer work, and by supporting fair trade and self-sustaining growers whenever possible. To cut down on waste and keep costs as low as possible for our clients, we use minimal packaging and do not include paper invoices in our shipments. We participate in the Green Power for a Green LA program at work and in our homes, and have participated in fundraisers for many fine organizations, including the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Hero Initiative, the Orangutan Foundation UK, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Covenant House, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the SPCA, and the Humane Society.

We do everything in our power to keep costs as low as possible, stay connected with our clients, support other small businesses, and provide our employees with fair wages and benefits while maintaining our extremely high standards of quality and service. Our goal, both at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post, is to share the things that we love through the products we create while participating in imaginative, innovative, conscience-driven capitalism.”