Frequent Inquiries & Curiosities

Q~ Is Havenhollow an "all natural" perfume house?

A~ No. While this is a common misconception, due to the fact that most mainstream brands utilize such heavy-handed and blatant aromachemical application, resulting in the heavy presence of naturals often fooling the nose into thinking the compositions are all-natural, Havenhollow still utilizes a panoply of aromachemical compounds and semi-synthetic extractions. Typically, the perfumes offered will range between 60% and 75% natural, with exceptions ranging from 55% to 85% natural. Aromachemicals are a crucial element and invaluable tool, and I'm quite fond of their potential. 

Q~ Is Havenhollow IFRA-compliant?

A~ Nope.

Q~ The perfumes all seem awfully dark with bold striking colours. Do you use dyes or colourants, and will they stain?

A~ There are absolutely no added colourants or dyes contained whatsoever. The colour of each perfume is a result of the presence of natural materials (primarily absolutes and dark distillations). Because of the comparatively high concentration of naturals, as well as the perfume concentration (I typically compound to 28%-35% concentration - meaning that number equals all aromatic materials - ie. everything that isn't alcohol or other dilutants), the resulting perfume is dark and oily, and is likely to stain light fabrics. I recommend avoiding white collars, spraying from a distance (misted fabric will hold the scent longer), or spraying the wrist and dabbling pulse points (neck, inner elbow, behind the ear, etc...)

Q~ Where did you learn perfumery?

A~ I am entirely untrained. I spent countless hours and many sleepless nights delving into the world of perfumery, and largely taking a trial and error approach. A fellow independent perfumer, who's work I admire greatly, shared some incredibly valuable information and tips with me early on, which certainly helped push me in the right direction and get me on some sort of track, and I'll be forever thankful for this immeasurable help, but largely, I am "self-taught", and while I have my own system and methods and a rather meticulous approach to things, a classically-traines Grasse nose would probably look at me like I'm crazy, if they watched me work out a formula, which can take upwards of a year. 

Q~ Did you take all your inspiration from Slumberhouse?

A~ I raid Josh Lobb's formula cabinet on a weekly basis. I sneak in during the witching hours (8am-noon) and steal old Sova trials to reverse-engineer. This is common knowlege. Next question.

Q~ Do you take on bespoke requests?

A~ At this time, I simply have far too heavy of a workload to take custom requests. My intention has never been to maximize profit (my margins are already impractical), or to be an Instagram or Patreon perfumer. At some point in the future, or perhaps under very special circumstances, I may explore the odd special request, but from a time and cost perspective, it's just wholly impractical at this time.

Q~ Do you use real animalics?

A~ Yes. I'm certainly friendly to vegans, but most Havenhollow offerings are not vegan-friendly, for one reason or another. I'm quite fond of beeswax, honey, propolis, butter, ambergris, and castoreum. As a rule of thumb, if it's listed in the notes, it's in the perfume. The castoreum I source is from a fur trapper, where the castor pods are simply a byproduct. I won't speak on the fur trade, as it's not my place, but there are strict wildlife regulations, and hunting is partly done in the name of conservation. I'm simply buying something that they'd have no other use for. No beavers are killed for their musk. The muskrat musk I source is from the same fur trapper. The civet paste I use comes from an Ethiopian farm, where the civets are not harmed or tortured, and I pay a premium for this. The ambergris I use is beach-combed. The deer musk I have, while trickier to verify, appears to genuinely be from a government-subsidized hunting program, where the deer are taken for food, rendering the musk pods a byproduct. I assign immense value and priority to ethical sourcing.

Q~ When will Klamath be released?

A~ At this point, your guess is as good as mine.