Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, also known as BPAL, is an online retailer selling perfume oils. BPAL is owned by Elizabeth Moriarty Barrial and Brian Constantine, and is based in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Ethics

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is against animal testing and always tests its own products only on willing humans. Their perfume oils are blended by hand, using as many natural ingredients as possible, such as essential oils and absolutes with some synthetics. They never use any substance that is endangered (like sandalwood) or unethical, such as civet or ambergris. With the exception of those containing honey and beeswax, the oils are vegan-friendly.[1]

Influences and Inspirations

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab maintains a gothic aesthetic of its website, framing product descriptions with snippets of poetry and category art (monochrome drawings or etchings) by Aubrey Beardsley, Beresford Egan, Felicien Rops, Harry Clarke, Albrecht Dürer, John Tenniel, Andreas Vesalius, Jennifer Williamson, Julie Dillon, Sarah Coleman, Alicia Dabney, Madame Talbot and others.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has also worked with and licensed the rights to create products based on popular and cult favorites such as Pretty Deadly[2] Only Lovers Left Alive[3] Sherlock Holmes,[4] Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, Paranorman, The Last Unicorn, Hellboy, Witchblade, and numerous other lines inspired by classic literature and comics. They have an entire category dedicated to the author "Neil Gaiman" and have scent interpretations of his prose, characters and concepts from "American Gods", "Neverwhere", 'Good Omens", "Stardust", "The Graveyard Book", "Anansi Boys" and "Coraline".

While the initial impression may be one of catering to the pagan[5] and gothic[6][7] communities, the blends are inspired by works of a litany of art, mythology, folk superstitions, voodoo,[8] classical literature, historical figures, pirates,[9] carnivals, as well as the personal dreams of Elizabeth. Her daughter with her husband, Ted Barrial (the head of BPAL's sister shop, "Black Phoenix Trading Post") has also been an inspiration for scents since her birth in 2008. Elizabeth has said that these scent creations for her daughter are some of her favorites to create. Themes include (but are most certainly not limited to) aromatherapy, locations both real and fictional, devilish garden plantings, role playing games, fairy tales, vampire lore, Lovecraftian mythos, Japanese "Shunga" artwork and deities and concepts from a variety of pantheons.

Compassionate Consumerism

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab practices compassionate consumerism, with a goal to give back to the community as possible through charitable contributions, volunteer work, and by supporting fair trade and self-sustaining growers whenever possible. They have participated in fundraisers for many organizations, including the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund ("CBLDF"), Hero Initiative, the Orangutan Foundation UK, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Covenant House, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the SPCA, and the Humane Society.

In 2007 Black Phoenix announced and released a series of perfumes based on the works of Neil Gaiman inspired by, among others, the novels American Gods, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, Coraline and Anansi Boys. All profits from the Neil Gaiman-inspired scents go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.[10]

Black Phoenix also released a collection of perfumes based on Good Omens (co-authored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett) and sales went to benefit the CBLDF and the Orangutan Foundation UK.[11] By the end of the first week of July 2007, Neil Gaiman announced on his blog that they had raised $1,500 for the Orangutan Foundation UK and the year-to-date fundraising for the CBLDF had raised over $15,000.[12] By 2010, the CBLDF reported that BPAL's Neil Gaiman line of fragrances had raised over $50,000 for the organization.[13]

In 2012, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab became a corporate member of the CBLDF[14] and they continue to sponsor the CBLDF's Welcome Party each year at the San Diego Comic Con.[15]

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab participates in the Green Power For A Green L.A. program.[16]

Products

Scents are unique to Black Phoenix and are created and hand blended in-house by Elizabeth Barrial or Brian Constantine.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab currently produces and sells perfume oils in two sizes: 1/32 oz sample vials called Imp's Ears (or "Imps"), and 5-mL glass bottles. In 2006, it discontinued production and sale of oil available in 10-mL bottles. 2004, it began transitioning from cobalt bottles to amber ones for its 5-mL bottles.

BPAL also has "lunacy" releases, which coincide with the full moon. These releases are different each month, following themes established by various mythological and lunar calendars. Additionally, while BPAL does most of their sales online, they host a Will Call event each month that allows people to purchase oils, meet up to test and sniff much of the catalog and interact with the staff and owners. Additionally, they often make additional scents available for giveaway as part of food drives or other charitable events.

BPAL has two additional sites to focus more specifically on certain customer needs: Twilight Alchemy Lab offers ritual oils for spiritual purposes, and Black Phoenix Trading Post, sells officially licensed BPAL-related garments, jewelry, statues, soaps and other bath and beauty products, as well as occasionally offering limited edition and special release oils.

In addition to their retail products, BPAL has also created unique scents for companies in the creative field to use as event gifts, such as the bottles of Nocturnus given by Thrillbent Comics at their San Diego ComicCon event in 2012.

Popularity

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has a sizable following through the Internet, including a fan-run internet forum[17] with over 16,000 members and several fan-run LiveJournal communities,[18][19] some with over 1,000 members. Customers cite the appeal of the seductive product descriptions, the wide variety of scents, and the tendency of certain oils to vary in scent based on the wearer's unique body chemistry.[20][21]

The large number of scents produced, with upwards of 1300 blends released since the company's inception, has lent the product a 'collectibility' aspect. Several online communities have sprung up around buying, selling, and swapping BPAL products. Coveted products (such as unavailable limited edition, discontinued products, and unreleased prototypes) can sell for high amounts on eBay (where one 5mL bottle sold for over $800[22] in early 2007).

In 2005, the Lab was named as The Village Voice's Best of New York: Best Scent Indulgence for Your Inner Goth.[23]

In April 2007, Weird Tales published a piece of original fiction entitled "Six Scents" by Lisa Mantchev, which drew its inspiration from six BPAL fragrances.[24]

Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus, named "the olfactory geniuses of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab" in the book's Acknowledgments.[25]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sammy, Marissa (February 2007), "The Empress of Scent: A Story of Imps and Customer Obsession", Sequential Tart
  2. ↑ Wakelin, Nicole. "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Takes On Kelly Sue DeConnick's Pretty Deadly". GeekMom.
  3. ↑ Ratcliffe, Amy. "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Only Lovers Left Alive Perfume Oils". geek with curves.
  4. ↑ http://bust.com/our-current-obsession-black-phoenix-alchemy-lab.html
  5. ↑ "Wren's Nest Notes (discussion)".
  6. ↑ Immediato, Linda (2007-02-14), "Dark Shadows: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Uncommon Scents", LA Weekly
  7. ↑ Moscara, Mikki (June 2006), "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab", Gothic Beauty 20: 18
  8. ↑ Young, Bob (2007-04-10), "Hocus Pocus for Focus", Arizona Republic
  9. ↑ "Bilge Monkey's "Black Phoenix Alchemy" Review". 2007-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Smell the Neil Gaiman Collection" (Press release). Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 2007-02-01.
  11. ↑ Gaiman, Neil (2007-02-24), Smelling For Good
  12. ↑ Gaiman, Neil (2007-07-07), Blueberry Girls
  13. ↑ Brownstein, Charles. "BPAL Debuts Neverwhere Fragrances!". CBLDF. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  14. ↑ Brownstein, Charles. "Be Counted: BPAL Creates Exclusive CBLDF Member Fragrance! Becomes Corporate Member!". CBLDF. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Gomez, Betsy. "Start SDCC With CBLDF's Comic-Con Welcome Party!". CBLDF. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  16. ↑ Banks, Dawnielle. "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Comic Book Scents Review". Makeup By Siryn: Geek Talk/Scents.
  17. ↑ "BPAL Madness! The Unofficial Fan Forum".
  18. ↑ "Livejournal communities listing "black phoenix alchemy lab" as an interest".
  19. ↑ "Livejournal communities listing "bpal" as an interest".
  20. ↑ Dobush, Grace (2006-11-16), "Underground perfume fans have no common scents", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  21. ↑ Weatherstone, Lunaea (2006), "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab", Sage Woman Magazine
  22. ↑ "eBay: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: DED MOROZ 2006 - 5 ml". 2007-03-05.
  23. ↑ Gandin, Jennifer (2005), "Best of New York 2005: Best Scent Indulgence for Your Inner Goth", The Village Voice
  24. ↑ Mantchev, Lisa (2007), "Six Scents", Weird Tales Magazine
  25. ↑ Morgenstern, Erin (2011). The Night Circus (HC ed.). Doubleday. p. 391. ISBN 9780385534635.

External links