Stock Scents Galore –or how I found out my favourite indie brands may be using stock scents

I'm writing in a separate post due to the sheer number of companies that got involved. It started off with Black Violet and ended up involving way more companies than I expected.

It first began when a thread about potential repackagers appeared here.  There were accusations that some companies use stock scents, and Black Violet got mentioned. I'd normally defend Black Violet, but certain personal experiences made me hesitate.

Some time ago, I fell in love with Red Lotus from BV and bought a full size of it. Here are the notes for Red Lotus:

Screenshot taken on 22 Jan, 2015

Then I tried Lychee & Red Tea from Orange Thyme, with the following scent description:

Screenshot taken on 22 Jan, 2015

And Sakura Matsuri cuticle oil from Rainbow Honey, with the following scent description:

Screenshot taken on 22 Jan, 2015

Ok, so all 3 feature lychee + red tea + geranium, a relatively unusual combo. That doesn't mean anything, does it?

Well...Sakura Matsuri & Red Lotus smells identical. Orange Thyme's Lychee & Red Tea smells like Red Lotus, with acrid lemons added in.

I was surprised, especially since Rainbow Honey is nail polish brand and therefore, I expect them to use stock scents instead of creating their own blend of scents. Then, someone pointed me out to this stock scent from Brambleberry called Lychee Red Tea. Here's the notes:

This is a soon to be discontinued scent
Screenshot taken on 22 Jan, 2015

Despite a throwaway account (that was created purely to defend Black Violet and suspiciously, as of Jan 22, 2015, is no longer active beyond that thread) claiming that s/he owns both Red Lotus & Lychee Red Tea (what are the chances someone happens to own a stock scent in question?) and both scents are different, I highly suspect they'll both smell the same.

In the same thread, BV also got outed for using a base for her body butters. I was really disappointed about that since I pay a lot of money for international shipping, and it's very disheartening to find that someone uses a base. When I try 3 different companies, I'm hoping to try 3 different formulas instead of 1 base with 3 different labels slapped on it. I already know that most bases do not work as well as HoG's pumpkin butters on me, so I have no interest in trying out yet another base.

In response to all that, Leilani came out to say this:

She didn't stay back to respond to requests for her to list out exactly which of her items are made from bases and which are made from scratch.

Obviously, I'm still upset over the money I wasted. Why doesn't she openly state she uses a base since the beginning, instead of choosing to admit it only when she got outed?

Anyway, fine. Just because someone has the same scent notes as a stock scent doesn't mean that they use stock scents. They could just be very uncreative as perfumers, and choose to copy successful stock scents for their scents.

.....but what are the chances that 2+ different perfumers follow the strategy of copying a stock scent (not using, but actually blending stuff to copy it)? What are the chances 2+ different perfumers just happen to come up with the same exact blend of notes as a stock scent? Let's look at this:

Black Violet's Chalice

Screenshot taken on 22 Jan, 2015

Alchemic Muse's Laguna

Screenshot taken on Jan 15, 2015

Muguet is another name for Lily of the Valley, btw. Once you remove the description, you're left with: blue notes + cyclamen + lily + sandalwood. Huh. Here's Indiana Candle Supply's stock scent, Salty Sea Air:

Screenshot taken on Jan 15, 2015

That can still be a coincidence and I haven't tried all 3 scents together yet, but here are other questionable scents:

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Black Violet's Camellia 

"Freshly steeped green tea leaves cooled with crisp cucumbers."

Brambleberry's Green Tea & Cucumber:  "This fragrance smells just like freshly steeped green tea with a hint of cucumber."  

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Black Violet's Valley of the Temples 

"Resinous amber, Asian oud wood, calming cedarwood, exotic ambrette seed, fresh rosemary, dark olibanum, patchouli, black musk, orchid and jasmine petals."

Aromahaven's Oud Wood: "Exotic Asian Oud wood is balanced and blended with cedar, precious ambrette seeds, green rosemary, delicate jasmine, baby orchid, gala apple, dark olibanum, black musk, earthy patchouli. "

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Black Violet's Oakmoss Gown 

"Lightening bugs dance around her as she drapes herself in damp oakmoss, earthy vetiver, and a light vanilla infusion."

Crafters Choice Oakmoss: "Wet and earthy oakmoss with green vetiver, vanilla and nutmeg."

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Black Violet's Pamplemousse

"Quench your Parisian thirst with a pink grapefruit cocktail topped with an edible orchid. Sante!"

Elements Bath & Body's Sea Island Grapefruit: "The sweetest, crispest and cleanest sun-ripened grapefruit you'll ever smell. Softened with a hint of white orchids, truly a treasure of a fragrance."

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So that's already 6 questionable fragrances. This is not counting her many single note fragrances.

In the best case scenario, she's not a repackager, but just really uncreative with her blends, choosing to copy stock scents instead. But in that case, why should I buy from her when I can buy the stock scents for a fraction of the price and mix them with a carrier oil myself?

Or why not buy a mainstream perfume instead? Here's the cost break down:

Indie Perfumes:

• $12-20+ for a 5ml bottle = $2.40-$4+ /ml

Mainstream Perfumes:

• $50-100+ for a 50ml bottle (this is the average 1.7 oz bottles, not larger bottles) = $1-2+ /ml

To put that into perspective, if your mainstream perfumers charge Black Violet's prices ($15-18 for 10ml), that means your bottle of perfume is going to cost $75-90. 

For that price, mainstream perfume offers you nice packaging and the chance to sniff the scent and try it out in store. Why should I go indie if the owner can't offer something more creative than mainstream scents?

I still think Black Violet has some original scents, but at this point, I find that getting an original scent will be a gamble. I still have a lot of Black Violet products I still have to review, and I will review them. I just don't think I'll buy more from them. 

Review: Alchemic Muse Bath Products (5 Mostly Winter Scents)

I finally finished trying out my Alchemic Muse's (AM's) bath products! For my past review of the perfumes, you can head here.

So as you can see from the picture above, these come shrink-wrapped. There's also an additional seal inside:

Yes, the packing is very secure. So here's the review bit:

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Foaming Body Scrub

This has larger sugar granules so they scrub hard. Definitely a fan of that. So what's a foaming body scrub? It's basically a scrub that also has soap in it, so there's a lather when you use it. Think of it as a soap that you don't need a loofah for. I keep getting asked to compare soapy scrubs to Haus of Gloi's (HoG's) bubbling scrub  so I'll use that as a reference.

AM's foaming body scrub is definitely tied with HoG's bubbling scrub for my favourite soapy scrub. They're both equally good, but different, so your preference depends on what you're looking for. HoG's soapy scrub has smaller granules of sugar, so it doesn't scrub as hard. When you use it, it's more like soap with a shower pouf. Meanwhile, AM's is like scrubbing with a really rough loofah, so you really exfoliate. It's definitely a tad too exfoliating for daily use, unlike HoG's. I also get more of that dry feeling from AM's soapy scrub, but it could be because I tend to go nuts with my exfoliating frenzy.

Scent-wise, you get more of a scent pay off from HoG. HoG's soapy scrub scents fills up the entire bathroom. Meanwhile, AM's soapy scrubs loses most of their scent as soon as you wet it, and what you get is this unscented soap scent, which I'm assuming is the base scent the soapy scrub comes with.

TL;DR: If you want more scrub than soap, you go for AM. If you want more soap than scrub, you go for HoG.

The texture's like a normal scrub when dry.

Anyway, foaming body scrub scents review:

Cocoa Bee

"A indulgent creation of fragrant black honey and warm propolis intermingled with dark cocoa, fiery spice, and shreds of bitter almonds."

Omg, this has that amazing honey Zombee has! It's that extremely fragrant honey that usually comes in jars with detailed drawings of bees and flowers. Oh, and there's cocoa in it. I love, love, love the honey bit. The lingering scent it leaves behind on me is kinda off though. Like waxy honey with whispers of cocoa. I still like it though. I think Alchemic Muse's honey is one of my favourite honey note (closely tied with NAVA's woody honey notes).

Wassail

"Wassail is a medieval hot, spiced punch often associated with Yuletide. Juicy apples and orange zest simmering with warm spices of fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg spiked with vintage ale and dark patchouli."

My boyfriend and I are torn on whether it smells more like Coke or Rootbeer. Either way, it's a fizzy soft drink. Definitely a happy smell if you love fizzy soft drinks.

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Cream Soap Review

The texture is more like a normal bar soap that's been softened after many uses:

As you can see, I had to struggle a bit to poke through it. It's pretty stiff.

Like a softened bar soap, it tends to stick to your skin:

Takes a while to wash off.

Like the foaming scrub, the scent tends to disappear once it hits water too, leaving behind a soapy base scent. As for how drying the soap is, it's more drying than HoG's whipped soap, but waaay less drying than most bar soaps.

Fable

"Choose the path to your own happy ending by virtue of sweet wild strawberries intertwined with woodland roses underscored by mysterious woods, forest earth, and a hint of animal musk."

It just smells like a tutti frutti scent. When you sniff it in the jar, there's a weird waxy scent, but you can't really smell it while you're using it. The smell it leaves behind is just a tutti frutti sort of scent. Definitely a scent that's more for little kids.

Figgy Pudding

"Festive and delicious! Sugary dried figs simmered in brandy with shavings of nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cinnamon leaf spooned over creamy tapioca and drizzled with a honeyed vanilla glaze."

It smells kinda like a fruity pudding, but there's an off smell I can't place. It smells like a fruity pudding flavoured medicine, where the manufacturer has tried their best to hide the scent from kids but your nose is sending red flags to your brain to tell you there's something wrong. It's not a bad smell, but it's just off. I can't really smell the fall spices in this.

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Body Whip Review

Formula-wise, this definitely feels oily for a long time. Even after 35 minutes, I still feel that oily, thick lotion feeling on my skin. My skin definitely feels soft, but I've gotten spoiled by Haus of Gloi's pumpkin butters and want the stickiness to go away faster.

Nevermore

"Dark and beguiling… dusty casks of warm blackberry wine laden with wild herbs and acrid tea leaves amid whispers of warm skin musk, crackling firewood, and a somber touch of freshly dug earth."

Um...I can't really smell much. There's something faintly lemon-y and berry-ish but the rest smells like those supposedly unscented body lotion that ends up smelling like old oils. When I read the scent description, I was a bit surprised since I expect the scent to be stronger and heavier. 

Review: Alchemic Muse Perfume Oils

I recently ordered from Alchemic Muse because their scents sound sooo good! I got:

• Nevermore - Mini Body Whip
• Fable - Mini Cream Soap
• Cocoa Bee - Mini Foaming Body Scrub
• Wassail - Mini Foaming Body Scrub
• Figgy Pudding - Mini Cream Soap
• 2 sets of 3 perfume oil samples

Karen tossed in 2 extra perfume samples for me! I'm still waiting to finish my current products before I try out the body products, so I'm only reviewing the perfume oils. I also got another sample, Zombee from a swap, so I'll just include that in the review.

The envelope's for the perfume oils

Customer Service

Karen was really sweet and responds so fast! I felt so bad since I kept messaging her to figure out the most cost effective international shipping, but she was so friendly and helpful the whole time. The TAT's amazing too:

• Ordered: 5 June
• Shipped: 5 June
• Arrived: 24 June (I got the cheapest shipping option and we had several public holidays, that's why the shipping time was a bit longer than the usual 12-14 days)

Perfume Oil Reviews

These are definitely the oils to get if you like gourmands. A lot of their gourmand smells smell like actual food that makes you hungry, instead of artificial "food" smells that they often scent crayons with (kids seem to love those scents though..there has to be a reason why they keep trying to eat those cursed crayons).

Their throw is ok, you definitely have to get to whispering distance to catch a whiff. They stay this way for slightly under 2 hours before getting relatively faint. By 5-6h, all traces of the perfume's are gone from my skin.

Amber Crush

"Precious golden amber resins crushed together with dark patchouli and sweetened with a veil of bourbon vanilla."

I smell a bit of a medicinal smell that could be patchouli. Most perfumers' "amber" notes are usually warm, musky sandalwood and vanilla, but this amber just smells like patchouli and wood resin. It doesn't smell warm and creamy at all, it just smells like very old, hardcover books. After 10 minutes, there's a bit of a powdery vanilla scent to this, but it's hidden in the background. The old books smell is definitely still the most prominent smell. It ends up smelling like sorting through old books in a library with an old, sweet librarian who wore a musky, vanilla perfume the day before. And as time goes on, she walks closer and closer to you until the musky, vanilla perfume scent is pretty prominent, but it's still fighting with the scent of old books.

Looks gorgeous, smells like death.
Image courtesy of nad11a on tumblr (no longer exists), found on weheartit.com

The old books smell personally makes me feel nostalgic, but I know it's not for everyone. It's not exactly a scent I really want to wear out either.

Overview: I don't know why a lot of perfumers like to talk as if they can extract a scent out of a stone. Either way, if you want to smell like an old library, this scent is it.

Blackstrap

"Caramelized brown sugar, sweet blackstrap molasses and creamy coconut milk dripping over ripe Moroccan figs floating on a base of vanilla beans and soft white musk."

It smells kinda like medicinal vanilla berries at first, and eventually, a powdery, musky smell enters. It ends up smelling like musky, vanilla sunblock with something that smells almost medicinal. As time goes on, it gets heavier and sweeter until it feels like you're wrapped up in a heavy blanket of sweetness and ants may start crawling all over you any moment.

Overview: After reading the description, I think I can smell a bit of the figs underneath the medicinal smell. I guess the coconut note they use is the type that starts smelling a bit like sunblock, so this might be something to watch out for.

Deadwood

"Wild bergamot, clover honey, and a light dusting of spice leading to a heart of warm amber and barley grass grounded in a rich base of black vanilla, musk, teak, and worn brown leather."

This initially smells like woody mushrooms, which freaked me out. But it quickly turned into a musky, baby powder scent. A leather bitterness makes an appearance a few minutes in, but mostly disappeared after another few minutes. The smell ends up bring a slightly spiked, musky baby powder. Kinda like someone from Hells Angels trying to babysit and ending up with baby powder exploding all over him.

Your kids would love this dude!
Image courtesy of ntnews.com.au

Overview: I would expect something deep, dark and masculine from that descriptoon, but this smells very feminine. I tried this on my brother and it smells like musky leather. Slightly less sweet on him, but still very musky and powdery. 

Honey Balsam

"Fresh honey with sparkling notes of bergamot and sweet orange accented by a layer of buttery toffee in a foundation of resinous frankincense."

At first, this scent reminded me a lot of Wild Hybrid's The Beekeeper. It smells like honey lemon, only kinda soapy and lotion-y. As time goes on, the lemon smells more like a floral orange. The soapy smell kept getting stronger until it starts smelling like a fancy dishwashing soap. Fancy. But still dishwashing soap. This dries down to a floral honey-orange soapy lotion.

Overview: I definitely can't smell any toffee in this. I had to smell The Beekeeper again just to check the difference. Now that I'm sniffing them side by side, they're definitely different. The honey in The Beekeeper is sharply sweet, while Honey Balsam is a more rounded, mellow sort of sweetness. There's also more of a soapy lotion smell to Honey Balsam, while The Beekeeper's lotion smell is more of an industrial lotion smell. The drydowns are obviously different. Beekeeper smells like honeyed wood..absolutely amazing.

Mystique

"Succulent Japanese yuzu fruit and red mandarin grounded in a sensual, earthy base of dark patchouli."

This one I'm not a fan of. The smell bounces from smelling like a lemon & tutti frutti bubble bath or a lemon & tutti frutti dishwashing soap. The lemon smell gets old and powdery towards the end.

Overview: This doesn't smell like yuzu at all! I'm guessing the old and powdery smell comes from the patchoulli.

Nightshade

"Some of the best things happen in the dark… sweet Bulgarian lavender over an intoxicating base of Madagascar vanilla with a most decadent touch of dark chocolate."

Warm, honeyed vanilla lavenders. This is such a relaxing scent. Lavender tends to smell cold and airy to me, but this is a warm, heavier lavender, with the perfect blend of creamy vanilla. As much as I adore BathSabbath, I think this scent captures their Moonchild concept ("a relaxing blend of vanilla, Lavender, Cinnamon and Brown sugar") better. This is gorgeous! This scent makes you feel like you're snuggled into a mountain of soft, goose-feather pillows.

Overview: I decided to go for a second sniff since I can't seem to smell the dark chocolate in this at first. I still can't smell it. Dark chocolate tends to smell like sweet wood on me though, so it may be what's causing the warm sweetness.

Pinapple Milk

"A perfect blend of fresh, tangy pineapple enveloped in rich and creamy milk sweetened with raw sugarcane."

This smells like this chewy Japanese pineapple candy:

Image courtesy of ptotheenguin on Flickr

Well, like a milky pineapple. A tamed down, candy version of a piña colada. And the milk is an actual milk candy taste. It smells delicious and not at all cloying or artificial. I love this!

Overview: Since the name already gives out the notes to expect, I'm not too surprised here.

Sumatra

"Let trade winds sweep you away with an exotic and inviting brew of hot, creamed ginger infused with Sumatra coffee and fresh coconut milk."

Starts of as pure, unsweetened coffee before a cinnamon bread smell enters. I'm really impressed, there's a "baked" smell to this to make it smell like actual baked goods instead of that fake play-doh-ish "cake" scent I often smell. I'd say it smells like cinnamon buns and coffee, only it's not sweet at all, so it's closer to unsweetened cinnamon bread and coffee.

Overview: Huh..that's weird. I don't smell the ginger or coconut, but I wonder if the both those notes mixed together ends up creating that "baked" smell? Either way, this is a delicious gourmand scent and I'm in love!

Zombee

"A thrilling concoction of sickly-sweet honey and warm beeswax over a layer of aged patchouli, crushed clove, and darkened vanilla pods."

This is amazing. It smells like woody honey with a bit of florals. There's also a soap sort of scent to this. Not soapy. It smells like you're smelling the scent off a soap bar. It smells warm, deep and old, yet clean at the same time. Makes you think of how this bed would smell like after someone (presumably a clean woman) slept in it:

I want this room..
Image courtesy of neohl.com

Either way, I'm so in love with this scent! Out of all the scents, this has the furthest throw on me. I can smell it while I'm typing!

Overview: The honey is not "sickly-sweet" at all! It's just the perfect amount of sweetness! And the patchouli is the quiet kind that you can't smell at all, but it must have done something to make this smell so awesome!


So out of 9 scents, I'm in love with 3 (Sumatra, Nightshade, Zombee), hate 3 (Amber Crush, Blackstrap, Mystique), and are ok with 3 (Deadwood, Honey Balsam, Pinapple Milk). Not a bad mix!