Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
Encyclopedia
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, also known as BPAL, is an online company selling perfume oils
. BPAL is owned by Elizabeth Moriarty Barrial and Brian Constantine, and is based in Los Angeles, California, United States.
s and absolutes with some synthetics. With the exception of those containing honey and beeswax, the oils are vegan-friendly.
and others.
While the initial impression may be one of catering to the pagan
and gothic
communities, the blends are inspired by works of art
, mythology
, folk superstitions
, voodoo
, classical literature, historical figures, pirates, carnivals
, etc. Themes include aromatherapy, locations both real and fictional, devilish garden plantings, and deities and concepts from a variety of pantheons.
s based on the works of Neil Gaiman
. This series currently includes scents inspired by the novels American Gods
and Anansi Boys
. All profits from the Neil Gaiman-inspired scents go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
. During the first three weeks, over $6,000 was raised for the CBLDF. A separate category for Stardust
(which also benefits the CBLDF), was released in June 2007.
In June 2007, Black Phoenix also released a collection of perfumes based on Good Omens
(co-authored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
). Sales from this category of products benefit the CBLDF and the Orangutan Foundation UK. 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.
BPAL also features monthly "lunacy" releases, which coincide with the full moon. These releases are different each month, following themes established by various mythological and lunar calendar
s. During this time, BPAL usually opens its storefront for one night during which customers can purchase oils and interact with the staff and owners.
Black Phoenix also has a sister site for the production of oils for spiritual purposes called Twilight Alchemy Labs.
with over 16,000 members and several fan-run LiveJournal
communities, 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.
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 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.
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.
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
. 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 tests its own products only on willing humans. The perfume oils sold by BPAL are blended by hand, using natural ingredients such as essential oilEssential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s and absolutes with some synthetics. With the exception of those containing honey and beeswax, the oils are vegan-friendly.
Influences
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is known for the gothic aesthetic of its website, framing product descriptions with snippets of poetry and category art (monochrome drawings or etchings) by Aubrey BeardsleyAubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....
and others.
While the initial impression may be one of catering to the pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
and gothic
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
communities, the blends are inspired by works of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, folk superstitions
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
, voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
, classical literature, historical figures, pirates, carnivals
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
, etc. Themes include aromatherapy, locations both real and fictional, devilish garden plantings, and deities and concepts from a variety of pantheons.
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: perfumes to benefit charities
In 2007 Black Phoenix announced and released a series of perfumePerfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
s based on the works of Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
. This series currently includes scents inspired by the novels American Gods
American Gods
American Gods is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn protagonist, Shadow. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, being preceded by Good Omens ,...
and Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman, a spin-off of Gaiman's earlier novel American Gods. In Anansi Boys we discover that 'Mr. Nancy' has two sons, and the two sons in turn discover each other...
. All profits from the Neil Gaiman-inspired scents go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a United States non-profit organization created in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses....
. During the first three weeks, over $6,000 was raised for the CBLDF. A separate category for Stardust
Stardust (novel)
Stardust is the first solo prose novel by Neil Gaiman. It is usually published as a novel with illustrations by Charles Vess. Stardust has a different tone and style from most of Gaiman's prose fiction, being consciously written in the tradition of pre-Tolkien English fantasy, following in the...
(which also benefits the CBLDF), was released in June 2007.
In June 2007, Black Phoenix also released a collection of perfumes based on Good Omens
Good Omens
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a World Fantasy Award nominated novel written in collaboration between the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman....
(co-authored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
). Sales from this category of products benefit the CBLDF and the Orangutan Foundation UK. 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.
Products
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab currently produces and sells perfume oils in two sizes: 1/32 oz sample vials, officially called Imp's Ears (or simply "Imps"), and 5-mL (cobalt or amber) glass bottles. In 2006, it discontinued production and sale of oil available in 10-mL (cobalt) bottles across the majority of its scent catalogue. BPAL's sister company, 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.BPAL also features monthly "lunacy" releases, which coincide with the full moon. These releases are different each month, following themes established by various mythological and lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
s. During this time, BPAL usually opens its storefront for one night during which customers can purchase oils and interact with the staff and owners.
Black Phoenix also has a sister site for the production of oils for spiritual purposes called Twilight Alchemy Labs.
Popularity
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has a fairly sizable following through the Internet, including a fan-run internet forumInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
with over 16,000 members and several fan-run LiveJournal
LiveJournal
LiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....
communities, 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.
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
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
(where one 5mL bottle sold for over $800 in early 2007).
In 2005, the Lab was named as The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
In April 2007, Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
published a piece of original fiction entitled "Six Scents" by Lisa Mantchev, which drew its inspiration from six BPAL fragrances.
External links
- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
- BPAL Madness! The Official-Unofficial Forum
- BPAL Announcement LiveJournal Community
- Black Phoenix Trading Post
- Twilight Alchemy Lab
- 'Six Scents' by Lisa Mantchev, at Weird TalesWeird TalesWeird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
.