FAQs

Our complete terms are found in the bottom section of each page.

SHIPPING  

We ship to the United States and its territories.  Your perfume contains alcohol, so it is required to ship “Surface Only” (by boat or ground), which takes 5-8 business days once shipped, occasionally more.

Shipping is complimentary.

RETURN POLICY

All sales are final for your safety and other’s.  In case of damage or a defective product, see our full terms for how to get a replacement.

Because it is important to us that you are happy with your purchase from the beginning, we encourage you to order a Flight and/or Scent Dots to fully experience the fragrances at your convenience, prior to purchasing a bottle.

There are two options to try before purchasing a bottle.  Both will give you a general idea of the scent:

SCENT DOTS

Scent Dots have the perfume infused into them.  They let you experience how the fragrance smells and how it will perform if you want to wear it on animal fiber clothing such as wool, or in scent jewelry.

SAMPLE VIALS

Vials hold just under a milliliter of perfume.  They let you experience how the perfume will smell on your skin, your unique chemistry.  It will also tell you how the perfume will perform under ambient conditions such as temperature and humidity or various personal conditions such as perspiring or skin dryness.

EVALUATION

The biggest difference in the evaluation of Scent Dots vs. Sample Vials is the duration of time.  Scent Dots hold the fragrance for a few weeks.  Your skin will hold the perfume for a few hours.  In each, over time, the scent will unfold, transform through stages, and eventually fade.  The total evaluation time varies with the perfume.   While most perfumes go through transformations, some smell more closely the same from beginning to end.

TIPS FOR SKIN EVALUATION

1. Apply the perfume to a moister area that is open to the air such as where the inner forearm meets the top of the forearm (on the thumb-side of your arm).  This helps the fragrance to not be mechanically rubbed off in activity, as would be the case on the inner arm or wrist. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate — until the area feels and looks dry, about 15 seconds.
2. The top notes are the first scents you will notice, lasting a short time, about 10 min +/-.   Smell the scent frequently at first.
3. The middle notes begin to break through within 10 minutes.  Smell the scent several times in the next 2 hours.
4. The base notes begin to appear around an hour or or so.  These tenacious notes will the longest.  Smell every 30 minutes or more.
5. Try out your fragrance on at least two different days.  Environmental and personal conditions change daily.  It will create little differences. 

TIPS FOR SCENT DOT EVALUATION

1. The principle and the steps are the same as for skin evaluation, except you will be smelling the Scent Dot and not your skin.
2. The process unfolds much more slowly, giving you time to get to know the top, middle, and base notes quite well.  For example, the top notes can last hours, not a few minutes.

EXPERIENCING THE ENERGY AND FEEL

1. Some people will immediately notice the energetic and biological shift.  For others there is a time lag and then they notice.  Either way, the shift is smooth so be aware.
2. First notice your starting state.  After applying the perfume, notice the movement in the sensations in your body, emotions, nerves, and thought.  Notice how you feel — the before and after.  The changes range from mild to distinct.
3. Notice what it does for you.  In the days and weeks ahead, as you wear the perfume, stay observant and watch yourself and others around you.  You may be surprised at the interesting and meaningful things that happen   You may end up circling back to reread the details about your perfume.

A NOTE ABOUT THE VIVID COLOR OF NATURAL PERFUME

The color or pigments of natural perfumes come from the plants themselves.  We recommend that you apply the perfume and let it dry before dressing to avoid staining lighter colored clothing.

There is a famous quote attributed to Coco Chanel.  When asked where one should wear perfume, her reply was, “Wherever you want to be kissed!”.  A fabulous thought, right?  This was a racy remark for her day, not to mention excellent marketing, which Chanel was known for.

Of course, if you’ve ever tasted perfume, you have already realized that you want to do the opposite of what she advised.

Then, there’s the ubiquitous advice, “Wear it on your inner wrist and other “pulse-points”.  That is okay for synthetics but naturals have their own best practices:

SKIN

1. Your skin will give you the least amount of longevity of all wear-options.
   1. However, it is great for increasing how far away the perfume can be smelled.  We suggest that you plan to reapply your perfume, later in the day.  It’s a refreshing, mini, restorative interlude.  Our travel size roll-on perfumes easily tuck into a purse, desk, or pocket for a refreshing, enjoyable, and discreet “reset”.
      1. Natural perfumes tend to be more discreet, which we think is a good thing, at least most of the time.   You eliminate the effect of ten perfumes in the same room, all vying for attention.  It’s just polite.
   2.  You may already know that there is a trade-off for the longevity in synthetics.  Many of those long-lived molecules have, one by one, proven harmful.  Longevity molecules have a long “half life”.  In other words, some take a thousand of years for half of it to break down, or biodegrade, and another thousand to loose the half of the half, and so on.   Others have a half life of hundreds of years.  If it is a harmful chemical, it will be doing harm for a very long time.
2. Where you apply the perfume on your skin, actually depends on your goal, not your pulse points.
   1. To increase longevity, spritz the perfume on the skin where it is naturally moist.
      1. To further increase longevity,prime your skin by using lotion, balm, cream, or body oil prior applying perfume. (However, the perfume will also wear closer to your skin as a result, becoming less diffusive.)To increase diffusiveness, apply your perfume anywhere on the body that is exposed to air. 
      2. For more longevity, wear it on low-contact areas.  For example, the thumb-side of your wrist as opposed to the inner wrist, where the skin is less likely to be in friction with your clothes or other inanimate objects like a desk. (Friction removes perfume.)

CLOTHING

1. This is a pleasant and effective solution to greatly improve the longevity of your perfume and avoid potential problems with your body chemistry interacting negatively with the perfume. 
2. Natural animal fibers such as wool, alpaca, and cashmere, (even human hair) hold scent especially well.  It extends your purchase as well.
3. 1-3 sprays will be plenty and will last days to weeks and commonly longer.  Spray only your darker colored clothes that won’t be negatively affected by the pigments in natural perfume.  When in doubt, spray a part of the inner garment first.  An animal fiber sweater, scarf, coat, hat, or blazer are all perfect candidates.  Even cotton, rayon, and other natural fabrics will work well but to a lesser degree, yet will still better than on skin.

SCENT JEWELRY

1. Spray your perfume on small bit of natural animal fiber and tuck it into the jewelry housing.  An old sweater clipping, a small yarn ball, or a bit of felt.
2. If you are a person who talks with your hands, imagine a scent ring. 
3. Move a lot?  Scent earrings are amazing. 
4. A scent necklace, laying on your skin, will capitalize on both body heat and air movement to disperse the perfume. 

HAIR

This is an excellent way to sensually perfume yourself with naturals.  (Human hair is an animal fiber.)

1. Water-based “hair perfumes” are available.
   1. This kind of perfume requires a preservative (It lacks the alcohol to preserve it). 
   2. It also requires either an added emulsifier or require that you vigorously shake the perfume before you spritz.
2. Oil-Based perfumes that are mixed in a hair-appropriate oil is probably the easiest way to scent your hair.
3. Alcohol-based perfume such as ours require technique to avoid the alcohol drying the hair
   1. See below

BENEFITS

1. It greatly extends the life of the fragrance. 
2.  Negative skin chemistry is not at risk.
3. Perfumed hair has its own sensual, sexy, nice feel!  When your strands move the perfume wafts. Body heat helps it radiate.
4. Back to Coco Chanel for a minute: here is where scenting the lower beard or hair, (as opposed to your clothes or skin), will give you all of the allure with no bitter kisses!

HOW

1. Spray alcohol-based natural perfume (such as ours) into the palm of your hand, along side a dab (few drops) of hair oil such as Moroccan Oil.  Fractionated coconut oil works well too and is unscented.  Mix them while waiting for the alcohol to evaporate and then apply the oil to your hair or beard as usual.  The oil further helps the longevity of the perfume, and most hair benefits from the oil.
2. Personal enjoyment is best when perfuming locks and whiskers that are below nose-level.  When you move it briefly intensifies the scent.
3. Wearing the perfumed oil on the crown hair (not the scalp) is great for heat dispersion of the perfume.  You will not enjoy it as much but anyone taller than you or above you certainly will!
4. With longer tresses that have a lot of swing, it will be an enjoyable experience if applying it to the hair at collarbone level and below.   As movement occurs, the fragrance intensity changes and as it falls closer to you body, the heat will make the perfume bloom more.
5. Men, try wearing your fragrance on your lower beard and your exposed body hair.  Since men often “run hot”, the latter will not last as long as wearing it on the distal beard.  If you have a dark leather watch band or bracelet that will not show stains, experiment with evaporating the alcohol first and applying it to the leather.  (Scent Jewelry for guys!)

CAUTION

If you are considering spraying your hair, straight from our bottle, be aware that alcohol (found in most perfumes) wicks moisture from the hair and scalp, promoting dry, brittle, frizzy hair.  This is especially true for those with curly or color-treated hair.   Those with fragile hair, or if concerned, should experiment first on a small bit of hair.  (Or wear the perfume in the other ways listed.)  Tough, well-conditioned hair has been known to handle it, but beware, it may be too drying on you.   We don’t recommend it per se, but it does a good job of scenting. 

1. The least hazard and best benefit is to a) spritz the air and then walk underneath the falling mist. b) spritz directly to the hair from a distance of 10-12 inches.  (Protect your eyes.)  This will
   1. Disperse the perfume so that no one area of your hair catches too much alcohol.
   2. Give more hair fragrance
   3. Allow a bit of the alcohol to evaporate before it gets to your hair.

THE VARIABLES

PHYSICS

There are many factors that affect your perfume’s longevity and diffusiveness:  temperature of the ambient air, wind, humidity, how dry or moist your skin is, how hot you are, perspiration, where you wear your perfume, how fast your skin “drinks” the perfume, and olfactory fatigue.

Natural perfumes are usually but not always less diffusive than synthetic perfumes.   Both vary.   Relatively few naturals will fill a room with their fragrance when wearing them.  When you have more than one person wearing standard diffusive perfumes, you have a cacophony.

Naturals shine in being discreet.  They are rarely rude and invasive.  They do not spar with the other perfumes in the room. They are generally much less likely to make the other person’s eyes water or their lungs itchy. 

BODY CHEMISTRY

An individual’s body chemistry interacts with perfume, to better or worse effect.  If “worse”, remember, you can wear perfume in a non-skin way.

Also, various skin will “drink” the perfume’s individual ingredients at varying rates of time and quantity.  The fats in your skin have an affinity for the volatile oils in the perfume, pulling it into your circulation over time.  The absorbed amount is thought to be about 10% (+/-) based on extrapolation from other research.   

There are also natural chemicals on the skin, produced by the body, along with the skin-resident microbe’s byproducts that will interact with the perfume.

OLFACTORY FATIGUE

This is the medical term for the mechanism in your brain that will shut off conscious awareness of any odor after constant exposure to it for about 20 minutes.   You will think your perfume is a dud but you’ve been fooled.  The way to refresh your conscious awareness of your perfume is to go outside, smell a different aroma, or drink an aromatic beverage, and you will again smell your perfume. . . for about 20 minutes.

Other ways to wake up your perception is to change odor intensity.  Inhale more forcefully and with more focus, move the air, get your nose closer to the source, or apply more.

OTHER

Olfactory Fatigue is different from “anosmia”, which is loosing your sense of smell.  It is also different than being “smell blind” to a certain smell, which is not uncommon.  It means you never smell that particular scent molecule.

Over time, many ingredients in natural perfume have an amazingly long shelf life.  The base notes often improve with age.  However, expect that the top notes, (the lightest notes that greet you first), will dissipate sooner.  Later, some middle notes disappear.  This doesn’t mean that you won’t still enjoy your perfume, but the fragrance will gradually change in character.  Sometimes for the better.  Nonetheless, as any perfume ages, it can become more sensitizing. 

What is going on?

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS THAT NEGATIVELY AFFECT PERFUME’S CHEMISTRY

AIR
Oxygen oxidizes.  It breaks down or changes the molecules in your perfume over time.

TEMPERATURE
Thermal heat speeds up the normal chemical changes that occur over time and will change the original character of perfume more rapidly.  Unstable (highly variable) temperatures in the environment will have an especially negative effect on the chemistry.  For example, kitchens, bathrooms, or near intermittent space heaters .

LIGHT
Various molecules in perfume absorb various wavelengths of light (electromagnetic energy).  When a molecule absorbs light, it is raised to an excited electronic state.  That causes it to change its molecular bonds, which not only changes the smell, but can also make the perfume more allergenic.  Affecting that, is the kind of receptical it is stored in.  If stored in glass, the process is diminished, blocked, or not, depending on the type of glass and the color of the glass.   

TIME
All of the above, multiplied by time

SOLUTIONS TO CARE FOR YOUR PERFUME

Since so many influences are at play, it is best to follow the usual, simple advice:

1. Store perfume in stable room temperature.  Cooler places with less light are best.
2. Overall, the simplest solution is to buy a smaller quantity of perfume at one time.  Purchase what you will use within a year or two. 
3. If your perfume is older than 2 years, you may decide to switch to a non-skin method of wearing it out of caution.

This section of the FAQ and a few others are giving you information in the spirit of empowering you to make your own best decisions.  An abundance of caution can be frightening, which would be an inaccurate portrayal of our products.  It is best to simply inform yourself and proceed in a moderate way that fits your circumstances.

ALLERGIC REACTIONS OR SENSITIVITIES ARE POSSIBLE *

If you have concern about allergies, irritation, or sensitivities,  perform a 24-hr. skin patch test prior to widespread use:  Apply a small amount of perfume on a moist area of your arm.  Watch it over 24 hours.  If redness or other irritation occurs, wash the area with plenty of soap and water and discontinue the use of that perfume or other product.

See, “HOW DO I WEAR NATURAL PERFUME?”, above, for non-skin wear-options.

If you have a tendency to develop respiratory distress be prepared to get fresh air if needed.  If you use an inhaler for pre-existing respiratory issues, have it handy to be used as directed by your physician — if needed.   

Some of the perfume materials we use can make your skin more sensitive to the sun (Sun Sensitivity).  If you anticipate having significant sun or sunlamp exposure, it is best to not wear our perfume on exposed skin.

Aging perfumes become more sensitizing as time goes by.  Generally, for a cautious approach to wearing any perfume, discontinue use if it is older than 2 years old, or less if the perfume has been in sub-optimal storage.  It might still smell good, but that can be deceptive indicator of safety.  The solution is to switch to wearing it with non-skin options. or buy in smaller quantities and use it up within 1-2 years.

All that said, most people do very well with natural perfume.

* https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12006

IF YOU ARE NURSING, OR PREGNANT, OR PLAN TO BE PREGNANT

Our perfumes are quite safe to wear in a non-skin way.   See “WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO WEAR NATURAL PERFUME”, above.

Consult a qualified physician before topical (skin) use of any chemical, especially in the first trimester and when trying to become pregnant.  Other chemicals of concern include products for yard care, farming, cleaning, professional use, personal care, beauty products, scented products, and drugs of any kind.

Why do we stress caution during pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy?  Because the primary formation of the baby takes place in the first 3 months.   It is the most delicate time.

For perspective, let’s say you forgot and spritzed perfume onto your skin.  Roughly 1.5% of the active molecules will be absorbed by your skin.  Doing that once is quite unlikely to cause problems.  But scientific research is not yet sufficient to know what is going on with aromatics and fetal formation.  So, we must default to a cautious approach.

DO NOT GET PERFUME IN YOUR EYES OR ON OTHER MUCOUS MEMBRANES  

It will cause irritation.  It may cause damage.  Mucous membranes include your eyes, inside your nose, mouth, throat, and genital-anal area.

KEEP PERFUME OUT OF THE REACH OF SMALL CHILDREN

Little children have been known to drink perfume.  Although our ingredients are generally regarded as safe when used as directed, they are not intended for oral consumption, especially if an entire bottle were to be consumed.  The amount (dose) in the tiny body of a small child is of concern.   Ingesting a few sprays is quite unlikely to harm a child, but we warn against taking a risk.

Children can accidentally spray their eyes or those of another child.  

They might take the perfume near high heat (a fire hazard). 

Or, they may break the glass and cut themselves.  Etc.

TOXICITY AND TRANSPARENCY

We use about 10% by volume of conventionally grown, pesticide/herbicide sprayed source materials, and those that are hexane extracted, known as Absolutes.  If one uses these natural aromatics, there will be “trace amounts” of those chemicals in the perfume.

So, we did the math to calculate what “trace amounts” actually means in real terms.   Then, to put that figure into perspective, we contrasted that with the toxicity of big city air.  

We found that the “trace amounts” are infinitesimally minute.  They are dramatically less, when the percentage of them is 10% of the whole of our perfume.  When used on skin, about 10%* of that 10% will absorb into circulation. 

Considering the few parts per million of toxic molecules to begin with, that makes the “trace amounts” in our perfume infinitesimally infinitesimal.  Minutely minute.  Ridiculously tiny.

Our findings:

1 single breath of big city air contains more toxins than are in 2,000 spritzes of APOLOGUE perfumes.

(For that matter, one inorganic meal has a similarly astounding comparison.)

* Best estimates of various volatile oil molecules’ absorption rates are extrapolated, from indirect research.  On average, the amount is thought to be about 10% at most, when not occluded (covered and sealed) after application.  Occluded with heat on top, the absorption climbs to about 75%.

Standards vary by organization. 

Unfortunately, in the world of sales, the term “Natural” means next to nothing because it is too often used ignorantly, deceptively, or by varying personal logic that drives various personal opinions.

Read this section and the following sections in our FAQs to learn more about the natural materials we use, what they truly are, and decide for yourself what you think.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION

The ISO defines natural, raw perfume materials as being obtained from plants through physical means of extraction, distillation or expression. If the materials are made in a lab to be “nature identical” (bio-identical) or are synthetically modified, altered, reconstituted, etc., the ISO states that they cannot be described as “natural”.

INTERNATIONAL FRAGRANCE ASSOCIATION (IFRA)

The IFRA declares natural aromatic raw materials to be those as defined by ISO norm 9235 and substances that are isolated from them by purely physical means.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)

In the US, the FDA has nothing more than a policy, defining what the word “natural” means on a label: 

“Although the FDA has not engaged in rulemaking to establish a formal definition for the term “natural,” we do have a longstanding policy concerning the use of “natural” in human food labeling. The FDA has considered the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food. However, this policy was not intended to address food production methods, such as the use of pesticides, nor did it explicitly address food processing or manufacturing methods, such as thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation. The FDA also did not consider whether the term “natural” should describe any nutritional or other health benefit.”

OTHER AGENCIES

Other agencies state that natural, aromatic raw materials are considered to be essential oils and their fractions, isolates, resins, distillates, extracts and volatile concentrates, with the exception that Absolutes are not included.

Still other entities believe that organic or pesticide-free plants must be part of the definition.

WE USE ALL NATURAL MATERIALS DERIVED FROM

• Herbs
• Spices
• Citrus
• Woods
• Conifers
• Barks
• Leaves
• Grasses
• Roots
• Rhizomes
• Moss
• Fungi
• Aquatic plants
• Resins
• Flowers
• Minerals
• Animalics*

VARIOUS MATERIALS BY EXTRACTION-METHOD

• Absolutes
• CO2’s
• Tinctures
• Concretes
• Essential Oils
• Fractionated or Rectified Oils
• Natural Isolates, mechanically extracted (not bio-synthesized)
• Organic, Undenatured, Food Grade Perfumer’s Alcohol, fermented from Grain, Grapes, Sugar Cane, or other Specialty Alcohols.

*Read “ARE APOLOGUE PERFUMES CRUELTY FREE?”, on this page, below.

The definition of an isolate is “a chemical substance in an uncombined or pure state”.  Put another way, they are individual molecules, rather than a compound of two or more molecules.

CATEGORIES AND TYPES OF ISOLATES

NATURAL ISOLATES

The following two types of natural isolates are both sold as “natural isolates”.

Natural Isolates,  extracted mechanically.  They are derived from plant-produced volatile oils.   This is like separating cream or whey from whole milk.

Natural Isolates (so-called), bio-synthesized.   They are obtained through an intensely manipulated, organic reaction process or fermentation of a carbon-source material (oil and other) by replacing dangerous chemicals with genetically modified microbes.  These are called fermentation processes.  Like extracted isolates, they are designated as “food-safe”.

SYNTHETIC ISOLATES

The following two types of synthetic isolates are of important distinction.

Synthetic Isolates, Bio-Identical are  chemically engineered in a lab from a secondary, unrelated carbon source material, usually petrochemicals and modeled after natural, aromatic molecules.  They are largely or wholly chemically the same as the same molecule found in nature, but not necessarily perfectly identical, as in the case of Vanillin.

Synthetic Isolates, not-found-in-nature are also chemically engineered in a lab, as above.  These synthetic isolates are foreign to nature, which includes the human body.  Some molecules have been implicated in harmful environmental and human effects.

NOTES

More about isolates can be found under “Our Ingredients“

In regard to the materials used in our perfumes: 

We use only natural isolates, extracted mechanically, along with whole natural aromatics, and a few “rectified” whole aromatics that have had unpleasant or harmful molecules removed.  Natural isolates in our perfumes average 5 – 7.5% by volume.

Professionally and as consumers ourselves, we find any natural isolate or bio-identical isolate, (synthetic, or bio-synthesized), to be less concerning for health than an isolate not-found-in-nature.

Although the science on many not-found-in-nature, synthetic, aromatic isolates is rightfully concerning, the reason we do not use them formed before that science came to light.  Rather, our reasons were and remain a judgement call based on:

1. The exquisite beauty of naturals and how wonderful they feel
2. The highly intricate co-evolution of the human body with nature.
3. The considerable, common, and frequently serious, long-proven side effects from pharmaceuticals.* These are also chemicals-not-found-in-nature. 

We respect and appreciate the need for some of these medicines, but consider the unnecessary use of this category of chemicals to be unwise.**

~~~~~

* https://ethics.harvard.edu/blog/new-prescription-drugs-major-health-risk-few-offsetting-advantages

* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25355584/

* https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.14851

**We have since noticed commonalities between all chemicals in the category of not-found-in-nature, including aromatic, industrial, agricultural, laboratory, medical, yard, home, and others.

PERFUME

• Our perfumes will safely biodegrade. 
• There are some long-lived, natural molecules that we use but these have not been shown to cause any environmental problems. Nor have they proven to negatively affect health.  Quite the contrary.  They have been shown to benefit physical, mental, and emotional well-being and fight disease.
• Importantly, all molecules/chemicals in our perfumes are found in nature and are compatible with nature.
  
• Our products are 100% natural.  They are 90% organic on average and never less than 85%.  On average they contain 5 – 7.5% natural isolates by volume.

PACKAGING

LUXURY BOX

• • Made to be reused or recycled
  • Reuse as a gift box or a “treasure box”.  Hint:  little (and big) girls love pretty boxes.
  • The box-back label peels off cleanly
  • The non-recyclable tray insert comes out with a strong, steady, twist-pull-pry action. 
  • You may prefer to  keep the soft, velvet-lined tray in the box and use the perfume-cavity plug (included) for leveling.  Nice for storing easily harmed items.
  • The tray was created so that the perfume safely ships without peanuts or bubble wrap, lowering the size and energy to ship.
  • Some boxes have glossy box-bottom paper that peels off cleanly if desired.

SHIPPING BOX

• May be reused or recycled
• It is barely larger than our luxury box, so it is small and lightweight, reducing energy to ship
• No peanuts or filling are required, which has the added benefit of no mess upon opening
• It is sturdy, and with a single slice of the sealing tape on one end, it will remain in excellent shape to reuse

GLASS BOTTLES

• May be reused or recycled
• The 3ml roller-ball housing will pop out of the bottle neck by pushing sideways and slightly up at the top.  The ball is easily popped out.  The full set is washable and can be reused for refills from our large bottle or decants of any perfume.
• The 15ml and 30ml bottles can be reused once the spray-set is removed*
  • Reuse ideas:
    • charming as bud vases
    • container for liquids or small decorative solids – use a cork to reseal

*SPRAY SET REMOVAL PROCEDURE

(Not recommended if you do not have the right tools and protective gear.  Do this at your own risk.)

• Patience, gentleness, and tiny-movements are the key.
• Wear thick leather gloves during the procedure.  (It is possible to break the glass, leaving a razor-sharp edge.)
• First, remove the spray head. 
• Then grasp the top rim of the collar (the outer band) with needle-nose pliers and pull straight up just a tad.  Repeatedly do this, working your way around the collar.
• This creates a thin space to insert a strong knife-edge under the bottom edge of collar.  Gently pry up a little.     Shift the position of your knife a tiny bit and repeat the tiny, “gentle-pry-up-action”, working your way around the collar in this fashion.  Repeat the action, going around the circumference again, and yet again until a sufficient gap is opened to . . .
• Then use c-clamp / jaw-style pliers that have a claw-bite action to grasp the collar under the bottom edge on both sides and gently pull straight up.  The collar will easily give way and come off.   
• The remaining, non-recyclable, plastic spray-set is then easily lifted out of the bottle.

THREATENED

The plant has become increasingly scarce in the wild, potentially threatening the species. 

It puts us all on alert to be cautious.  We should more closely monitor the seriousness of the status of the plant, or if needed reverse the negative trend through moderating its use or start thinking about finding alternatives. 

ENDANGERED

The plant is getting close to being on the “critically endangered list”.  In other words, it is time to put the brakes on its use before it is so critically scarce that extinction of the species may be at risk. 

In this case we should all cease to buy or use products made from that plant in a concerted effort to help prevent its extinction. To lose species is a loss to us all, and imbalances the environment.  The loss to future generations, possibly in medical cures is incalculable.

NUANCES AND CONFUSION

Reports found on the internet about “threatened” or “endangered” species may be misleading:

Regarding specific plant species with a very a specific scent profile that only grows in a specific geographical area:

When these plants are endangered, put on the brakes, period.   An example is Sandalwood, specifically from the Mysore region of India.  It is endangered and we should all avoid its use.  On the other hand, Sandalwood from plantations in other areas of the planet are well-managed and are perfectly responsible to use. 

Is the Sandalwood from Mysore more beautiful?  We think so.  But here is a lesson for humanity:  The other Sandalwood is still very beautiful.  It is enjoyable enough.  Humanity must learn to be mature about this.  Do we really want to ‘lust’ a plant into extinction?

Some endangered species lists can be inadvertently misleading. 

For example, a plant may indeed be endangered in one area of the planet but be abundant in the wild in another area, or under cultivation somewhere else.

HOW TO KNOW

You must either do your own research or trust your perfumer to source responsibly.

A good source to visit for up-to-date information on all species, not just plants, is the IUCN Red List.

IF APOLOGUE USES AN AROMATIC FROM AN ENDANGERED SPECIES, YOU MAY ASSUME:

We are tapping our stock of beautifully aged materials, purchased long before the plant was placed on the endangered species list

–or–

We are using materials that are in healthy supply from an abundant location and are not truly threatened or endangered

–or–

We may have missed a problem.  If so, please let us know.

Apologue is “animal testing and cruelty-free”.  We support changes in our global system that start with recognizing that animals are sentient beings, capable of great suffering and with no way to voice their pain. 

We believe that humans, due to their greater gifts and capacities among animals, are thus responsible to justly and generously manage the planet for the benefit and well-being of all members of nature.

Apologue had to make the decision to remain silent on this claim – or if we made the claim, to ensure that you knew what it really meant:

REGARDING ANIMAL TESTING

In the US, by law, all materials intended for human consumption, including all-natural perfume materials, at some point must be tested on animals by researchers to prove the designation, “GRAS”, (“generally regarded as safe”).  

When a perfume business claims “no animal testing” that merely means that no testing is done in that business.   That is to say, every perfume-related company, except those bringing a totally new aromatic to market, does not need to do testing for this matter.

So, this claim is little more than an announcement of a political or moral stance, or a marketing statement, pointing out a virtue of the product.  (If one company uses this designation, by default, those that do not make the claim might give the appearance of their product falling short by comparison.) 

REGARDING ANIMAL CRUELTY

If a perfumery uses natural animalic fragrances the claim becomes important to understand.

Apologue uses “found” animalics, which means that the animal left the aromatic substance behind and someone literally found it.

We also use animalic materials that are verified to be from areas where the overpopulation of the animal is causing devastating environmental effects.  (From the loss of natural predators, or non-native species having been transplanted.)  When relocation is not feasible and culling the animals is a critical and unavoidable solution, we find no ethical dilemma in using animalics derived from them.

Other animalics that we use are extracted from sustainable, cultivated, raw materials such as beeswax or dairy products.

Natural Musk and Civet are not purchased on the open market at this time (or used) because of uncertainties surrounding reports of animal mistreatment and possible endangerment. 

If a method of collecting “found” Musk or Civet develops, we would use them.  In such a situation, jobs are created for “collectors”.  In this case, live, wild animals become valuable.  This kind of sustainable harvesting is an incentive to protect these animals in the wild.  A win for all.

Synthetic perfumes use lab-made “animalics” in substitution, clearly a winner for animals such as the Musk Deer or Civet Cat.  Yet to our nose, the real thing cannot be matched.  In terms of health, to date, there have been issues with some of these synthetics that fall into the category of “not found in nature”.

Overall, the issue of animal cruelty is quite a complex issue.  There may be exceptional circumstances that give the appearance of cruelty when in fact there is none.  There are times when one moral requirement conflicts with another.  But indeed, there are many obvious and needless reasons that animals suffer.

Apologue makes these twin claims because we avoid contributing to negative consequences for animals within a reasonable, contextual framework.  We support the kind care of animals in any circumstance and support the preservation of their habitat.

A disclaimer to any statement on this website that might be construed as health advice:

The reader should assume that the information on this website is educational or opinion only and seek medical advice from an appropriate physician about their health care decisions and treatment.