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Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Questions:
How do we reach Sonoma Scent Studio?
The best way is to email customer service and we'll get back to you usually within 24 hours. If you need to arrange a phone consultation, we can set up a time via email.
Do you do in-person scent consultations or have open studio hours or a local boutique?
We've not started this yet, but we do hope to offer some open studio hours in 2009, most likely one weekend day per week. We'll post an update when we are ready to begin.
Shipping Questions:
Do you do international Shipping?
Most international orders for samples or for 1 to 3 bottles can be placed through the shopping cart by choosing the international shipping calculation at check-out, but it's best to email us before ordering if you are a first-time customer to be sure we ship to your country. We can ship to most countries with the following exceptions: we cannot currently ship to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, North Korea, U.A.E. or Mexico because of customs restrictions. Sample orders can usually be sent international Air Mail for $3.50, but they can't be insured. One or two edp bottles can usually be shipped for about $10.50-$12.00 but cannot be insured (unless a customer would like to buy insurance, which is expensive and only worthwhile on orders over $100). We're happy to answer questions about international shipping via email before you order. International customers can also order samples and decants from
The Perfumed Court.
How Much is Domestic Shipping?
Domestic shipping rates are listed on the
Policies and Shipping page.
Payment Questions:
Are payments on your site secure?
Yes, payments are made through a secure SSL site and your data is encrypted.
Can I pay by PayPal or credit card?
Yes, the shopping cart can accept PayPal payment or credit card payments.
Can I send a Money Order?
Yes, you can send email to info@sonomascentstudio.com to arrange paying via postal money order. Personal checks are also accepted, but you need to wait for them to clear the bank. Money orders can be cashed upon arrival so your package can be shipped immediately.
How do gift certificates work?
Please see this
Gift Certificates
page for a description of gift certificates and for a button to purchase one.
Product Questions:
What "base" or "carrier" do you use?
We have always used specially denatured professional perfumer's alcohol. This specially denatured alcohol is what is used in nearly all commercial perfumes. For the oils, we use a natural pure fractionated coconut oil; we add no alcohol, silicones, water, or emulsifiers. No sunscreens, preservatives, or colorants are used in our perfumes, just fragrance in a carrier base of alcohol or coconut oil.
Do your perfumes contain parabens or sunscreens or colorants?
No. Nor do our body creams.
Do you use both natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients?
We use many natural essential oils and absolutes, but we also use high-quality synthetic aroma ingredients made especially for perfumery by the top fragrance companies such as Givaudan, Firmenich, and IFF. Synthetics can extend the lasting power of natural oils and work together with them to enhance the scent; the combination of naturals with a light touch of synthetics often makes the best of both worlds. We rely on natural oils for many of our woodsy base notes because they are so beautiful, but we only use sandalwood that is grown in plantations as a renewable resource and we don't use rosewood, which is endangered and can easily be substituted with other accords. We use synthetic musks, castoreum, and civet to avoid the cruelty issues associated with animal versions of these ingredients (but we use no nitro musks). We can blend all-natural scents for you as special request items.
What scents might men like?
Some scents men have enjoyed and/or women have reported liking on the men in their lives are
Fireside Intense, Fireside,
Encens Tranquille, Ambre Noir, Winter Woods, Jour Ensoleille, Wood Violet, and Egyptian Musk. Champagne de Bois has a nice sandalwood note and some spicy clove and is not floral, but the aldehydes make it just a bit more on the feminine side of unisex, though that will vary from person to person. Sienna Musk is woodsy and spicy and probably unisex, though it has some sweetness. The most dry and masculine are Fireside Intense and Encens Tranquille.
I'd like to get a scent that used to be on the list but isn't listed right now -- is that possible?
Maybe, yes. Just send some email to info@sonomascentstudio.com to find out if the ingredients are still in stock.
Custom Scenting Questions:
How do custom blends work?
Note: We aren't taking custom blends right now, but we look forward to doing more custom work later when we've caught up with blending the scents on our To Do list.
We prefer doing original blend requests rather than duplicating existing scents. For example, you might have a set of notes you'd like to have in a fragrance and you've not been able to find quite what you have in mind. If you have examples of existing scents that you do and don't like, that helps a lot. We can also send note accord samples before beginning your blend so you can determine what you like; we just charge for the samples and shipping as we go when we do that. We'll post here when we're ready to begin taking on custom scent projects again.
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