About Wild Veil Perfume

☽ Wild Veil ☾ Natural perfume grown in Vermont. Handmade aromatic extracts, including enfleurage, absolutes, resinoids, and tinctures.

Welcome! My name is Abby Hinsman and I am the founder of Wild Veil. As a grower-perfumer I specialize in whole plant fragrances composed from my own extractions of exquisite natural materials, many of which I grow organically, or sustainably collect from within the 6 acres of old growth hemiboreal forest that is my childhood home in Vermont. I recently broke ground on a second off grid site in the spectacular dew dusted wildlands of De Luz, California. This small five acre parcel is covered with wild white and black age, along with rare Engelmann oak trees that we steward, and now, five humble perfume gardens started by myself, my husband, and his three lovely daughters. I consider it a privilege to be able to shape with the natural landscape a fragrant and fruitful vision for our family.

I started Wild Veil in 2013 as a side project while I was writing a dissertation in Film and Media Studies. However, it quickly became clear that envisioning organic fragrances was my passion, and I eventually abandoned the PhD to make natural perfumery my life's work. I probably should have seen this coming as I chose my graduate program based on the way its location smelled: the sea, star jasmine flowers, orange and lemon blossoms, tar, and sage scrub of Santa Barbara.

In my product pages you will find photographs I have taken of my homemade enfleurage, tinctures, absolutes, and resinoids, as well as the aromatic plants, that provided key notes in the composition. All photography is my own. I draw all of the colored pencil artwork for Wild Veil, and I photograph products in my home, organic gardens, and in the wild. All fragrance orders come beautifully gift wrapped with pressed and cured flowers from my organic gardens, along with a handwritten note. Many of my perfumes come with handwritten labels, too!

I envision this shop as a virtual encounter with natural aromas, as you tour my cabinets and gardens. Please enjoy the roses, lilacs, honeysuckle, peonies, gardenias, plumeria, violets, tobacco, herbs, taiga, floodplains, and more. And don't forget to stop and smell.

ABOUT NATURAL PERFUMERY
Natural perfumery is the art of creating alchemical fragrances from purely natural sources such as organic, ethically harvested, and wildcrafted essential oils, absolutes, flora, butters, and waxes. Perfumes are handmade to order to ensure vitality and potency. Many of my perfumes are purely botanical and vegan (with the exception of my solid perfumes, which incorporate raw organic beeswax).

I use alchemy to compose my creations using exquisite natural ingredients sourced from all of the world, or collected from my own backyard. This means that while every item is unique, there may be slight variations within a perfume depending on the season and the source of the raw materials.

Intimate and subtle, natural perfumes wear close to the body. They radiate their fragrance for a few hours before softening completely into the skin. Natural perfumes often smell quite different in the bottle than on your body. Make sure to test a fragrance on your skin before deciding whether or not it is for you! As your skin warms the wax or oil emulsion, the plant essences mingle with your particular biochemistry, activating a unique scent [*green alchemy*]. For me, part of the pleasure lies in reapplication, periodically renewing your sensual bond with organic matter. Botanical oils contain wonderful therapeutic benefits, and so you may find a blend rejuvenates not only your senses, but mind and body. My perfumes are handcrafted from essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts, and other botanical compounds, wild harvested or organic when possible. They do not contain preservatives, fragrance oils, artificial colors or flavorings, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), or parabens of any kind.

HOW TO EXPERIMENT
If you are unsure whether a product is right for you, I recommend starting with a small or sample size before committing to a full size. My "few drops" listing for fragrances is a great way to sample a wide array for minimal cost!

SHELF LIFE
All of my creations use only fresh ingredients and are free of SLS, parabens, preservatives, artificial colors or flavorings, and fragrance or synthetic oils. Hair and skin care products should retain their aromatic and therapeutic properties for a year or more, kept in a cool, dry, and dark area. Natural perfumes never spoil, but they may lose their top notes over time, while the base notes may deepen.

PRECAUTIONS
Plant essences are generally non-toxic and non-irritating, but they can cause sensitization in some individuals. I recommend patch testing a small area such as the inner wrist before full application, especially if you are unsure if you have a sensitivity to any natural oils, butters, or waxes. If you have a known allergy concern, please read the ingredients and notes listed, and if you are still unsure, kindly let me know.

SALES, RETURNS, ETC.
All sales are final. No returns, refunds, or exchanges.

Due to the nature of my perfumes and for safety and hygienic reasons, I cannot accept returns. Not liking a scent is not a valid reason for a refund; this is what samples are for. During the summer months I refrigerate orders prior to shipping. I am not responsible for heat damage incurred in transit or after delivery. If you would like to guarantee your shipping, I suggest you purchase USPS Priority Mail and/or add insurance. The customer is responsible for providing the correct shipping address. I do not track down packages lost in transit, delayed, or mis-delivered. It is the customer's responsibility to follow up on these issues, should any of them arise. Know that if you purchase only USPS first class shipping, you are taking the risk that your package may be lost by USPS and a refund will not be issued. Please be patient as we continue to experience supply chain disruptions and carrier delays.

Please note some settling is normal with natural products. You are accepting this when you commit to purchase. If you know that you are reactive or allergic to particular ingredients, please check list of ingredients in the product listing and, for fragrances, the "notes." You are responsible for patch testing your product to: 1) ensure safety of use; and 2) screen for known sensitivities or allergies. The inner wrist is typically a safe area for patch testing. And, if you have concerns about an allergy, please contact me prior to placing your order to ensure the product will be safe for your use. I will work with you to customize the right product for you.

ORDER PROCESSING TIME

I'm a one woman operation here, from growing, to perfuming, to preparing your order with aesthetic integrity. I batch print my shipping labels and fill orders in the order in which they come in, no matter how big or small, so sometimes there is a delay of 1 business week between label printing and order dispatch. Since I am the only worker in my micro-business and I hand pour every order, handwrite every label, and thematically select organic plants I have cured for packaging in each, order processing time is up to 3 weeks. I appreciate your patience and support of my business.

MENTORSHIP

I'm excited to announce I am taking on mentees for distance mentorship at the moment. If you are interested in being mentored by me in grower-perfumery, including enfleurage, send me an email. I take students on a case by case basis and offer guidance in a one-on-one tutorial format that is tailored to the individual student's interests and questions. I have found self motivated learners are best suited to this method of study, which is dialectical and student directed.

For mentoring inquiries, including rates and more information, please email me: abby@wildveil.com

PATREON

Check out what I'm offering on my Patreon.

GIVING BACK

I collect small amounts of tree matter from an old growth forest in Vermont that has been in my family for two generations, but was clear cut by colonizers and their descendants several centuries ago. Wild Veil gives back with a regular monthly donation to Abenaki Helping Abenaki.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS

Photographic prints of my gardens are available through the Wild Veil shop on Society6. I think the wooden wall art and the metal prints make the best prints of floral still life photography. If you are interested in an image you see here or in the Wild Veil Instagram feed that is not yet available on Society6, DM me on Instagram or email abby@wildveil.com.