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  • Who - What - Where Are You?!
    Boathouse scents are proprietary blends forumulated by Winnie in our Friday Harbor studio. We are located on San Juan Island in Washington state. The island is accessible only by water or air. We make every bottle of fragrance by hand. Each bottle is filled with our proprietary blend, labeled x 3, wiped off with kindness, kind of stared at with extra care, and lovingly packed, just for you! We make mistakes, so if you aren’t feeling the love on how your product arrives, please email me personally, winnie@boathousemercantile.com, and I’ll sort it out!
  • Do you have a store? How can I try your scents? Can I visit your studio?
    We do not have a “store”, however we sell our product and you can try them at the super-groovy Deer Hazel on Spring Street in Friday Harbor or at the Roche Harbor Art Aisle. We also sell through lots of stores nationwide and when we get the coding straight will have a Store Locator page. For now, please message me and I’ll check to see who’s closest to your town. You might be able to visit the studio, which is always a mess. Message me through Insta!
  • What ingredients do you use and are they “clean”?
    The question behind this question is, quite simply, “Are the materials safe?” and the answer is YES. We use both natural and synthetic materials in all of our products and adhere to the safety regulations of the International Fragrance Research Association (IFRA). Suffice it to say, WE ONLY USE SAFE MATERIALS! “Natural is better”, the non-scientific message in the marketplace, is an extremely simplified, inaccurate and misleading idea that leads to fear in an effort to switch your attention to brands with loftier "clean & natural" claims. For example, bee stinger stuff is natural, so is arsenic, and obviously not "safe". Rest assured, we (as do a majority of perfumers) source our materials from companies at the forefront of material fragrance safety. Want to take a deep dive into the volumes of IFRA Safety Information? Click HERE, it’s fascinating! And keep in mind that synthetic molecules are the heart of modern perfumery.
  • Do you use synthetics or just natural materials?
    We use both, and please read on to understand their safety: Synthetics are not “bad” and naturals “good”, or clean or dirty. There are restricted NATURAL materials, which stands to reason because they are from plants trying to either attract or repel, or even poison enemies in natural settings. The industry synthesizing a fragrance molecule out from other non-scented and therefore not useful molecules can actually make synthetics a safer option to achieve a fragrance goal – all the unnecessary stuff is not present, so there are fewer allergens and other undesirable reactants. We use synthetic materials and they are IFRA regulated. You can find ALL fragrance safety info here: IFRA SAFETY IN FRAGRANCE. Don’t listen to the internet unless it’s directly from IFRA especially regarding phthalates and such. EXCEPT, DO follow @labmuffin, a chemist who sets everyone straight on SO MANY THINGS including parabans and phthalates and such, CLICK CLICK.
  • Will my perfume change over time? How should I store it?
    Yes. Three natural enemies (that humans need in order to survive!) will degrade it: Air, light and heat. Store your perfume in a dark, climate controlled place, and it will not degrade. Otherwise, it will have plenty of natural longevity for you to enjoy it on your dressing table and on your skin. Use it up!
  • What's the shipping and returns 'sitch, considering you are so far upper left?
    We ship UPS flat-rate, which goes out daily at 11. Orders usually ship in 3 days, barring any holiday or long weekend delay. We only ship within the USA because of regulations on flammable materials being shipped via airfreight. We are small. If you would like to return your purchase, send it back in unused condition within 7 days, I’ll refund the order if it’s in perfect condition.
  • How long will it take to receive my order once it has been submitted?
    It’s just me running in circles over at the Boathouse, so orders may take up to 5 business days to ship. Once your order is shipped you will receive a confirmation email + tracking number. Please allow 24 hours for tracking to show progress. Keep in mind that we are on an island and uploads of electronic shipping logistics are often delayed. Orders are shipped UPS or USPS Ground Advantage, and may take 1-8 business days to arrive, depending on location. Standard Shipping for non-continental U.S orders (i.e. Alaska, and Hawaii) are shipped USPS, can take a little longer, and we've never been able to consistently calculate or predict it.
  • Do you ship to other countries outside of the USA?
    No. We are a small company and the complicated requirements to ship internationally are not accessible to us (yet).
  • Hey wait a minute, is something floating in my bottle?!
    Sometimes, YES. Natural materials have natural bits, and I don't filter all of my perfume before bottling. IDK, I just don't, I don't see what purpose it fills and have NEVER had a sprayer clog (TMI, sorry! ...but seriously, everyone wants naturals but heaven forbid there's any VISIBLE natural stuff in there!?).
FAQ
Winnie Brumsickle, perfumer

please
reach
ouT


(I welcome your questions
and always respond in person)

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