This FAQ covers many different questions and queries that are raised to January Scent Project about the fragrances, ordering, shipping, and return policies. Please refer here first for general information, but feel free to contact info@januaryscent.com with specific questions that aren’t covered here.

This is also a living document which will be updated when needed, so check back for new and updated questions.

Fragrances:

What defines the color of JSP perfumes? Do they ever vary?

January Scent Project (JSP)’s colors are derived naturally from their source materials.*

The perfumes are made from a mixture of natural essential oils (resins, CO2 extracts), synthetic components, and to a limited degree, tinctured natural products - all are parts of the final fragrance. Some of the source elements, particularly those found in nature, can vary in color, strength, and physical “body” based on when and where they are harvested, how they’re processed, etc. This is usually not a problem for quality control or for maintaining consistency between batches, but there are occasions when an oil, extract or resin is no longer available from a particular source. In those cases, another source is evaluated and selected. This can mean that a new source material can impact the final color of a fragrance. As for any difference in smell (based on variations of material,) it’s part of the perfumer’s skill to make adjustments in these rare cases where materials need to be substituted or changed.

*As of 2021, one new fragrance (Gong) contains a cosmetic colorant, and some editions of Eiderantler do as well, to maintain consistency. Eiderantler is the most complex JSP formula and therefore has the most variables that can contribute to color variation.

Are JSP fragrances all natural, all synthetic, mixed?

JSP fragrances, and the majority of perfumes in the market, are made with a mixture of natural and synthetic materials. Both are important to the creation of a full-bodied scent experience. Synthetic materials are particularly helpful for recreating smells that are difficult to capture naturally, such as violet essence, or animal musks. Some animal smells can pose ethical dilemmas when derived from natural sources. It’s a complex question, but I choose to use synthetic accords to replicate animal musks. Synthetics also present interesting “fantasy” notes that aren’t found naturally, and greatly expand the perfumer’s palette of options. Naturally occurring materials (essential oils, CO2 extractions, tinctures, enfleurages, etc,) embody much of the complexity of their source material and so therefore have a very special appeal and importance in perfumes as well.

What safety protocols does JSP follow in manufacture of its perfumes?

January Scent Project follows the guidelines set by IFRA (International Fragrance Association) for its main line of fragrances, and Its perfumes also conform to the labeling standards for allergens as specified for US and EU labeling protocols. As with any substances that are placed on skin, following basic protocol of doing a skin test is recommended for any perfumes. Limited Edition perfume projects sometimes incorporate antique / historic oils as described in on the Limited Editions & Projects page, please refer to this page for more details.

Do JSP fragrances contain animal-derived materials?

Generally no. The civet, castoreum, musk and animalic components used are synthetic recreations or accords. The only exception is the use of beeswax, which is an animal (insect) byproduct.

It’s important to remember that some animal byproducts do not involve any direct contact with animals and are therefore perfectly safe and non-invasive to use in perfumery. This is the case with materials such as ambergris (which is excreted by whales into the water,) and hyraceum (from the hyrax, which is also a form of excrement.) Bee-related materials area generally fall in this category. However, with the exception of beeswax, none of the above materials are used in a natural form in any JSP products. Any future products that would potentially contain an animal-derived product will be marked as such.

You mention “notes” and “accords” in your perfumes: What is the difference between these terms?

There are three primary words used to explain what is “in” a perfume: Material, note, and accord. A material is an actual substance that is contained in a perfume formula. Sometimes these materials relate very directly to what someone is smelling, and at other times they play different roles in helping make a perfume come to life, so may not be recognizable on their own.

A note is a single smell-impression that a perfumer or wearer can easily refer to within a fragrance. Sometimes a note is reflected in a fragrance with just one material (for example, vetiver can often be represented in a perfume all by itself.) Other times, a note uses a few materials to bring it together. So, a rose “note” is actually a few different rose-related materials working together to convey the impression of a rose.

An accord is similar to the multi-material “note”, but this is usually reserved for complex smells that can’t be isolated in nature, or, are recreated from nature and expanded upon by the perfumer. For example, some flowers offer up little to no essential oil, and so perfumers create an accord of that flower based on other materials which, when combined, give a very accurate impression of it. For example, flowers such as honeysuckle, gardenia, and violet have very little of their own natural essences, and so accords are constructed to recreate these flowers. An accord will often translate into a final note, so we could say, “This gardenia accord creates a lovely gardenia note in the perfume.” Examples of accords that are created and used in JSP fragrances are narcissus (Dinudisit), marigold (Serin), lilac (Vaporocindro), and daikon (Gong).

What are your limited edition projects?

Limited edition projects are produced about once a year, and usually include a fragrance that can only be made in a small amount, due to the limited nature of the ingredients, or a special accord that was created for it, or special packaging imagined for its release. They are usually quite small in number (no larger than 50) and I try to have samples available for them beforehand. As a general rule, I prefer to release perfumes that are always available, but limited editions are a way to showcase particular materials that don’t scale to larger editions. These are usually produced at the end of the calendar year.

They are also a way to explore some artistic directions that I may not be able to with the other perfumes. You can find out more about the previous (and upcoming) limited editions on the Limited Editions & Projects page.

Shipping:

My package hasn’t arrived yet, where is it?

In light of COVID-19 and the worldwide pandemic, shipping around the world has been disrupted. As of mid-2021, services have mostly been restored, but some are still slow. Please check the USPS website for updated information.

Please note that the following countries and regions have generally experienced slow shipping times: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and the southern half of the South American continent, and some portions of the Middle East. Shipping to these regions can take up to three weeks, and so requires patience (thank you!)

About John Biebel and January Scent Project:

What other work is John doing, and does he collaborate with others?

I am currently (as of the 2022) working on three fragrance projects outside of the January Scent Project umbrella, all of which are collaborations with other artists, scent makers and/or creative minds. These will surface sometime in 2021-2022. I teach a few remote courses with the Institute for Art and Olfaction in L.A. (Writing about Smell and Essential Components.) You can find info for these courses at the IAO website. I am also an active writer for Fragrantica.com, the world’s largest fragrance website. Other projects are in the pipeline and will emerge as time progresses!

Please return to this page for updated FAQ and new topics, thank you.