Functional fragrance is scent that can positively affect your emotional and psychological state. When your olfactive network perceives a scent, it cuts straight to your brain's limbic system and can arouse certain physiological reactions. Aromatherapy is a system using specific flowers, herbs, and other ‘functional’ plants to help you in your everyday life.
Our first product line is hand-blended, 100% all-natural fragrance designed around daily rituals of self-care. Each Scent Ritual is blended with the principles of aromatherapy for a specific ‘function’, and formulated with zero alcohols so that you can breathe in each scent (inhale). They are face and skin-friendly, and also vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic. There are currently five Scent Rituals available, and while each can be used at any time of the day, they are best suited to ritual use, or for specific moments (e.g. best to use Dreamlover in moments when you are feeling antsy, or wanting to soothe or calm yourself).
In short, no. Although our Scent Rituals product line is blended by a perfumer and uses certain aromatic design principles inherent to perfumery, these scents are first and foremost aromatherapy designed around specific rituals of self-care. Most popular (liquid) perfumes are alcohol-based whereas our Scent Rituals have zero alcohol and are made using a blend of essential oils and plant hydrosols (think rose water, for example), diluted to a safe concentration for the skin, face, and body. Scent Rituals are intended to be breathed in to help you have an embodied and meditative experience with scent, whereas most perfumes are primarily aesthetic.
Scent Rituals are blended with the primary intent that you experience a meditative and fully breathable moment with scent. The lasting effect of the product on your skin is secondary, and certainly not the same as traditional alcohol-based perfumes (please note we will release our own line of natural perfumes in 2021). However you will notice a pleasant aroma that hangs on your skin, clothing, and surrounding environment for a little while (we have received many compliments on the ‘wear’ of our Scent Ritual).
First, shake the bottle (separation of oil and water is natural) and hold high overhead and away from the body. The more distance the better as it will allow the fragrance to disperse and create a fine aromatic mist all around you. Spray liberally and breathe in the scent deeply, generally misting at least 8-10 pumps with each use. Remember, take a moment to pause and appreciate the effect of the fragrance and how it feels to be in your body.
It is highly recommended you do NOT use the mist outdoors, as wind will carry the mist away and in general it will be much harder to perceive the scent. Avoid misting too close to your face, as it will feel like a wet shower (womp womp), and without a little distance from the body, it will be hard to actually perceive the aroma.
Over time you will learn your favorite times and moments for each Scent Ritual. Try them out and see what works for you!
Yes! Although each ritual has a primary purpose (e.g. Dance With Me is an uplifting or energizing scent), they are all blended to be good for your skin and can be an excellent break in your day, and can support other functions.
Aromatically freshen up your mask by spraying before or after use. Use as a face toner after a shower or skin-care routine. Integrate Scent Rituals into other daily practices like yoga or dance. These are just a few examples! Check out our home page or our instagram for other ideas.
The separation of perfumatic oil and aromatic water is natural. To keep Scent Rituals fully-breathable and 100% alcohol-free, we intentionally do not use solubilizers in our formula. Please shake well before each use. The halo is a good thing!
All of our Scent Rituals are hand-made, blended, tested, and packaged by our small team. Each batch is freshly prepared, and the ingredients require at least 2-3 weeks of ‘setting’ to achieve optimal aroma. We do our best as a small business to plan and meet for demand but there might be times when we are out of stock while we either ‘set’ a new batch or source more material. We refuse to compromise on our quality, sustainability, or testing process and appreciate your understanding if there is a delay in placing your order. We always welcome feedback and concerns to info@shocksoflove.com.
All our Scent Rituals are 100% vegan and cruelty free. They were first tested on our founder and their friends, and then tested in soft-launch for over a year before we opened our shop.
We believe in radical transparency and disclose all of our ingredients on each label. For Scent Rituals we use only 100% non-toxic all-natural ingredients, though if you have any specific concerns about allergies or sensitivities please test on a small patch of your skin before continued use, otherwise reach out to us via the contact page.
We don’t know her. No shame, but, we don’t know her.
If stored properly, our Scent Rituals have a shelf life of at least 18 months. We advise you keep away from direct sunlight and store in a cool or room temperature environment. Essential oils are active, natural materials, so their aromatic characteristics will change over time. For example, Woo Woo Me will deepen in strength and woodiness overtime, whereas Sweet On You will become more green and piney. This is ‘normal’ in the world of natural aromatics.
All Shocks of Love fragrances are hand-blended using natural ingredients (plant hydrosols, essential oils, natural isolates and extracts). Slight variations will occur from batch to batch due to differences in sourcing and crop yield, which is part of the charm to working with natural materials in small-batches.
Sustainability is very important to us. We source only the highest quality 100% natural essential oils and hydrosols with suppliers who similarly value ethically sourcing and sustainable practices. Our shipping packaging is plastic-free and 100% recyclable, made using 99% recycled materials and printed using non-toxic soy ink. Our wrapping inside the package is 100% compostable and paper based. Our in-store packaging is 100% paper tubes that are compostable and also printed with non-toxic ink. For our bottles, we use infinitely recyclable glass bottles (please remove the label!), and we will soon be offering a refill program so you can re-use the bottle and purchase more of the same product at a discount. We are always looking to improve on these practices and welcome any questions or suggestions.
Shocks of Love champions personal, creative, and collective consciousness, perceiving them as highly interrelated. With that, 5% of all profits from Scent Rituals and all future lines will be redistributed to Activation Residency, a Black-led artist residency designed under principles of healing justice and mutual aid, centering Black, Brown, Indigenous, trans and queer bodies. As a part of this reparations commitment, Shocks will also sponsor one underserved artist through the Artist in Residence program, providing support and development for their creative projects.
Not yet! But we will. Watch this space./p>
All of our fragrances are unisex. They are not quite genderless, and might be better described as “post-gender”. We believe scent is a non-binary consideration, and highly specific for each person.
All of our Scent Rituals are diluted for safe consumption for the majority of all people. We have seen pregnant women and adults with children choose to use our scent rituals, though we are not doctors and advise anyone with concerns to consult their physician. We do not make any medical claims nor give direct medical recommendations for any of our products.
Although our pricing is premium, it is very competitive for the level of material that we use. Our ingredients costs are multiples higher than the traditional synthetic fragrance or high-end perfume materials cost. We use only the highest quality essential oils, hydrosols, and natural isolates/extracts. For reference, one ounce of Rose Oil can cost well over $1,000 USD. A kilo of oud will cost over $40,000 USD.
We are a small business that is independently run by a small team. We appreciate your patience as we work hard to fulfill your orders. We aim to process your order within 1-3 days of it being placed (weekends will cause delays), and depending on your location it will take 3-5 business days to receive. On the whole, you can expect to receive your product within 1-2 weeks of ordering (but hopefully much faster!). We would rather underpromise and over deliver.
We appreciate your understanding and support. It means a lot!
Although we do not accept returns, we value your feedback and encourage you to contact us at info@shocksoflove.com if you would like to speak to someone about your customer experience. We promise to listen! Scent is a highly subjective experience, and as a small business we appreciate your understanding here.
Our current shipping capabilities are for continental US, though we are working to expand. Because our Scent Rituals do not contain alcohol, we are able to ship abroad or to Hawaii and Alaska in specific cases however the shipping costs can be prohibitive. If you would like to place a special order outside of the 48 continental states, you will need to assume full shipping costs. Please contact info@shocksoflove.com.
Please email jf@shocksoflove.com for more information.
Share the love! We love folks who are doing something cool and independent in scent, wellness, and beauty. We highly recommend checking out some of our favorites: Sigil, Regime Des Fleurs, Heretic Parfum, DedCool, and Lesse (skin care).
