NATURAL V.S. ARTISAN - Perfumery Materials & Fragrance Price Points

March 17, 2017

House of Matriarch reveals the costs associated with their HIGH PERFUMERY creations explaining why their fragrances for both men and women are more costly than designer scents.

1) QUALITY & COMPLEXITY OF BLENDS  House of Matriarch perfumes are between 95 and 100 percent natural.  Blends are very complex with between 100 and 300 individual notes.  Many of the raw materials are scarce and highly valued - in the world of perfumery they are known as "noble materials".  In comparing the market price on the commonly used essences of natural jasmine, rose and sandalwood against their synthetic replacements you will notice that those natural raw materials are on average 100x more expensive.  Natural fixatives of ambergris, hyraceum and ambrette add an additional layer of luxury (and their associated cost) to the formula.

2) SUPERIOR DISTILLATE The ethanol used to create House of Matriarch perfumes is distilled from Washington grown, organic grapes in the copper still pictured below - it happens right here in Seattle at the famous Glass Distillery.  Mass market perfumes are blended with industrially distilled corn alcohol with de-naturants added.  (The real culprit behind most "perfume allergies") The distillate used to create our perfumes is 10x more expensive than regular "perfumers alcohol - it is pure enough for creating medicinal tinctures and for pharmaceutical compounding - it also considered Halal. Ethanol comprises up to 70% of the fragrance and is the secret for creating a perfume that improves with time, instead of degrading after a few years like mass produced fragrances. House of Matriarch perfumes are the only brand marked with the vintage year - because this kind of ethanol allows the perfume to improve with each passing year like a fine wine.

3) HANDMADE  Matriarch perfumes are produced by hand in small batches and filled by our Pefumer by hand in Seattle, WA.  Designer fragrances are made by machine; mostly in overseas factories with no personal touch.  House of Matriarch offers a direct connection to the Perfumer - there are no other fragrance house involved - this is rare and special. 

4) RELEVANCE EQUALS VALUE  House of Matriarch perfumes do not smell like anything else on the market.  There are no short-cuts or less expensive ways of achieving this level of relevance and distinctiveness without the materials and methods that we use to make our perfumes.  Mark-up is slim compared to the designer brands who add thousands of percentage points to the actual cost of production to cover the costs of issuing countless free samples and to compensate expensive spokes models. This makes House of Matriarch perfumes a better VALUE than other perfumes.   

5) WORTH THE PRICE  Artisan perfumes are not for everyone - they are not simple toiletries - they are aimed at the connoisseur who is looking for an elevated fragrance experience and who expects to pay more for the qualities our perfumes embody.  Many people who cannot wear conventional fragrances due to allergies find House of Matriarch perfumes delightful. In this case, the price informs the customer of the quality they can expect when they experience our fragrances.  

As always, let your nose decide!