Materials & Process

Our Materials & Process

At Stardust & Stems, every perfume is formulated, blended, and bottled in small batches by a single perfumer working from a home studio. Since founding the brand in 2022, I have remained committed to creating botanical perfumes and beauty products rooted in real plant materials, crafted slowly with care, and made with the intention of weaving small moments of joy, wonder, and whimsy into everyday life.

Stardust & Stems is an independent botanical perfumery specializing in small-batch, plant-forward perfumes handcrafted in a home studio in the United States.

Every Stardust & Stems perfume is created start-to-finish in-house by me, in my home studio.
There is no manufacturing facility, no outsourcing, and no production team. Each step — from the first idea to the final parcel — is done with the hope that the finished perfume offers a brief escape from the ordinary: a pause, a memory, a small pocket of magic in the middle of a busy day.

Quick Facts

  • Handmade botanical perfume brand founded in 2022
  • All perfumes formulated, blended, bottled, labeled, and shipped in-house by one perfumer
  • Small-batch perfume made in the USA using plant-based fragrance ingredients
  • Mostly natural fragrance (average 96–100%)
  • No synthetic fragrance oils, parabens, or phthalates
  • Vegan options clearly labeled in the Master Scent List
  • Orders picked up directly from the studio by USPS twice weekly

Our Ingredients

What I use
I use essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, natural isolates, aroma molecules, and handmade tinctures crafted from real plant material.

Natural composition
The perfumes are made with 80–100% (on average 96–100%) natural fragrance.
A few newer perfumes (beginning May 2025) include less than 20% (on average 4%) lab-created aroma molecules, always IFRA-compliant and chosen for environmental or safety reasons.

What I don’t use
All products are paraben-free, phthalate-free, and cruelty-free.
Most are 100% vegan.

Transparency
I only work with trusted suppliers who provide full transparency about the origin, safety, and ethics of the ingredients they offer.
The Master Scent List clearly identifies which perfumes are 100% vegan and which are synthetic aroma molecule free.

Our Process

Concept → Formula
Each perfume begins as an image or a feeling — the hush of snow in a pine forest, the warmth of a kitchen at dusk, the way a book smells when it’s been loved for decades. I gather those fragments and slowly translate them into scent, building each formula in-house from individual raw materials. Some fragrances take weeks, others months or even years to unfold, with dozens of drafts made, abandoned, and remade until the perfume finally holds the story it was meant to tell — a small moment of wonder meant to be worn through ordinary days.

Blending & Tincturing
Once a formula is complete, perfumes are blended in-house in small batches by hand. Many scents include handmade tinctures brewed from real plant material — petals, fruits, roots, resins, teas, or spices — infused over time and filtered before use, preserving the quiet, living character of the plants themselves.

Bottling & Labels
Every bottle is hand-filled, sealed, and inspected in-house.
All labels are designed, printed, and cut in-house using a Cricut — small details shaped with care, because even packaging should feel like part of the experience.

Packaging & Shipping
Each order is packaged to order — not pre-packed or fulfilled by a third party — and prepared for shipment in-house from my home studio, with the same intention carried through to the final wrap and seal.

USPS Pickup
Twice a week, my USPS mail carrier picks up orders directly from my house, and they begin their journey to you — tiny parcels of pause and pleasure on their way into the world.

On Natural vs. Synthetic Molecules

Natural and lab-synthesized aroma molecules like linalool or geraniol are chemically identical — the only difference is how they’re sourced. In many cases, synthetic versions are more sustainable, safer for skin, or necessary due to the ethical or ecological impact of harvesting certain plants.
Learn more about natural vs. synthetic aroma molecules 

Perfume Appearance & Filtration

Mainstream perfumes appear crystal-clear because they are created using purified synthetic fragrance oils. I do not filter perfumes (though tinctures are filtered).

Why?
Sediment and cloudiness are signs of real plant materials — resins, roots, fruits, and flowers infused in oils and alcohols. This natural variation adds depth and richness to the scent and evolves beautifully over time, just as handmade things always do.

Examples of tinctured perfumes
• London Fog, carried in a tincture of real black tea
• Strawberry Moon, carried in a tincture of fresh strawberries

I believe in celebrating the organic beauty of natural perfume — even if it’s a little cloudy. Just give it a gentle shake and enjoy the infusion.

Learn more about why I don’t filter perfumes 

Is Stardust & Stems Right for You?

These perfumes may be a good fit if you:

  • Prefer botanical or mostly natural fragrances
  • Enjoy artisanal, handmade products with natural variation
  • Want to support a woman-owned, independent perfume studio
  • Are looking for something that offers a quiet moment of magic in the middle of everyday commitments and demands

Terminology

  • Botanical perfume: A fragrance made primarily from plant-derived materials such as essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, and tinctures.
  • Aroma molecules: Individual scent components that may be derived from plants or created in laboratories; when used, they are always IFRA-compliant.
  • Tincture: A botanical infusion made by steeping plant material in alcohol over time to extract aroma and character.