A cup of wine, under the flowering trees;
I drink alone, for no friend is near.
Raising my cup I beckon the bright moon; 
For he, with my shadow, will make three men.   
The moon, alas, is no drinker of wine; 
Listless, my shadow creeps about at my side. 
Yet with the moon as friend and the shadow as slave,
I must make merry before the Spring is spent.
To the songs I sing the moon flickers her beams;
In the dance I weave my shadow tangles and breaks.
While we were sober, three shared the fun;
Now we are drunk, each goes his way.
May we long share our odd, inanimate feast,  
And meet at last on the Cloudy River of the sky.   
- Drinking Alone Under the Moon by Li Bai, translated by Arthur Waley

Label and web illustrations by Émile-Antoine Bayard.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is an independent gothic perfumery founded in Los Angeles in 2002 and now handcrafting artisanal fragrances from our home in Philadelphia, where we blend every indie perfume oil by hand in small batches, drawing on literature, mythology, folklore, horror, the occult, and the dark romance of vampires and Victorian mourning to create scents for goths, dreamers, and anyone who wants their perfume to tell a story. 

Alongside our alcohol-free perfume oils, which are made to be worn close to the skin and unfold slowly over hours, we make scented lotions, hair glosses, beard oils, room sprays, and atmosphere sprays, along with ritual and condition oils, “Claw” Nail Polish, limited-edition seasonal releases for Halloween, Yule, and Lupercalia, and licensed collections inspired by film, television, and literature. Gamers will find a whole world of fantasy perfume and RPG-inspired scents designed to enhance tabletop and TTRPG sessions, from the tavern and the dungeon to the wizard’s tower, and our sister brand, Twilight Alchemy Lab, carries the same handmade niche spirit into its own corner of the dark. 

Discovery sets are available to sample our atmospheric and nostalgic perfume oils so that you can find your signature scent. All BPAL products are cruelty-free and never tested on animals.