LUCKY CLOUD is my little corner of the world in which I have a miraculously complete influence over everything that goes on. I make my sourcing and ethos decisions in reciprocity with the natural world which bore every material in my perfumes.

With each new formula and growth spurt, I reevaluate, adapt, improve. Here are things I’m proud of doing, an ode to earth that each person who wears our perfumes participates in~

My goal is minimum imprint for any material I use in the process of getting your perfume to you: dissolvable corn starch peanuts, glassine paper baggies, recycled paper void fill, compostable rice paper tape, paper packing tape, upcycled-paper padded mailers, cardboard mailer boxes, recyclable cardboard product boxes, biodegradable paper labels. The only plastic used is the vinyl of our clear labels and in small components of closures, which is an industry-scale problem I can't solve.

Animalics, aromatics that come from animals, are a miracle of perfumery. They impart effects and musks unmatchable by any other means.

But notorious animalics (i.e. civet, deer musks and castoreum), require organs or trapping of animals in order to extract the aromatic. In some cases, newer suppliers are making efforts for more ethical and sustainable practices. Regardless, I don't use animalics for the simple reason of really wanting to avoid any suffering of any animal for any reason.

What I will use and gladly are what I call passive animalics: ambergris, hyraceum and propolis. These are collected without consequence to the animal it comes from. Ambergris is expelled by sperm whales, then floats in the ocean for sometimes decades before washing up on shore and being collected. Hyraceum is urine/poo from the rock Hyrax that bakes on rocks in the sun for hundreds of years before being collected. And harvesting surplus Propolis from hives causes no harm to or influence on bees.

I think it's totally unreasonable and morally devoid to use a material whose harvesting practices are threatening its life. Unfortunately this is still common practice. Anyway, I sustainably source even though it's painstaking and costly, and refuse to use poached, threatened, unsustainable aromatics.

In every example below, it's indigenous people who are creating sustainable alternatives. I'm very happy to be able to offer such a prolific aromatics sustainably, while supporting indigenous peoples' efforts and taking needless stress off of over-harvested and threatened species.

FRANKINCENSE

Frankincense is a historic material and incredibly useful in blends, but there is an almost poaching-like effect for the resin which, along with unsustainable demand, has put several species under threat of extinction.

There is an exception, though: Frankincense Rivae resin flows freely from the trees, requiring no tapping and having no effect on the health of the tree. The resin is tediously harvested by hand by semi-nomadic pastoral tribes. One of the only of its species to offer its resin freely, without the need for tapping. Found in: FRANKINCENSE RIVAE

SANDALWOOD

Mysore Sandalwood, a legendary material, so beloved and desired that it's experienced decades of poaching, exploitation, and is now considered a vulnerable species. Instead, I use New Caledonia Sandalwood.

Although a different species than Mysore, it's not only comparable aromatically but responsibly sourced from a company owned by the indigenous Kanak inhabitants of New Caledonia. Found in: LIGHT BEAM, LOTUS EATER, GREEN SMOKE, MOON PALACE

AGARWOOD

Agarwood, another legendary species threatened due to wild harvesting, over-harvesting, high demand and poaching practices. The majority of global trade of Agarwood is still poached wild species, despite its threatened status. I source mine from a forest where trees are sustainably harvested and periodically replanted. Found in: LIGHT BEAM