Terms of Service

1. Agreement to These Terms

These Terms of Service govern your use of ashenfume.com and every purchase you make from Ashenfume. By browsing the site, creating an account, joining our email list, or placing an order, you agree to these Terms along with our Shipping Policy, Return Policy, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimer, which form part of this agreement.

"Ashenfume," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Ashenfume, an independent perfume house based in Virginia, United States. "You" refers to anyone who visits the site or buys from us.

2. Who May Order

You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live, to place an order. Younger visitors are welcome to browse and may purchase with a parent or guardian who accepts these Terms on their behalf. Our perfumes contain alcohol and concentrated aromatic materials and are made for adults.

3. Your Account

You may check out as a guest or create an account. Please keep your details accurate and your password private. You are responsible for activity under your account. We may suspend or close accounts used for fraud, abuse, or violations of these Terms.

4. Our Perfumes

Handmade in small batches

Each Ashenfume perfume is blended, aged, and bottled by hand in small batches. Natural materials change with harvest, region, and age, so color, clarity, and scent can vary slightly from batch to batch. This variation is a normal part of natural perfumery.

Perfume continues to mature in the bottle. Light sediment, a deepening of color, or a softening of the opening over time are all normal.

Photos, artwork, and cases

Photos, artwork, and films are artistic representations. Bottle color and detail may look different on your screen. Hardwood cases are cut and engraved one at a time, so grain, tone, and engraving depth vary from piece to piece.

Notes and accords

Note lists describe the scent impression and the materials that shape it. A note labeled Accord or House Accord is a composition created in the Ashenfume studio to evoke that material. The Rare tag marks materials that are costly or scarce in the trade.

Lore and storytelling

The myths, figures, and stories on this site are the creative inspiration behind each perfume. Our perfumes are cosmetic products for scenting the skin. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition, and nothing on this site is a claim about health, mood, spiritual, or supernatural effects.

Materials and sourcing

Some formulas contain animal-derived materials such as civet absolute, and others contain studio reconstructions of them. We source natural materials through lawful channels and keep the documentation the law requires, such as CITES permits for regulated materials like agarwood. If animal-derived ingredients matter to you, email us before ordering and we will tell you what a specific perfume contains.

5. Ingredients and Safe Use

Our perfumes are for external use on healthy, unbroken skin. They may contain essential oils, absolutes, resins, tinctures, animalic materials, oakmoss, treemoss, and naturally occurring fragrance allergens that can cause irritation or allergic reactions in some people.

• Patch test on a small area of skin and wait 24 hours before regular use, especially if you have sensitive skin or known fragrance allergies.
• Keep away from eyes, lips, mucous membranes, and broken or irritated skin.
• Some citrus oils can increase sensitivity to sunlight. Apply to skin that will stay out of strong sun for several hours, or to clothing.
• If you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a medical condition, check with your healthcare provider before use.
• Keep out of reach of children and pets. For external use only. If swallowed, contact Poison Control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) or a doctor right away.
• Perfume is flammable. Keep it away from heat, flame, and sparks, and store it tightly closed in a cool, dark place.
• Stop use if irritation occurs. Wash the area with soap and water, and seek medical advice if symptoms continue.

Ingredient and allergen information is available on request. Please review product information before buying, and consider a sample or discovery set if you are unsure whether a perfume suits you.

6. Reporting a Reaction

If you experience a reaction you believe is linked to an Ashenfume product, email support@ashenfume.com with your order number, the perfume name, and a description of what happened. We review every report, keep records as the law requires, and will work with you on next steps.

7. Prices and Availability

Prices are listed in US dollars and may change at any time before you order. The price shown at checkout when you place your order is the price you pay. Perfumes, sizes, and releases are available while supplies last.

If a price, description, or availability error appears, we may correct it or cancel the affected order before it ships. Any payment for a cancelled item is refunded in full.

8. Orders and Payment

Your confirmation email confirms that we received your order. We accept an order when it ships. We may decline, limit, or cancel any order, including for suspected fraud, automated purchasing, policy abuse, shipping restrictions, or stock issues. If we cancel an order, we refund you in full.

Limited releases may carry per-customer quantity limits. Payments are processed securely by third-party providers such as Stripe, and Ashenfume never sees or stores your full card number. Your bank may add currency conversion or foreign transaction fees.

9. Taxes and Duties

We collect sales tax where the law requires it, and the amount appears at checkout before you pay.

International orders may be subject to import duties, VAT, brokerage fees, or other charges set by the destination country. Unless your order confirmation states that these are prepaid, they are the recipient's responsibility and are collected by the carrier or customs at delivery.

10. Preorders and Limited Releases

Each preorder listing shows an estimated ship date. We ship preorders by that date, or within 30 days of your order when no date is shown. If we expect a delay, we will email you before the promised date with a new estimate, and you may choose to wait or cancel for a full refund.

Founding batches, numbered bottles, and limited editions are made in fixed quantities. A later batch of the same perfume may differ in formula, packaging, or price.

11. Samples and Discovery Sets

Samples and discovery sets let you explore our perfumes before choosing a full bottle. Samples are filled by hand from our own stock. Complimentary samples included with orders are chosen at our discretion, vary with availability, and have no cash value.

12. Promotions, Codes, and Gift Cards

Every promotion follows the terms stated with it. Unless those terms say otherwise, discount codes apply to merchandise only, have no cash value, cannot be combined with other offers, and cannot be applied to past orders.

• Welcome offer. The $10 offer for joining our email list applies once per customer to a first order.
• Private codes. Codes we share with you personally are for your use only and may not be sold, transferred, or posted publicly. Codes shared without permission may be deactivated.
• Free shipping. Free shipping thresholds are shown on the site and apply automatically at checkout when your order qualifies.
• Gift cards. When offered, Ashenfume gift cards are redeemable on ashenfume.com, never expire, and are exchangeable for cash only where the law requires. Please treat gift card codes like cash.

We may change or end a promotion at any time. Changes apply going forward and leave orders already placed untouched. We may cancel orders that use a code in violation of its terms.

13. Shipping and Delivery

Shipping options, timelines, and rates are described in our Shipping Policy and shown at checkout. Delivery dates provided by carriers are estimates.

Please check your address carefully. We ship to the address entered at checkout. If a package comes back because of an incorrect address or a refused delivery, the customer pays the cost to reship it.

Perfume is regulated as a flammable liquid in transit, so some carriers, shipping methods, and destinations are restricted. We choose methods that let perfume travel safely and lawfully.

Title and risk of loss pass to you when we hand your order to the carrier. If a package is lost or arrives damaged, contact us within the timeframe in our Shipping Policy and we will help file a carrier claim and work with you toward a fair resolution.

14. Returns and Refunds

Returns, exchanges, and refunds follow our Return Policy. Refunds go back to the original payment method, and your bank controls how quickly the credit appears.

Customers in the EU and UK

If you live in the European Union or the United Kingdom, you may have a legal right to withdraw from a purchase within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason. By law, this right does not extend to sealed goods that are unsealed after delivery and are unsuitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons.

Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory consumer rights you have under the laws of the country where you live.

15. International Orders and Export Compliance

You are responsible for knowing whether perfume, alcohol-based products, or particular materials may be imported where you live. Packages held, returned, or destroyed by customs remain the recipient's responsibility.

Ashenfume complies with United States sanctions and export regulations. Freight forwarders and reshipping services are welcome for deliveries to permitted destinations. By placing an order, you confirm that it is not intended for final delivery, directly or indirectly, to any country, region, or person subject to US sanctions or export restrictions. Orders that appear to conflict with these rules will be cancelled and refunded in full.

16. Payment Disputes

If something is wrong with your order, please email us first. Most issues are resolved quickly and directly. If a payment dispute or chargeback is filed, we may share order, tracking, and communication records with the payment processor to respond to it.

17. Reviews, Testers, and Partnerships

Reviews

We welcome honest reviews, glowing and critical alike. Please keep reviews truthful, based on your own experience, and free of harassment, personal information about others, or unlawful content. We never pay for reviews and never alter their meaning.

Tester program

Members of the Ashenfume tester group receive pre-release samples free of charge in exchange for honest feedback. Pre-release formulas are works in progress and may change before release. Please keep unreleased names, formulas, and details private until we announce them.

Gifted product and partnerships

Anyone who receives free product, payment, discounts, or other benefits from Ashenfume and posts about us publicly agrees to disclose that connection clearly, for example "gifted by Ashenfume" or #ad, as the FTC Endorsement Guides and similar laws elsewhere require.

18. Your Content and Feedback

When you send us reviews, photos, videos, or messages, tag us on social media, or share feedback, you grant Ashenfume a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, display, and share that content in connection with our business, with credit where practical. We will ask your permission before using an identifiable photo of you in advertising. You confirm that you have the right to share what you send us.

Ideas and suggestions you share may be used freely, with no obligation to you.

19. Intellectual Property

Everything on this site, including the Ashenfume name and phoenix emblem, perfume names, lore, writing, photography, artwork, films, packaging, and case engravings, belongs to Ashenfume or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. Our formulas are confidential trade secrets.

You are welcome to share links and post about your own purchases. For any other use of our names, images, or writing, including marketing other products or republishing our content, please ask us first.

20. Acceptable Use

Please use the site lawfully and respectfully. You agree not to interfere with the site's security or operation, use bots or automated tools to purchase products or hold inventory, place fraudulent orders or use payment methods you are not authorized to use, collect information about other customers, or copy site content in bulk for commercial use without our permission.

21. Third-Party Services

The site is hosted on Squarespace. Payments are handled by processors such as Stripe, email by Brevo, and delivery by carriers such as USPS. Links to social media, review platforms, and other websites are provided for convenience. Those services operate under their own terms and privacy policies, and Ashenfume is not responsible for their content, including statements, reviews, or claims made by third parties about our products.

22. Privacy and Communications

Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect and how we use it. When you order, we send transactional emails about that order. Marketing emails go only to those who have joined our list, and every one includes a link to unsubscribe. Cookie information and choices are available through the site's cookie banner.

23. Accessibility

We want every visitor to explore Ashenfume comfortably. If any part of the site is difficult to use with assistive technology, or you would like product information in another format, email support@ashenfume.com and we will help you find what you need or complete your order.

24. Warranties

Remedies for damaged, defective, or incorrect orders are described in our Return Policy. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available," and Ashenfume disclaims all other warranties, express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Fragrance is personal, and we cannot promise that a perfume will suit every taste or skin.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some of the above may not apply to you.

25. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ashenfume is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from the use or misuse of our products, the site, shipping services, third-party content, or any inability to access the site. Our total liability for any claim relating to a purchase will not exceed the amount you paid for the product in question.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot be limited under applicable law.

26. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold Ashenfume harmless from claims, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your violation of these Terms, your misuse of our products or site, or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

27. Events Beyond Our Control

Ashenfume is not liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, including carrier or customs delays, natural disasters, severe weather, shortages of natural materials, power or internet outages, labor disputes, government action, or public health emergencies. We will keep you informed, and if a delay becomes unreasonable we will offer you a full refund.

28. Disputes and Governing Law

If you have a concern, please email us first. We will work to resolve it informally within 30 days.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Virginia. Either party may bring an eligible claim in small claims court.

If you are a consumer living outside the United States, you keep the protection of the mandatory consumer laws of your country of residence and may be able to bring a claim in your local courts.

29. General Terms

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the policies they reference are the full agreement between you and Ashenfume regarding the site and your purchases.
• Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
• No waiver. If we delay enforcing any part of these Terms, we keep the right to enforce it later.
• Assignment. Ashenfume may transfer its rights and obligations under these Terms, for example if the business is reorganized or sold.
• Language. Translated versions of this site are provided for convenience. If a translation differs from the English version, the English version controls.
• Headings. Section titles are for convenience and do not change the meaning of the text.

30. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time, and the date at the top of this page shows the current version. Updated Terms apply to site use and orders from the moment they are posted. Orders already placed remain governed by the Terms in effect when you placed them.

31. Contact