Interview with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Beth Barrial



Beth Barrial is the coolest nerd you've ever met. The dragon-red dreadlocked proprietress of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab draws on a lifetime of reading -- history, mythology, gothic horror, pagan naughtiness -- to inspire her 600+ perfumes.

This teachers' daughter propelled herself all the way from her favorite childhood stories into a narrative straight out of her beloved graphic novels: the steampunk alchemist who captivates kingdoms with her evocative scents. In Beth's case, these “kingdoms” range from flocks of librarians to drag queens -- and anyone else who relishes the power of fantasy to enhance their lives. Lady B is a storyteller in smells, and a master peddler of fantasy.

I visited Beth at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's “Full Moon Open House” a few days after Halloween, 2009. The Full Moon event is a monthly open house held at BPAL's North Hollywood headquarters*, where her happily obsessed fans can experience in person the myriad elixirs described on Beth's poetically Byzantine website. The atmosphere at the open house is simultaneously festive and focused -- it's part sniff-and-tell, part shopping frenzy, and all party.

Even though most of the Full Moon revelers have never met, they already have a strong connection through their involvement on the BPAL website. The site is a virtual illuminated manuscript of Beth's own dark diversions (witness Carnaval Diabolique, her non-linear tale with perfumes as characters), her collaborations with graphic novelist Neil Gaiman and artist Molly Crabapple, among others, and her allegorical approach to crafting scents that summon ancient demons and angels.

Beth is also pretty handy with summoning the affection of BPAL-istas who delight to the creative churnings of her prolific mind. Having already sworn allegiance to her through the power of her synaesthetic storytelling, Beth's followers are clearly dazzled to meet her in person. And no wonder: she's smart, charismatic and accessible -- and just as in thrall to perfume's power to transport as they are.

*Note: Future Full Moon open houses will be held at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA.

15 comments:

  1. I loved your interview with Beth Barrial. Looks like it was a lot of fragrant fun. It's good to see BPAL get some more exposure on YouTube. Hopefully this sparks more interest in their products.
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  2. Thanks, Kay! I'm excited to get this interview up, not least because Beth is an inspiring example of someone who's turned the crazy little world inside their head into a successful - and fun - business.

    BPAL are also a socially committed company: they raise money for charity and the arts.
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  3. This post really beautifully sums up Beth and her work. Love it!
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  4. Now I want to know what "pulpy innards" smell like....
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  5. Chefronswife, me too! It was so busy that night, I forgot to check out "Goreshock".

    Jeff - thanks indeed!
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  6. Great interview--loved hearing Beth's wonderful laugh! And glad you found some scents you liked....Beth is a brilliant perfumer!
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  7. Loved the video, Katie... too bad you didn't have the chance to try Goreshock, I would love to hear more about it (and about Glowing Vulva, have you checked this one????)

    Hugs,

    S.
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  8. Yes, Sabrina, I was remiss in my journalistic duties - in the frenzy I did not track down either Goreshock or Glowing Vulva. Something to look forward to at the next Full Moon open house...
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  9. Katie,

    I think you did have a sniff of Glowing Vulva. It was at the beginning of the interview. Isn't a rose scent? I had my wife watch it and the look on her face when the name was brought up was classic.
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  10. Gojira, nope, Harlot was the rose scent.
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  11. Oh yeah, "momma be so proud" She has got so many, have to be Rainman just to remember them all. Oh by the way that was an excellent interview. You had the cheekyness at all time high!
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  12. I've been obsessed with BPAL for a while. It was nice to see the face behind the products.

    I must try Glowing Vulva before I die!
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  13. Haha, Apple - yes! Add Glowing Vulva to that bucket list.
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  14. I like how you stay very honest in this post and actually avoid complimenting her work. There are one or two decent fragrances in her enormous line, but the rest are miserable.

    I loathe BPAL, Beth, and its fandom. The scents smell cheap and thoughtlessly made. They have to be considering their price and the way they're pumped out by Beth. I hate how adcopy is more important to fans than what's in the bottle. And don't get me started on fans' snobishness about more mainstream scents. It's just all so gross.
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  15. robby - I can totally appreciate that BPAL'S "fantasy first, scent second" approach may not be to everyone's taste. But after spending an evening interviewing Beth Barrial, I found her as far from loathsome as is possible to be. She's a creative, engaged and compassionate individual who has turned a talent for storytelling into an olfactory expression.

    I see BPAL and its community of fans as an ingenious hybrid of fume-o-philia and cosplay. Smelling a BPAL fragrance is only one part of the experience. There's also the narrative behind it, then the legend or graphic novel behind that narrative, and finally the interaction of the BPAL-istas on the boards as they embroider on Beth's work with their own experiences and fan fiction.

    The whole scene could certainly be viewed as irksomely goofy to an outsider, but really, it all boils down to fun with imagination, and what's so wrong with that?
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