Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to ship my order?
Most website orders are dispatched same day or next business day.

Domestic transit times: Tinderbox is located in Balingup, in the South West of WA, so allow a little extra time to receive your order. Approximate transit times are: Perth 2 business days, regional WA 3-4 business days, other capital cities 5 days, other regional areas 6-7 days, other remote areas and islands 7-10 days. If you have provided an email address you will receive an email from us on how to track your item - check your junk mail folder, it may be in there. If you select express post, Australia Post cannot guarantee overnight delivery from our warehouse, although many are delivered overnight to Perth. You can expect products to arrive 2-3 days earlier in other regions and up to a week earlier in remote areas. 

When you place your order you can indicate in the 'notes' section if (and where) you would like your parcel left. Otherwise, if you're not at home, Australia Post will notify you via the AusPost app, email, or SMS*. If your parcel has not been successfully matched to your MyPost account, Australia Post will leave a card.

International Transit Times: Allow approximately 10-20 business days for international orders to most countries. International post is trackable and you should get an email with a tracking number when we have completed your order - check your junk folder if you can't see it in your inbox. Check your import restrictions before purchase - Tinderbox is not responsible for customs charges or import restrictions at the receiver's end.

Do you have a free delivery threshold?
Postage within Australia is free for all retail orders over $120 via regular post. Orders under $25 are charged a small parcel rate of $9.50. Orders from $25.01 to $99.99 are charged $14.00 shipping anywhere in Australia. The free delivery threshold does not apply to orders shipped by express post, which costs $20.50 regardless of the order amount.

Heavy/Bulk Order Exceptions: An additional cost may apply for bulk orders (including those over $100 in value) for orders that are large in size or overweight.  We will contact you first to approve any additional charge. 

Can I order online and pickup my order at your store?
Yes you can. Please note that online orders made from noon Friday to 9am Monday are not checked regularly, so if you plan to pick up your order on the weekend please call ahead 08 9764 1034 to confirm and we'll make sure it's ready for you. 

What is Benzoin?
Benzoin (or Gum Benzoin or Benzoin Gum), is a tree native to tropical Asia and it produces a resin that is used as a fixative in perfumes and incenses. The function of a fixative is to add stability to the essential oils and reduce evaporation, which allows the scent to last longer on the skin. Often used in a tincture (see next question). Not to be confused with the petrochemical benzene.   

What is a Tincture?
These are the concentrated liquid extracts of herbs using alcohol (Tinderbox uses a high quality organic alcohol: botanical and non-denatured) as the solvent. Dry or fresh herbs are steeped in alcohol, sometimes called a menstruum, and this can be made to varying concentrations. Tinctures are quite concentrated and most of the medicinal constituents of the plant are extracted with minimal processing. The alcohol preserves the extract and this can, in fact, remain potent for many years. Tinctures are readily absorbed into the body where they are fast acting and efficacious; they are versatile and convenient to use.

What is a Botanical Undenatured Ethanol?
It is simply pure ethyl alcohol, derived from grains. Tinderbox chooses to use alcohol in its purest form. In contrast, most commercial perfumes use cheaper, denatured ethanol, which has poisons added such as methanol or copper sulphate.
Tinderbox uses a certified organic botanical undenatured (or non-denatured) ethanol in its products for two main reasons:
a. the scent stays even throughout the bottle because the ethanol keeps the essential oils blended together (many essential oils naturally try to separate from each other or in floral water);
b. it evaporates quickly so once applied to the skin the alcohol evaporates, leaving the scent of the essential oils to linger.

What is a Solubiliser?
Like the old saying goes, water and oil don’t mix. A natural solubiliser is added to some preparations, particularly sprays, to help fix essential oils to the water molecules. The solubiliser Tinderbox uses is from a vegetable source.

What are solid perfumes?
The compact nature of a solid perfume ensures convenience and versatility. Set and fixed in its firm base of a quality cold pressed vegetable oil and wax means that it will keep for a long time.  Indeed the solid perfume was one of the earliest ways to perfume the body and archaeologists have uncovered ancient examples still bearing a strong smell signature. Smelling it directly from the pot will not reveal an accurate character profile because a solid perfume needs movement with friction and warmth for its dormant personality to emerge.
This form of perfume is ideal to rub onto specific pulse points of the body, and certainly the more obvious wrist, neck and elbow. The human body does, however have other hot spots, which indicate its spiritual nature; where energy meridians converge and distribute information and life force. These are the physiological locations of chakra vortexes and a powerful way to use perfume to assist in your quest for spiritual growth.
This method of application, unlike more diffuse cologne, is of a discrete and personal nature, whereby you are directly immersed in your own private scent story, unless you allow another to share this olfactory intimacy. It is also interesting to layer the different forms of scent by applying both cologne and cream perfume. This will tend to have a deepening and enriching effect, creating both a multi-layered, aromatic aura about your person for others to sense your presence and also a more clandestine scent arena in which you can personally revel. After all, we use perfume primarily to please, uplift and heal ourselves and everything else positive that occurs is a bonus corollary of this.

Why does Tinderbox use eco pumps for their skin creams? Are they recyclable?

Tinderbox Eco Pumps protect their contents – a ‘live’, botanical product - by providing an airtight seal during manufacture. When using the product for the first time, expect to take several pumps to draw the product up and out. We have selected this container because it releases every last drop of cream, prolongs the life of the preservative-free ingredients and is completely recyclable as it is.

Recycling your empty Tinderbox skin cream container is so easy – it requires no dismantling or cleaning – you simply put it in the plastics section of your recycling bin. These pumps packs are made from polypropylene, which can be recycled through council pickups that allow Number 5 recyclables. This range of airless pumps is a relatively new system of pump pack that contains no metal parts so all you need to do is put the whole container, as is, in the plastics section of your recycling bin.
As Tinderbox only uses natural preservatives in its products, the new pump packs are also more hygienic and will lengthen the shelf life of each product. This reduced oxidation also preserves the natural vitality and life-force of these botanical creams.
The vacuum pump dispenser is also quite unique. If you press all the way down, the dose is quite generous – perfect for, say, a body lotion. But if you are using a face cream you can partially pump a small amount without creating the problem of air in the tube. The result is that you get a nice, clean pump each time and can dispense any amount that you choose – reducing wastage.

What's the difference between a “natural perfume” made from pure botanicals and most commercial perfumes available?
Common perfumes are manufactured completely or mostly from synthetic aroma chemicals that mimic the real thing.  When these mass-produced perfumes list notes of certain fragrant flowers such as rose or jasmine for example, they contain no such pure ingredients or else very little. Often they are themed around aromatic plants that do not even yield volatile essential oils or are not produced commercially because of exorbitant costs. These notes are created from synthetic aroma compounds, often from petrochemicals and can include phthalates, which are also understood to disrupt hormonal balance.

No, and we support moves to ban it. Also worth noting is that all Tinderbox products are suitable for vegetarians and most products are vegan-friendly, with only a few products containing honey.

What's Your Customer Loyalty Policy for In Store Purchases?

We are extremely grateful for our loyal and local customers and our in-store customer loyalty program is designed with these customers in mind. This program is specifically for purchases made in our shop and is not available for purchases made online/over the phone. Online/phone orders receive free shipping on orders over $120 and regular online-only specials including significant discounts on specific collections.  

The in-store customer loyalty program allows customers to earn points on each transaction and they can spend the points on their subsequent visit to the shop (must be on a later date) or they can wait and accumulate until they are ready to use them.

If a customer account has been inactive for two years we have the right to delete the account.

If your name is already in our system we need you to please mention this at the time of purchase. If we do not have an email address or phone number associated with your account, we need that information please, to avoid mistakes.

A customer account is for that customer only. Family members are most welcome to each have their own account.

A customer can only acquire/redeem points once per shop visit.

Finally, please let us know at the time of your purchase that your name is in the loyalty system and what your name is. If you would like to sign up for the loyalty program, please ask.

The staff is not expected to ask the customer if they have an account or if they would like to sign up. It’s the responsibility of the customer to come forward regarding their loyalty account.