How the Slow Perfumery Movement Is Driving One Perfume House

Mass production and overconsumption are real issues in the beauty industry—even in a world as seemingly abstract and creative as fragrance. But Mexican luxury fragrance brand House of Bō is one of the brands leading the slow perfumery movement. Focused on pausing before production and being thoughtful about everything from the ingredients selected to the material used to make the cap, the result may be less juice, but it’s a more powerful statement. 

With this philosophy in mind, House of Bō founder Bernardo Möller blended three new scents, Oro Verde, Casa Blanca, and Bombón, focused respectively on adventure, self-reflection, and indulgence.

Principal perfumer Frank Voelkl says the color white—associated with cleanliness and meditation, but also with the lack of urgency—was a guiding factor for the sent Casa Blanca. Fig (“not as expected, but as a smokey fig, which is more elevated an elegant”) was blended with notes of white tea and white oud. “I want this fragrance to create a moment of reflection for the person who wears it,” he explains. “It’s all about serenity,” Voelkl furthers. “It’s about feeling at peace with yourself. You’re happy with yourself, your life, your environment, and where you are in life.”

The second scent, Oro Verde, is named for the Spanish slang word for cannabis—but it isn’t your classic weed scent. “We didn’t want it to smell like what you smell on the street,” says perfumer Adriana Medina. “It’s smoother, earthier…unique in its own way.” There were roughly 50 versions before Oro Verde was just right—it opens with notes of fresh green watermelon and dense cannabis, and includes notes of bergamot, mate, basil, ambergris, palo santo, tree moss, and vetiver sables. The lush notes are just as dense as the jungle adventure it smells like, and Möller says it’s a scent for the modern-day Indiana Jones or 1984 Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone.

Bombón is like a tease in a bottle. “It’s an homage to my favorite flower, lily of the valley,” says Möller. “For me, flowers are the epitome of attraction.” To start, master perfumer Honorine Blanc went with sweet notes: lychee and marshmallow. “I love to play with sensuality and pleasure—it’s my signature,” she says. The tension and playfulness is brought in with notes of pink pepper, aged cognac, and white saffron. 

The entire collection was made with the small batch model in mind. This allows House of Bō to work with Mexican artisans from start to finish—like for the hand-sculpted stone caps. No two are alike, each carved out of a unique stone that further illustrates the juice’s story (Casa Blanca uses howlite, Oro Verde uses green jasper, and Bombón uses strawberry quartz). 

As Voelkl explains, the slow movement is allowing the team to create a perfect harmony between their concept, bottle, and fragrance. The only piece that’s missing is you.