Here at Scentbird, we’re rarely, if ever, short of perfume houses to get excited about. You’d think we’d be used to it by now, but still, there are a few which always cause a stir when they come up in discussion, and House of Bo is most definitely one of those.
Founded by Miami-based perfume aficionado Bernardo Möller in 2021, House of Bo is one of the best niche fragrance houses we know. This is probably in large part because it’s a true passion project from a fanatical collector of perfumes. There’s no detail or element of the scent or overall package that has been overlooked or neglected. It’s eco-luxe, genderless, artisanal, and elevated.
First, the bottles. You don’t even need to smell the perfume to see how stunning they are. Hand-crafted by Mexican artisans, they’re objects you could easily display long after the scent itself is just a memory—they really are that beautiful. But it’s the scents inside them that send our hearts (and pulse points) racing: high quality, natural, expensive-smelling, sophisticated. (Miami sophisticated, which is its own thing).
But to me, the absolute best thing about these perfumes is that each one feels like a story, immersive and complex and multifaceted, a scent that starts in one place and tells a story as it unfolds from top to heart and base.
HOUSE OF BŌ Ave Maria
Take Ave Maria, a tale of childhood Sundays spent at church, the soaring hymns, the red wine, the fresh flowers, incense smoke curling through the air as the priest intones the most serious parts of the mass. And combine that with the leather, which emerges last and which I’m sure was used for a specific reference (maybe the kneeling cushions) but gives a deeply sensual, masculine-coded character which feeds into a layered story of Catholicism and sexuality. TL;DR, it’s giving Madonna Like a Prayer music video energy.
HOUSE OF BŌ Casa Blanca
Casa Blanca opens so cool and mineralic, it’s virtually aquatic. Möller talks about this fragrance as being a white temple surrounded by fig trees, and I get it, because the opening is exactly like stepping inside a cool temple on a hot day, the bright sun outside suddenly replaced by shadow, the air temperature dropping. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, aromas of tobacco, suede, and smoky fig emerge, moving into something sweeter, more ambery-resinous and woody. It’s notable how beautifully blended it is, with white tea running through the middle, and an oud and a subtle vanilla base. It’s not a scent you merely spray, it’s a scent you inhabit for a time.
HOUSE OF BŌ Bombon
Bombón is a grower, not a shower. Don’t expect to ‘get it’ instantly, but do expect it to get under your skin and work its magic on you. There’s a boozy opening, acclimatise to that and you’ll discover caramel sweetness and a smoky leather warmth before florals open up airy and bright. This scent really does change every time you go back to it. Möller calls it a celebration of “unapologetic pleasure,” and there’s something gorgeously vintage in it too, the kind of warm, sweet, floral-cognac scent that smells like glamorous old movies and memories. Bombón’s the mysterious one that confuses you on first meeting and wins you over completely by the end.
One beloved house, three of their most popular scents—and we can’t wait to see what stories they’ll tell next.
