From removing gender labels to introducing a first-of-its-kind fragrance primer, this fragrance brand is bringing fresh ideas while drawing on founder Bernardo M&ouml;ller's memories and experiences.

With a life-long obsession with scent, Bernardo M&ouml;ller has always turned to fragrance as a way of expressing himself. But the former real estate broker didn&rsquo;t imagine creating his own fragrance line until the Coronavirus pandemic had a personal impact on his family, causing him to reflect and ultimately chase his dreams. &ldquo;This really started last year [after] my dad passed away from COVID,&rdquo; M&ouml;ller shares with L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. &ldquo;That made me really press the &lsquo;on&rsquo; button on something I have wanted to do for a very long time and it was really inspired by the way my dad lived his life. He always followed his passions. He was probably the most authentic person I ever met, and it was hard to meet somebody like that because I think we all have this fictional character we create for ourselves and he didn't have that.&rdquo;
The sense of authenticity that his father showed M&ouml;ller is now a core aspect of <a href="https://houseofbo.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House of Bō</a>, which embraces all identities through its gender neutral, naturally-derived aromas. &ldquo;It resonates with people when you&rsquo;re an open book and truly yourself. It makes that other person want to be the same back, and it&rsquo;s a contagious thing,&rdquo; M&ouml;ller says. &ldquo;And it's part of what we are trying to do with House of Bō. We want you to let go of all these attachments to labels and all these social constructs, to focus on who you truly are.&rdquo;

Everything about House of Bō is personal. In addition to being inspired by his father, the Miami-based brand was launched by M&ouml;ller and his life and business partner Giancarlo Perez. This familial aspect is reflected by the three fragrances in the debut collection, which evoke memories through scent inspired by M&ouml;ller&rsquo;s Mexican heritage.
Made in collaboration (a Bōllaboration, according to the brand) with Rodrigo Flores-Roux&mdash;one of the industry&rsquo;s top noses whose work includes Clinique&rsquo;s signature Happy perfume and dozens of other designer scents&mdash;the fragrances are crafted from sustainably sourced natural ingredients. Many of these notes come from Mexico, where M&ouml;ller and Flores-Roux both grew up. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an eminence in the world of perfumery. A lot of people don&rsquo;t know his name, but if you know about perfumes, you know about Rodrigo,&rdquo; M&ouml;ller says. &ldquo;Not only was I a fan of his work, but because he&rsquo;s from Mexico, too, I knew he&rsquo;d be able to understand a lot of the inspirations from my childhood.&rdquo;

From citrus notes evoking the agua de colonia that his family members would wear to a woody scent derived from the oakwood trees that surrounded his childhood home, ingredients from M&ouml;ller&rsquo;s life story are thoughtfully incorporated into the collection. Consisting of the invigorating and citrusy Agua de Santos, sensual and woody Espir&iacute;tu, and inviting and floral La Mar, the unisex fragrances are beautiful on their own or layered together.
To further enhance the experience of the scents, M&ouml;ller and Flores-Roux also created a parfum primer, which helps extend the longevity of the fragrances&rsquo; wear-time. With a few spritzes, the Bō Nourishing Perfume Primer moisturizes the skin with hyaluronic acid and pomegranate extract, and creates a thin barrier between your pH and the perfume, so the fragrance won&rsquo;t alter over the course of the day. While some enjoy the way a fragrance settles into the skin and transforms throughout its wear, M&ouml;ller wanted to provide the option for the scents to live in their pure, created form.

Future releases will follow a similar format, with M&ouml;ller collaborating with a top nose to create an offering of fragrances that stay true not only to the brand's overall message of authenticity, but also evoke a guiding theme for the collection. For the first launch, the campaign and fragrances contemplated sexual fluidity and the dissolving of labels. The next collection, which will be made in a Bōllaboration with master perfumer Carlos Benaim, will center on questioning itself, "questioning your association to something that you thought was right or wrong," M&ouml;ller shares. "Because when you question, it's when you realize is that really me or is it because I was told to?"
Working with renowned noses like Flores-Roux and Benaim right out of the gate speaks to M&ouml;ller's sincerity and love of fragrance. With each B&ouml;llaboration, the nose takes the lead and translates M&ouml;ller's vision into a journey through fragrance, building on the intangible yet strongly felt associations we experience with scent. M&ouml;ller reflects, "It's a beautiful thing, [fragrances are] like the architects of memories and emotions."

House of Bō is a Modern Fragrance Brand Built on Heritage

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