House of Mammoth Fragrances

House of Mammoth is a remarkable artisanal brand featuring unique fragrances that blend materials in unexpected ways, including extraordinary twists on the gourmand theme.

I am selective and inconsistent when it comes to gourmands. I rarely enjoy fragrances that merely smell like a snack or dessert, but I appreciate gourmand scents that set moods or evoke places. I was pleased to discover that the scents from this brand create wonderful atmospheric experiences!

Ben Esposito, a New Yorker and founder of House of Mammoth, started his artistic path by crafting soaps. After perfecting his unique shaving soap, he discovered a passion for creating fragrances.

“I enjoyed making soap, but I developed a true passion for fragrance. I was bitten by the perfume bug because it satisfied my creative side along with a willingness to connect with others. So much about who I am just lined up perfectly with perfumery”, says Ben Esposito.

Ben generously sent me samples of five of his fragrances, and I’m excited to share my thoughts about them here.

A winner of the 2023 Art and Olfaction Award in the Artisan category, Voices is a highly original gourmand that synthesizes sweet and savory facets, evoking the atmospheres of Southeast Asia along with its delicious flavors. The sticky rice opening is pleasantly sapid and has a subtle tang. I also pick up bitter notes, possibly from the pandan, and a hint of tannic tea. Then, the aroma of mango emerges – juicy, fresh, and incredibly realistic. The mango combines beautifully with the sweetness of coconut and milk, creating a balanced composition. Cocoa-dusted orris and vetiver make a subtle appearance as the fragrance develops, adding a powdery and woody touch. The mango note lingers from start to finish. Wearing Voices is like enjoying a delicious Thai meal outside, with lush greenery enveloping your private table during a relaxed evening meal.

Uitwaaien, meaning “taking a walk in the wind to rejuvenate the mind,” presents a cool iris scent with salty and misty nuances. The vetiver and cedar notes bring in dry and woody undertones, complemented by subtle hints of fresh mint and smoky tobacco. Ben created this fragrance as a nostalgic nod to a rocky beach from his childhood, the breeze stirring the waves and the crunch of the shells beneath the feet.

Rumble is a cocoa-rich gourmand that will satisfy many fragrance lovers. It evokes the kind of cocoa you would use to coat dark chocolate truffles. The coffee, rum, and spices blend with the cocoa dust, suggesting a holiday atmosphere in a fire-lit, cozy home. The fragrance’s creamy aspect comes through as the fragrance unfolds, making me think of adding chocolate to warm milk. The dry down is sweet and powdery.

Sonder brings together dewy green and sweeter creamy notes. The initial burst of lemon is reminiscent of lemon verbena. As it develops, lush green notes give way to the enchanting scent of lilies of the valley, as if they were carried by the crisp mountain breeze. Eventually, the fragrance reveals a velvety sandalwood undertone.

A limited edition for the winter of 2023, Santa Noir was created as a heartfelt ode to the holiday season using luxurious natural materials. The fragrance includes cassis, jasmine, fir balsam, and black spruce deepened by assertive animalic notes.

Ben Esposito composes all his fragrances and other roducts from his home studio in New York. The fragrances are available as 48 ml full bottles or 2 ml samples. Discover more on the official House of Mammoth website.

Fragrance samples were kindly gifted to me by Ben.

Photos were taken by me or kindly provided by Ben.

Interview

Ben kindly shared his best scent memories and favorite perfumes, his insights into gourmand fragrances, and his commitment to fighting human trafficking.

Ben, what is your oldest olfactory memory from childhood?

It’s hard to choose just one! I’ve always experienced scent as part of my sensory experience of the world, so when I think back to childhood, my olfactory memories are intermingled with complete sensory experiences.

One is the feeling of coming inside a warm house after playing in the snow with my siblings. A fire in the fireplace, hot chocolate waiting, standing in a puddle soaked with melted snow and sweat, cheeks red. So, the scent memory is a warm one, with burning wood and cocoa, but also that beautifully relaxed feeling of having used up all your energy. It’s a clean and comforting experience.

I think about going to this rocky beach near where I grew up, the darkness of the water, the wind whipping up the waves, the sounds of the pebbles and shells crunching under my feet. It’s hard to pull just the olfactory part out of that, but it’s something I’ve revisited in creating Uitwaaien. I didn’t realize the scent of that seaside was always with me until I moved out of state for university, at which point I noticed its absence.

I love to cook, and I love to taste interesting foods. So, for me scent is often tied to food and location. One of the most amazing privileges I have had in my life is the ability to travel. My wife speaks four languages and is a Chinese speaker for a major international airline. We have traveled all over the world and one of our favorite things to do is experience the local cuisine. The food of a place can tell you so much about that place. When I visit a place, I try as much as possible to sit back and become a part of the landscape, so to speak, to observe and experience and get a glimpse of the people, the culture, the physical environment, and more. I find these experiences of being a newcomer, an outsider, are like a new childhood all over again.

How has your relationship with perfume evolved over time?

My initial relationship with perfume wasn’t easy. I am highly sensitive to sensory input, and always aware of my body and surroundings. When a heavily perfumed person would come too close, I would feel overwhelmed.

As I grew older, I learned the concept of a “signature scent” and purchased bottles of perfume marketed to men. When I got into the traditional wet shaving niche, I learned about artisanal brands such as Maher Olfactive, Barrister and Mann, Zoologist, Hendley, Slumberhouse, and L’Artisan Parfumeur.

I started buying samples and decants of perfumes that my wet shaving customers loved, including anything from barbershop scents such as Canoe and Invasion Barbare to Eau Sauvage, Terre d’Hermes, La Nuit de L’Homme, the usual suspects. I still preferred more experimental or artistic perfumes, but I could see the practical utility of some of these workhorse scents.

I’ve also found a great love for florals, mostly through vintage perfume and the work of Diane St. Clair, Maria McElroy, Hiram Green, Diane Spencer-Hurwitz, and more.

More than anything, I love the smell of whatever I’m working on at the moment. Perfume is a living thing, and I feel honored to have access to the same high quality aromatic materials that used to be available only to a select few. I love to play with ideas in perfume, until I find I’m no longer playing but instead immersing myself in a formulation until a year later it is finally finished. That journey is special, and I cannot thank my customers enough for coming with me on this journey.

There’s a cynical aspect of the perfume industry that treats perfume as a soulless, money-making machine, which leads to repetition across popular brands. It preys on our earnest desires as humans and ignores the role of perfume in connecting people. I appreciate that small perfume brands can often go places artistically that large brands cannot, and it is very special to be in that world.

Can you share some of your favorite fragrances?

MDCI Chypre Palatin was the first fragrance I tried that made me want to be a better perfumer.  I also have a soft spot for Dior Homme (the irisy one), Dyptique Philosykos, ELDO Fat Electrician, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, Serge Lutens Fille en Aguilles, Jacques Fath Green Water, St. Clair Gardener’s Glove, Guerlain’s Vetiver, and L’Heure Bleu. This list may change in a few months!

My more recent loves have been the offerings from the Chanel Les Exclusifs line. Le Lion is a superb modern vintage classy perfume with a growl to it, and Sycomore is a beautifully woody vetiver. A more toned down, less complex Le Lion is Celine’s Black Tie, which is a *gasp* vanilla perfume. The orris dries it out and elevates it.  I have also been enjoying the discovery set from the brand Headspace, standouts for me so far are Tubereuse, Absinthe, and Myrrhe.  And Des Cendres from Les Abstraits is a stunner.

My latest pickup is Roberto Greco’s Rauque, a gorgeous release I still have not fully absorbed. Encountering the accompanying booklet, the photography, the poetry of the exchange between Greco and the perfumer Christopher Sheldrake, it is immersive and beautiful. It has inspired me to be a better artist in the same way that Chypre Palatin inspired me to be a better perfumer.

Voices is a gourmand of a kind and a winner of an Art and Olfaction award in the artisan category. Congratulations! What is Voices all about?

Thank you! Voices is a very special perfume, made in consultation with a team of friends to respond to the surge in anti-Asian hatred following the COVID-19 pandemic. Composed around the scent of mango sticky rice, this is a wearable perfume that brings people together. I entered the competition on a whim and could not have been more surprised to win the award. Being recognized by perfume experts is an incredible honor.

Speaking of gourmands, you also composed Rumble, a chocolate-centered fragrance. What are your thoughts about popular gourmand fragrances?

Unfortunately, I find most perfumes labeled as “gourmand” are sickly sweet and unwearable.

The current popularity of MFK Baccarat Rouge 540, with its overdose of a powerful and inexpensive sweet material, ethyl maltol (the cotton candy molecule), has not helped.

I am pleased to see a growing trend of gourmand perfumes that push beyond the sugary category, evoking the scent of tea, milk, and nuts.

I had fun creating Rumble, a semi-gourmand and a recent release. The fragrance has the sweetness of chocolate balanced out with vetiver, coffee, labdanum, and woody ambers. It also has a beautiful milkiness that keeps its composition from being heavy and sticky. It has been well-received and is a favorite during the cooler months.

Your dedication to fighting trafficking and hate through your work and passion are admirable. Can you talk about your initiatives?

In college, I had the opportunity to learn about the unimaginable evil of child sex trafficking after traveling to Thailand. After that trip, I connected with people who ran non-profit organizations focused on fighting human trafficking. We donate a portion of our fragrance sales to various charities and will, sometimes, run fundraisers too.

Can you share any sneak peeks of your future work?

I am currently working on a perfume dedicated and inspired by a little boy named Everett who tragically lost his life at the age of 3. The fragrance incorporates notes of orange juice and toasted marshmallow and will allow us to donate to an organization that provides swimming lessons for young children. This fragrance is scheduled to be released in the spring.