House of Bo La Mar Review (Rodrigo Flores-Roux) 2021 + the last days of summer giveaway

House of Bo La Mar review

House of Bo La Mar photo by Olya Bar

“True luxury is meant to be felt.” –Bernardo Moller, Creative Director and founder of House of Bo

“My love for flowers and my native country, Mexico, gives me an infinite source of inspiration.” – Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Senior Creative Perfumer and Vice President of Givaudan

Some memories in the hands of the right perfumer become the most beautiful fragrances; this is precisely the story of the House of Bo. Bernardo Moller, a 38-year-old Mexico born entrepreneur, has been an avid fragrance collector since he was 13 years old; his personal fragrance archive includes over 500 scents that tell his most intimate stories of love, heartbreak, and adventure,  and are housed in their own room. The story of the House of Bo has a spiritual thread woven throughout its entire trajectory with what seems like a spiritual guidance from Bernardo’s father who passed away during the pandemic. Various good omens during the creation stages have made it clear to Bernardo that he was destined to create this brand all along. House of Bo was built around the idea of conscious luxury and emotional connection to the things we surround ourselves with. A fragrance for your soul.

Bernardo Moller of House of Bo & Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Vice President of Givaudan

Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Bernardo Moller collage

Bernardo poured his love and appreciation for architecture into the overall design of the brand, carving out the essence of modern simplicity starting from the fragrances and ending with every detail of the design. Within a year after its conception, House of Bo became one of the most talked about brands in the fragrance industry and was nominated for three Fragrance Foundation Awards in 2022. Bernardo’s close collaboration with Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Senior Creative Perfumer and Vice President for Perfumery in Givaudan’s New York Studio made for  a perfect partnership. Rodrigo’s love for his birthplace Mexico and its lush natural beauty  shines through in all three releases. Aqua de Santos was inspired by Bernardo’s memories of his grandmother’s garden; Espiritu was meant to celebrate the warmth of the family home and the forest surrounding its grounds while La Mar – came about from Bernardo’s childhood memories of his mom using fragrant suntan milk while soaking up the sun and the sea in his native lands.

Sea Shells by Olya Bar

House of Bo La Mar seamlessly translates that feeling of the last days of summer when the sun is no longer blazing hot but still gently caresses the skin, bronzing it with a soft glow. That beautiful escape from our hectic routines somewhere far away on the ocean’s shores, feeling the sand between the toes, collecting seashells so we can hold onto memories of the summer long after the sea turns cold and the whiff of fall makes us bundle up in cashmere.

La Mar by House of Bo

House of Bo La Mar photo by Olya Bar

La Mar is a bouquet of opulent white tuberoses drenched with a lactonic undertone of coconut milk. Soft suede-like gardenia and jasmine flowers oozing with nectar and covered in tiny little dew drops of the salty ocean breeze. If you can bottle that up – you’ll get House of Bo La Mar. Proud of their Hispanic heritage and a close relationship with a collaborative network of local farms and intermediate suppliers, Bernardo and his husband started a symbiotic relationship between farmers, suppliers and the final customer, creating a sustainable production while giving back to the local communities. House of Bo’s stunning perfume caps are hand-sculpted by local Mexican artisans from natural reclaimed travertine marble stone. These one-of-a-kind pieces can also be used as paperweights or incense holders and make for a beautiful object in any home.

Primer photo by House of Bo

House of Bo La Mar is incredibly creamy yet has so much fluidity and transparency that you never feel weighed down by indolic intensity of the white flowers that are the pillar of this composition. When layered with The House Of Bo signature Nourishing Primer, a one of a kind product formulated with Hyaluronic Acid, Pomegranate Extract, Vitamin E, and soothing Aloe Vera, the fragrance wears precisely how Bernardo Moller imagined it to be. Its hydrating and nourishing formula prepares skin to bond with your fragrance, enhancing its durability and strengthening. Its main feature is to help protect the perfume from the skin’s pH, allowing the scent layered over it to smell as the perfumer intended. Quite brilliant as you can imagine and scored a Fragrance Foundation Finalist on its own. The feeling you get after applying it is of the most luxe skincare, it visibly plumps the skin without feeling heavy or greasy.

Notes: Gardenia, Sea water, Pink Pepper; Indian Tuberose, Jasmine Sambac and Ginger; Coconut, Almond Milk, Olibanum.

The bottle was kindly gifted to me but my opinion is always my own.

–Olya Bar, Editor

House of Bo La Mar and Nourishing Primer

House of Bo La Mar and Primer by Olya Bar

Thanks to the House of Bo, we are offering a 75ml House of Bo La Mar bottle and a Nourishing Parfum Primer for one registered CaFleureBon reader in the USA ONLY  (if you are not sure if you are registered, click here.). You must register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you about Olya’s review. Draw closes 09/24/22

Rodrigo Flores-Roux was Michelyn’s pick for perfumer of the year 2018.

Rodrigo Flores-Roux was the recipient of The Fragrance Foundation Award 2022 Perfumer Extraordinaire for Tom Ford Ebene Fume (reviewed by Contributor Michael Devine here)

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28 comments

  • sunnlitt says:

    Oh, my goodness!
    What a review!
    I love the sound of this scent!
    I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to Mexican beach towns in my life, and always feel at home there.
    The phrase ‘jasmine flowers oozing with nectar and covered in tiny little dew drops of the salty ocean breeze” makes me want to get on the plane and go!
    Thanks so much for the drawing.
    I am in the US.

  • Diego luzzi says:

    Jasmine flowers oozing with nectar and covered in tiny little dew drops of the salty ocean breeze sounds like a poem to my nose! I wish that I win this perfection!

  • Torax says:

    Great review by Olya, who always delivers great stuff. It is so cool to see new fragrance houses, and this House of Bo seems so great, having Rodrigo Flores-Roux, whom I know from John Varvatos perfumes.
    I think La Mar is a great fragrance to enjoy in summer, specially the last days of summer, in the beach and before going back to the normal reality before vacations. I love that it has coconut milk and gardenia in the notes; the sea water also think it suits perfectly on it.
    USA here.

  • FC says:

    House of Bo founder Bernardo is from Mexico so him choosing Rodrigo Flores-Roux is a wise decision. Bernardo is himself a fragranista so he understands the power of cultural stories through perfumes and this is what he seems to be doing with his brand. I am in US

  • helenlam says:

    Wow, this sounds so so good! La mar, lush and relaxing and the perfumer and brand sound so in synch with each other. Even though I dislike humidity, I need to vacation there… I’ve loved the various Mexican beaches I’ve been fortunate enough to visit. The primer also sounds great for my dry skin, how fabulous! I live in the USA. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Emily L says:

    Bo’s bottle design alone makes me want it for my collection. The primer is a great idea too. Well done Bernardo! I am drawn to white florals and lactonic notes so La Mar sounds like my cup of tea ~Indiana

  • cynthiaf says:

    The review really conveys the idea of luxury. The fragrance bottle and the scent itself sound beautiful! I’m a fan of beachy white florals when they include gardenia, tuberose, and coconut milk with a salty ocean accord. I’ve also never heard of a perfume house offering a primer as well- very luxurious. Thank you for the giveaway. US

  • Ken White says:

    The description sounds exactly like what I want to smell on my lady. Also, I love RFR’s work! I’m in New Jersey, USA.

  • Mary says:

    This perfume seems personally made for me, with the inclusion of Gardenia / Tuberose, Jasmine and Salt AirThis is going on my list. I love that Bernardo Moller has a dedicated room to the perfumes collected throughout his lifetime, evoking memories, bitter and sweet. I am excited to try this collaboration. Well wishes from the USA.

  • Cynthia says:

    When I read “tuberose and white flowers” I’m all in. I almost never meet a tuberose I don’t fall in love with. Especially in the very capable hands of Rodrigo Flores-Roux, who I consider the king of white flower perfumes. This description has me longing to try this one. I’m in USA.

  • rmsssss says:

    I love Olya’s poetic description of the last days of summer and I’d love a scent to capture that feeling as I head into a long Minnesota winter. I’m in MN, USA

  • drjedi says:

    This lovely review by Olya describes House of Bo La Mar as a lovely perfume with tuberose, jasmine, and gardenia (great notes). The primer is a great idea too. Thanks for the review and draw. From USA.

  • FragranceIsMe says:

    La Mar has my beautiful bride’s name all over it. She loves tuberose…check. Coconut..check. Lactonic accords…check. She loves Rodrigo Flores-Roux…check…I mean his creations 🙂 She also has an appreciation for Hispanic heritage being she is from Cuba. Lastly, she is meticulous about what she puts on her body. The Nourishing Parfum Primer sounds wonderful with its hydrating/nourishing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, pomegranate extract, aloe vera, etc. This appears to be a win-win-win when it comes to fragrance, ingredients, and skin care. Looking forward to adding to our fragrance collection. USA

  • mdellaroc says:

    I am intrigued by primers as my skin seems to absorb all scents ( unless I hate them) like a black hole. Nothing lasts on me. Currently I’m all about holding on to the sweet seductive nature of the summer. I missed much of it with a serious injury that kept me on bed rest. I would love to recapture a bit of it in maryland.

  • GennyLeigh says:

    The connection with Mexico is interesting The only other fragrance house I’ve encountered that was inspired by the flora of Mexico is XINU, which has some very unique compositions. La Mar sounds wonderful to me because I love tuberose and rarely find it done well. The other white flowers, spices and creamy notes are great supporting players, The sea water adds a balancing salty note. I love the idea of a primer to wear with the perfume, both to increase longevity and experience the scent as the perfumer intended. MD, USA.

  • sillage4ever says:

    An evocative review that brings to mind trips to Mexico when I was a child. The flowers were huge! So nice to learn how sustainable the producers are. All in all a pretty-sounding perfume in a genre I adore, thanks for the drawing, in the USA.

  • Sngash says:

    Thank you for another detailed and engaging review Olya 🙂 House of Bo La Mar sounds stunning as anything that brings back memories of lounging at the beach is bound to. It also appears there is something wrong with the website as my security software raised a warning when I tried to access it to learn more about the brand. Thank you for the kind giveaway. I’m in USA

  • moorhawk says:

    Generally speaking, most of the summer sense that I have worn are more towards the citrus spectrum and not the coconut island vibe. Not really certain why,. But I have tried the occasional scent with coconut and used it for things like shampoo and body wash and really like the smell. I’m interested in this because it’s described as creamy with the almond milk and coconut. Most of the other sense or not as common for me to use but I’m interested to see how their blended. Thanks for the draw. USA.

  • Attou. Sofiane says:

    I never. Had. Parfum form that house before. But I will like. Because there is jasmine note on it. And I love that note is parfum. Add ocean note. My god it’s perfect combination. I can small summer and fall in same time

  • Bryant Worley says:

    I appreciated the history of Rodrigo and Bernardo thst Olya gave, as well as her breakdwn of the fragrance. Both, the history and the breakdown, were quite well done. I look forward to experiencing the layering.

    I live in Waldorf, Maryland, USA.

  • mmerline says:

    That La Mar bottle is really striking—the hand-sculpted cap jumped out right away—and this photography really highlights the impressive packaging. Also, I love this line in Olya’s review, about the changing of the seasons: “That beautiful escape from our hectic routines somewhere far away on the ocean’s shores, feeling the sand between the toes, collecting seashells so we can hold onto memories of the summer long after the sea turns cold and the whiff of fall makes us bundle up in cashmere.” Certain beach-inspired fragrances like this capture sunny warmth in a bottle.

    Also, the Nourishing Primer is an interesting product. I read regularly that folks use moisturizer before applying their fragrances to extend the wear time, and this is a purpose-made alternative.

    Thanks for the review, Olya. I’m in the USA.

  • Cuttyj77 says:

    I love the fact that the bottle caps are hand sculpted by local artisans from reclaimed marble and can be used as paperweights, etc. I also have never used another product for a base, for layering fragrance on top to achieve longevity. Thank you for the draw!!
    US.

  • Michael Prince says:

    I loved reading Olya’s review of House of Bo La Mar was learning about the inspiration behind the fragrance La Mar – came about from Bernardo’s childhood memories of his mom using fragrant suntan milk while soaking up the sun and the sea in his native lands. All 3 fragrances from House of Bo are Bernardo’s close collaboration with master perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux and how Rodrigo’s love for his birthplace Mexico and its lush natural beauty shines through in all three releases. The naturally sustained ingredients help support local communities in Mexico. This sounds like a beautiful fragrance I would love to try. I am from the USA.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I’m interested in trying both the fragrance and the nourishing parfum primer. I think that this fragrance would help me become more familiar with gardenia and tuberose. Also, I’m interested to see what the sea water note is like. I live in the U.S.A.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thank you for the great review Olya!

    It was nice to learn about this brand. The fragrance is incredibly consistent across the brief, notes and presentation. I love the beautiful use of tuberose and sea water and all the other supporting notes to keep it light and creamy. The bottle looks absolutely beautiful and designed with a lot of thought going into the aesthetic.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • sephrenia300 says:

    Wonderful review Olya! What appealed to me about Olya’s review is how she describes Rodrigo’s love for his birthplace Mexico as infusing each of his fragrances, with La Mer being inspired by his childhood memories of his mother and the Mexican seaside. I love learning about the inspiration behind fragrances and this one sounds especially lovely. It makes me very eager to try it. I live in the US.