Profiles in American Perfumery: Benjamin Esposito of House of Mammoth + Sonder Draw

 

 

Benjamin Esposito, perfumer and founder, House of Mammoth

Benjamin Esposito, perfumer and founder, House of Mammoth

For most of my life, I thought I hated perfume. My peers wore the popular calone-laden mall fragrances of my teen years, which smelled synthetic and strange. To me it was the smell of trying too hard, and I felt secondhand embarrassment for them. Just take a shower if you’re worried about how you smell, I remember thinking.  The perfumes worn by older folks were no better; the spicy florals, suffocating musks and leathers, the power fougeres all caused sensory overwhelm and sent me fleeing. It’s no surprise I didn’t appreciate perfume, as worldly pleasures weren’t a thing we celebrated in my family.

Happy NYC childhoods

Polaroid from a happy childhood

I was born in New York, the second of four children, the quiet one. What we did in my family was go to church, and we viewed everything through the lens of conservative evangelical Christianity.  God knew all and saw all, the world was a scary place, and we were just passing through this life trying to be good enough to spend eternity in heaven. I stayed in that bubble and worldview for upwards of 20 years before it became too small for me and my family. I mention my sheltered life because it bred in me an absolutely relentless curiosity about how things work, how people lived, how others perceived the world, and the overarching WHY of life.  I was always in the woods, climbing cliffs at the beach, or on a bike exploring. It amazed me that any random square inch of ground could contain a whole world if you just took a moment to stare at it.  And when I wasn’t out exploring, I was holed up in my room for hours on end reading, writing, or playing music.

Benjamin Esposito of House of Mammoth and wife Elaine at a lavender farm

Benjamin Esposito and wife Elaine at a lavender farm

I am a sensual person- I need to touch, taste, feel, experience in order to understand. And that curiosity and immersive approach to life is where my perfumery education began, and continues to this day.  I love to eat, and so I learned to cook, and when that wasn’t enough, I learned to make the butter and farm the eggs and brew beer. My wife Elaine and I made bath soap together, and then I had to learn to make soap for traditional wet shaving. I couldn’t stop there, I needed to learn how to make the fragrance as well. I became a perfumer because it was the next step.  It was inevitable.

I began House of Mammoth in 2018 out of a desire to put something good into a world that seemed to be growing darker and scarier for my family, as anti-immigrant sentiment and anti-Asian hate grew.  We started as a traditional wet shaving brand, with a goal of making high quality luxury soap with original perfumery, to raise awareness and funds to fight human trafficking.  In just a few years, we’ve donated or raised a tremendous amount of money to organizations like RestoreNYC.org and Love146.org.  I stopped counting when we broke the $20,000 mark. It’s incredible.

note cards House of Mammoth

The thing I love most about running House of Mammoth is the immense privilege of formulating perfumes to tell stories and connect with people all over the world. We are a tiny brand, but much loved by the few who know us.  Each of my fragrances is designed to connect with the wearer, to make you think about yourself and your life, and hopefully to make your experience of life richer and deeper. Perfume is so very personal, the only way to connect is to compose from the heart.

Benjamin Esposito of House of Mammoth preparing a perfume trial

Benjamin preparing a perfume trial

Perfumery is one of the most difficult things I’ve pursued in my life, truly a practice and an art form where the more you learn, the more you realize you have to learn.  The breadth of what is possible in perfume is staggering. I’m drawn to the creative side of perfumery, how the sum of a perfume can be greater than its parts.  I love the highly technical side, the chemistry and the precision, understanding the properties of each molecule or material, and how materials can express themselves differently in different contexts. I love the tedious labor of trial after trial, experimentation, pushing through regular failures, and the quiet solitary moment of satisfaction when I’ve achieved what I’d wanted with a perfume.

 

Ben Esposito’s Perfume organ

On American Perfumery: The most powerful “story of America” imagery for me as a New Yorker was that of the melting pot of immigrants from all over the world looking for a better life, how each person brought something different of themselves to a community.  American perfumery is at its best when a perfumer finds their unique voice and shares their secrets with us, saying, “this is how I see the world.”

Independent  and artisan perfumery feels uniquely American as well.  It is rebellious in the sense that it is outside of the corporate machine. It doesn’t need to be produced at a large scale with the cheapest possible materials, and it doesn’t need to appeal to the broadest possible audience.  And you just can’t find perfumes anywhere else like the ones made by talented, careful artisan perfumers like Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Manuel Cross, Chris Rusak, Shawn Maher, Diane St. Clair – the list goes on.

 

Son Lux, courtesy of sonluxmusic.com

Favorite American Artist: One of my favorite American artists is Ryan Lott of the band Son Lux.  I appreciate the sublime, the beautiful, the absurd, and more, but what moves me most are human connections and the everyday. Son Lux’s music is immersive, experimental, at times distant and electronic, but always deeply human. I’m still reeling from the film they recently scored, Everything Everywhere All At Once.  It’s a film that manages to be absurd and sincere, nonsensical and meaningful at the same time. I was drawn into it, and it became a part of me.

Art is powerful that way.  Music and perfume similarly allow us to experience the world through the eyes of the artist, but we can also take their work with us through our daily lives.  Just look at how we talk about music and perfume: “this is OUR song”, “this is MY signature fragrance”.  A fragrance accompanies your life, and if it is lucky, becomes a part of you.  And for my money there’s no greater honor for an artist than that moment when a human being takes your work into their personhood: “this is meaningful to me”.

 

Benjamin Esposito, perfumer and founder, House of Mammoth

Sonder is “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” Notes: lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, clean mountain air, watery green notes, lily of the valley, opoponax, benzoin, sandalwood.

Sonder, by House of Mammoth

Thanks to Benjamin Esposito of House of Mammoth we have a draw for a registered user in the US ONLY for a 48ml bottle of House of Mammoth Sonder. To enter the draw, you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Benjamin’s path to perfumery. Draw closes 6/22/22

Benjamin Esposito is 166th in our American Perfumer Series, which officially began with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes on July 11, 2011

All photos belong to Benjamin Esposito unless otherwise noted.

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24 comments

  • What I found fascinating was that after making bath soap for a while, Benjamin “had” to make soap for wet shaving. US

  • Brad Woolslayer says:

    I found it fascinating that Benjamin hated fragrances as a teen, but gradually fell in love with the art, as he gradually transitioned from soaps, to shaving soap, then to actual fragrances. I live in Maryland USA and would love to experience Sonder. Thanks for the generous giveaway.

  • I am so excited to learn about House of Mammoth! Benjamin’s upbringing was very similar to mine (grew up in Upstate NY, conservative Christian family, I was the quiet one, didn’t leave that world for about 20-ish years either). I want to purchase his perfume simply because he is so relatable. I’m excited to see what this incredibly creative and industrious person can create! I will be getting the discovery set soon. It would be amazing to win a bottle. ~Indiana, USA

  • Benjamin has an interesting background being raised in a conservative evangelical household. I appreciate his desire to put something good into a world that seems to be growing darker. Perfumes do tell stories and elicit memories and feelings which help people connect all over the world. His commitment to making a difference by donating business proceeds to organizations that fight human trafficking is inspiring. I’m in MD, USA.

  • What I found fascinating was the idea of Sonder—that every person you walk by is having a vivid experience of the world, in all its smells and sights and sounds and tastes. In both its light moments, and dark.

    I’ve liked CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery.

  • Thanks Cafleurebon for introducing yet another brand and perfumer to the world. Benjamin’s personal approach to perfumery is very appealing. It’s interesting how Benjamin and his wife Elaine started with bath and shaving soaps, then moved to perfumery. Like a true master, he realizes the more you know, the more you have to learn, and also how a random square Inc of ground can contain a whole world (Walt Whitman comes to mind). And all the charitable work they have done. Fascinating brand and profile. I also liked when Benjamin says _ “Sonder is “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.”

    Thanks for the draw. I have liked Cafleurebon Profiles in American Perfumery. From USA.

  • I discovered Ben’s fragrances via his brand’s wonderful wet shaving soaps and aftershaves—they’re best in class. Some of his designs are singular; black pepper, blueberry, and oud in Indigo, the green apple and smoky depths of Alive, the fireworks, florals, and citrus in 福 (Fu Dao). I enjoyed learning more about Ben’s background, as wee as his drive to explore and create, which is obvious in the products he makes. I also appreciate how much thought and care Ben puts into the causes he supports. Thank you for the excellent profile.

    I’m following CaFleurebonProfiles: American Perfumery on Facebook.

  • chrisskins says:

    I’m curious to sniff this house while Benjamin is in his perfume phase. This is just the middle of his trajectory. I live in NY.

  • I am a fan of the shaving products, so it was interesting to see the brand branching out to fragrances. Also liked on Facebook. NV, USA.

  • Ian Andrews says:

    I love house of mammoth. Their scents are great. But I love hearing about the positive impact they have on the community even more

  • flying49er says:

    I love how his creations come from something super meaningful from his life. Not in this article but his latest creation “Beloved” is a recreation of what he created for his wedding day.
    Also they are super generous, and generate more generosity by hosting raffles for their new products with 100% of the money raised going to RestoreNYC

  • Mark Cantin says:

    I love that Ben is always wanting to improve his craft…”the more I learn, the more I realize I have to learn”

  • Benjamin Esposito is a fascinating character- from cooking, beer, soap, shaving soap to perfumes. I also appreciate him starting House of Mammoth in an attempt to put good into the world, that rather noble. As well as formulating perfumes to tell stories and connect with people all over the world. Specifically, Sounder is a realization that each passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. That should be a life lesson for us all.
    Maryland, US.

  • Hello Benjamin!
    Thank you for this thoughtful & careful introduction to your life & work! ❤️ I’m excited to discover your fragrances!
    On a personal note, my husband’s family is from Hong Kong & Taiwan, so we thank you for the work you & your family have done.
    Thank you for the Son Lux shout out. I’m listening to them now & really dig their stuff! A band that speaks to me in a similar way is: The Books.
    I’d be super curious to experience Sonder; this is beautiful: Sonder is “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.”
    ❤️ USA
    Rachel

  • Interesting that Benjamin went from (understandably) hating fragrances to being a perfumer. Glad money was raised for good causes! I am also interested in the chemistry side of perfumery. Would love to try Sonder! I live in CA, USA.

  • I really found fascinating Benjamin Espositos experience and how he wanted to tell stories from all over the world. Also loved how every step came to the result of creating a fragrance because he is a very sensorial person.
    Would love to smell this amazing fragrance.
    USA here.

  • The journey from conservative christian child to sensual perfume artist is a fascinating one. The description of Sonder as ““the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” is so beautiful. That is a sentiment that I try to pass on to the children in my family. I think knowing that breeds empathy. I am in the US. Thank you for introducing me to this perfumer.

  • What stood out to me was the passion for life as it is while also pushing to improve it for others (charity). Ben sounds like a great guy who makes some great soap! Alive might be my favorite scent ever, but Sonder is great for days I want to feel a bit more bright. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Michael Prince says:

    What interests me about Benjamin’s Path to Perfumery is not caring for fragrances or perfumery during his childhood growing up in New York. After getting married and becoming more self sufficient make shave soaps and bath soap and transitioning into perfumery. I love how he is so passionate about Independent and Artisan Perfumery. I liked CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery. I’m from Ohio, USA.

  • foreverscents says:

    I like what Benjamin has to say about creating art in the USA, that it is rebellious and often informed by the immigrant experience. It was also interesting that he spoke about the creative side of perfumery, as well as the technical side. And I agree with his comment that it is wonderful when someone finds meaning in what someone creates, and takes it in as his or her own.
    I live in the USA.

  • sephrenia300 says:

    Wonderful article! What I found fascinating about Benjamin’s path to perfumery is that he began his journey out of a desire to do something good in a time of darkness with rising anti-immigrant sentiment and anti-Asian hate, and that he had the joint goal of raising awareness and funds for the greater good by donating to charitable organizations. As an Asian-American very aware and frightened of the rising tensions and violence in our community, I really admire that, and it definitely makes me take a second look at a brand with new eyes. I can’t wait to try some of Benjamin’s perfumes as soon as possible, particularly Sonder. I live in the US.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I appreciate discovering this perfumer. I think that it’s interesting that Benjamin was making soaps before he became a perfumer. I hope to try some of his fragrance releases, and I hope to win “Sonder”: its list of notes is very appealing to me. I live in the U.S.A. I liked the post for this on Instagram (@regismonkton).

  • wallygator88 says:

    Ben is a fantastic human and it was so much fun to read his story. He’s super serious about his craft and loves sharing his knowledge whenever he can.

    The House of Mammoth has some wonderful scents – 福 , Mood Indigo, Alive, Restore and ones that he has done in collaboration – Cerebrus and Cerebrus Fougere come to mind.

    I hope to see House of Mammoth keep up the innovative work and supporting great causes.

    Cheers from WI, USA