House of Mammoth Fragrance Descriptions

Alive
Alive opens with top notes of bergamot, green apple, and basil before transitioning into soapy white floral with powdery labdanum and fresh plant stem, then finishes in oakmoss, wood, and laundry musk.

In the words of one user, “If the bright, fresh opening is the inhale, the warm, woody, creamy, musky base is the exhale of a deeply satisfied breath."

I made Alive as a way to work through my own process of emerging from the lockdown and pandemic disruptions, to find ways to be reborn, to reemerge celebrating the growth that often happens through death and dormancy.

Notes:  bergamot, green apple, basil, plant stem, white florals, labdanum, oakmoss, wood, laundry musk

Click here to view all available items in the Alive collection.



Almond Leather
We live in a noisy world, surrounded by things that demand our attention. The news is unsettling, advertising is everywhere, and social media promises easy connections while driving us further apart.

Sometimes simpler is better.

Almond Leather features a leather scent softened with a bit of marzipan. These notes are rounded out by a mild top note of neroli, while frankincense lends complexity to the leather accord.
The resulting combination is familiar, accessible, and beautiful in its simplicity.
Notes: neroli, almond, frankincense, and leather.
Beloved

Beloved opens with a fresh but dry herbaceous woodiness from bergamot mint and French lavender. The heart of the fragrance features immortelle absolute, which smells like dark honey warmed by the sun. A soft growl of Texas cedarwood and a touch of the sandalwood molecule javanol are the foundation of the base, while modern aroma molecules like cedramber, vertofix, and iso e super provide diffusive woody ambergris effects. The warm woody honey/orris scent of azarbre continues the immortelle profile down into the base as well, and balances the dryness of the woody notes.

Notes: bergamot mint, french lavender, ambergris, immortelle, sandalwood, texas cedar.

Damocles

You smell spices and wine up front, from the king’s feast before you. A touch of aromatic incense and resin mixes with the crisp teakwood of the throne where you sit. You’re almost dizzy from the rich leather of the animal skins that cover your shoulders.

But there’s something else that runs through the full wear of this fragrance. There’s a clean edge balancing the top notes, and something cold in its heart notes. A cutting fresh note persists through the drydown, lingering at the edges as you luxuriate in its warm naturals. It’s almost pleasant, as it serves to keep the fragrance from descending into drooling mad indulgence. But there’s something unsettling about it. Is it…metal?

You jumped at the chance to seize the power and pleasure of the throne, with no regard for the immense weight the king bears every moment of every day.
And so, to ensure you fully experience the life of a king, above your head hangs a sharp sword, suspended by a single horsehair.

Enjoy the power, the luxury, the opulence. Just don’t look up.

Notes: spices, wine, violets, incense, resin, leather, wood, steel

Embrace
Embrace is my attempt to reach out and give you all a hug. Inspired by my brother, who lives on the other side of the country, Embrace is a warm and rich scent featuring plenty of naturals.

Notes: pink pepper, cardamom, coffee, berry, guaiacwood, labdanum, patchouli, and a range of musks.
This scent is for anyone who remembers the simple joys of orange slices at soccer games, the warmth of the sun on your skin, and falling asleep by a campfire with a half-eaten s'more in your hand. 
Notes: orange slices, sunshine, outdoors, dried orange juice, toasted marshmallow, light musk
Hygge
Hygge (hyoo-guh) is a Danish concept which conveys a sense of comfort and togetherness. The concept reminds us of an old-fashioned barbershop, where people come together to enjoy relationships and the simple everyday pleasure of a good shave. Like the classic barbershop fragrances, Hygge contains a healthy dose of citrus, oakmoss, and musk, but the similarities end there. Sharp evergreens provide a wintry freshness, while amber, frankincense, and castoreum provide warmth and depth.

We hope this scent will warm and lift your spirits even when it’s dark and cold.

Notes: sweet orange, bergamot, fir, juniper, oakmoss, amber, frankincense, musk, and castoreum.

Indigo
“Mood Indigo” is a great Duke Ellington bluesy jazz tune that's been covered by all the great jazz singers. A lot of people think the blues is a sad genre of music, but it's not. The blues is cathartic, a way for people to give voice to their troubles and find support. Keeping your struggles and sadness to yourself is what makes things worse, so in that sense the blues helps us realize we're not alone.
Indigo smells like you've left that blues club late at night, tired but feeling good, a little less alone. You take a look up at the night sky and breathe a bit, and sort of unconsciously hum the tune.
Notes: black pepper, blueberry, rum, vetiver, oud, night sky
Click here to view all available items in the Indigo collection.

Jitterbug (perfume-only release, now discontinued)
  "The universe doesn't have laws, it has habits. And habits can be broken." -Tom Robbins, in Jitterbug Perfume.*

Jitterbug is my attempt to recreate the long lost fragrance that may be the secret essence of the universe, as described in the Tom Robbins novel Jitterbug Perfume. In the true spirit of the book, this fragrance is joyous, rich, natural, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

In Robbins' words:

"Reality is subjective, and there's an unenlightened tendency in this culture to regard something as 'important' only if it's sober and severe. Your Cheerful Dumb are not so much happy as lobotomized. But your Gloomy Smart are just as ridiculous. When you're unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. And you get to take yourself oh so very seriously. Your truly happy people, which is to say, your people who truly LIKE themselves, they don't think about themselves very much. Your unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence.

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”

Top: citron (cedrat), grapefruit, hedione

Mid: jasmine grandiflorum, jasmine sambac, orris, cypriol

Base: beeswax absolute, labdanum, amyris, patchouli, oakmoss, musk

Kryptonite

You’re a superhero to someone. There are people who look up to you, and people who depend on you. But every superhero has a weakness.

True strength means being able to depend on others and ask for help when we need it. Don’t hide your weaknesses. Ask for the help you need, and you’ll be even more of a hero.

Notes: lime, litsea cubeba, balsam fir, cedar, cypress leaf, howood.

Rumble

Rumble is a modern/vintage chocolate rum amber fragrance that whispers an invitation to get closer, nuzzle, sigh, and relax. Gentle and beautiful, but with a warm, deep heart, the perfect date night fragrance.  

Notes: rum, coffee, vetiver, labdanum, milk chocolate, woods

Santa Noir (seasonal limited release)

Santa Noir is a love letter to Christmas, a luxurious winter fragrance featuring a large percentage of exquisite and expensive natural materials.

The fragrance opens with a sparkle of fresh hedione and fruity cassis, red as Rudolph's nose.

A citrusy balsamic evergreen accord emerges, featuring absolutes of balsam fir, black hemlock, and black spruce, all sourced from the wilds of Canada.

A healthy dose of real jasmine grandiflorum from India creates warmth and depth, accented with honey essence and oakmoss through the heart of the fragrance.   

The soft woody vanillic drydown is delicious and comforting. Creamy sandalwood is reinforced with hints of agarwood and patchouli for body. A beautiful recreation of (rein)deer musk provides powdery warmth with a touch of leather.  


Notes: twinkling lights, Rudolph’s nose, Christmas tree, warm blanket of snow, Santa’s sleigh, reindeer musk (cassis, balsam, jasmine, honey, sandalwood, deer musk)

Click here to view all available items in the Santa Noir collection.



Shire

Shire was inspired by a friend who loves The Hobbit, and suggested a scent that captures the opening scene where Bilbo is relaxing with his pipe and taking in the verdant beauty of the shire, when Gandalf arrives to invite him on an adventure.

Fresh air and violets mix to form a light breezy opening, with rich green heartnotes and a warm tobacco base. It’s a summery tobacco scent, if that’s possible, and we hope you like it.

I've rebuilt the fragrance from the ground up with the same notes and inspiration, but better perfumery skills and materials. Always improving.

Shire 2 notes: violets, fresh air, vetiver, spice, and tobacco.

Click here to view all the items available in the Shire collection.

Smash

Smash celebrates a wonderful cocktail, the bourbon smash. 

This delicious fragrance was created by William Carius from Barrister and Mann.

Notes: peach, cane sugar, tobacco, bourbon, hedione

Click here to view all available items in the Smash collection.
Sonder
A bright citrus opening mixes with clean mountain air and watery green notes, a touch of white florals, and a delicious creamy woody base.
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, oppoponax, benzoin, sandalwood.

Tobacconist

Tobacconist is full and natural, with wood and tobacco taking center stage. Walk into the tobacconist’s shop and experience the richness of this amazing fragrance.

Notes: tobacco absolute, cedarwood, dried fruit, amber, coumarin, spice, benzoin, heliotrope, and musk.

Uitwaaien

Uitwaaien is a Dutch idiom meaning a walk in the wind, as a means of refreshing and clearing the mind. Uitwaaien is a woody iris perfume with a salty aspect, inspired by a rocky beach I used to go with my friends as a kid. We'd climb the cliff a hundred yards from the edge of the sea, our hands digging into the clay, grabbing roots to pull ourselves up, the sound of wind and ocean indistinguishable from one another. We climbed til we stood at the top, wind whipping, full of freedom and togetherness and accomplishment.

Top: Cold iris, tinged green, with a barely there subdose of mint.

Heart: Transparent deconstructed florals ride the salty wind, underpinned by a haze of seaweed and driftwood.

Base: Rooty orris and vetiver mingle with cedar, sandalwood, and spiky modern superambers.

Click here to view all available items in the Uitwaaien collection.


Voices

Voices is a collaboration between House of Mammoth and the Lather Talk podcast.

Uniquely wearable, Voices is a custom-designed fragrance that features mango sticky rice notes with a woody lactonic base.

Notes: mango, pandan, sticky rice, coconut milk, vetiver, orris, and wood.

福 (fú dào)
The nostalgic scent of mandarins and sweet flowers fill the house with a clean slate and blossoming auspiciousness to start the new year. Kids wake up early to greet their elders with well wishes of health, happiness and prosperity in exchange for lucky money in red envelopes, the smell of fresh money ushering in a prosperous start to the new year. Fireworks are set off to ward off misfortune and bring good luck, followed by lion dances, kids running around the neighborhood to wish their elders a happy new year and collect red envelopes, and families reuniting to feast on nourishing good food that symbolizes all the good that is to come in the new year.

Notes: green mandarin, petitgrain sur fleurs, ginger, ylang-ylang, lucky money, firecracker, angelica, oud/agarwood, sandalwood

Z
Z is unscented.