The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Hoz arrived in 2021 as part of Mallo's Sueños y Rarezas collection. Only 90 bottles were ever produced. The name itself offers no explanation; the juice does the talking instead. Antonio Lasheras built the entire composition around two materials: Vanuatu sandalwood and a Trat Thai oud aged six years in private collection. No elaborate brief, no marketing angle. Just two exceptional ingredients and the conviction that less structured scent could say more. The sandalwood from Vanuatu carries a warmth that feels ancient and grounded, while the Trat Thai oud provides an incense-like clarity that avoids heaviness. Together they create something that breathes rather than overwhelms, a fragrance that invites proximity rather than demanding attention.
The Trat Thai oud deserves particular attention. Lasheras describes it as carrying an incredible finest incense profile. This aged oud leans clean, almost meditative, before the leather and resinous qualities emerge on skin. Vanuatu sandalwood provides the warm counterweight: it offers depth and earthiness that grounds what could otherwise read as delicate. The sandalwood's creamy warmth rises gently, softening the oud's structure without diminishing it. Together, these materials create a fragrance that doesn't feel constructed.
The evolution
The opening hits bright, a citrus sparkle cuts through the darkness, with grapefruit and something almost medicinal. Rosemary's herbal edge threads through before the composition shifts. The oud deepens, leather arrives not aggressive but insistent, and smoke begins to curl beneath the surface. The composition moves through smoky-resinous territory, holding there with quiet confidence. Then the Vanuatu sandalwood takes over, creamier than expected, almost balsam-like, with a faint animalic hum that clings to warm skin. The drydown reveals the sandalwood's persistence, warming softly on the skin as it lingers. Hours in, traces remain detectable, the woodsmoke and cream intertwining in a way that feels intimate rather than demonstrative.
Cultural impact
Part of Mallo's Sueños y Rarezas collection, Hoz is limited to 90 bottles. This scarcity places it among the ultra-niche fragrances that collectors seek, those scents that exist outside mainstream fragrance culture. The composition appeals to those who prioritize material quality over marketing narratives. For wearers, it becomes something worn rather than shown, a quiet statement of preference for the exceptional over the accessible.
