Centauri Perfumes

Centauri Perfumes is an independent perfume house hand-crafted in small batches in Yorkshire, England. It is founded and run by Peter Carter, a self-taught perfumer who began his working life as a commercial offshore air diver and came to perfumery through collecting and years of experiment. The house was officially launched on 22 December 2019, timed to the winter solstice, and the company behind it is a private limited company with Carter as its only director.

The name and the eight-pointed star logo look to the heavens. The star is a symbol the Sumerians carved in stone around 5,000 years ago, and for the house it joins the past with the hope of future exploration. Its work is organised into three collections: Past in red, Present in white and Future in blue. Past leans on natural materials, Present mixes natural ingredients with modern aroma chemicals, and Future gives more room to synthetics.

The scents are rich, warm and material-led. Vanillium, an extrait de parfum, pairs Thai oud with Madagascan vanilla, espresso, cocoa, tobacco and benzoin. Alchemy is an amber and incense scent with orris, mushroom and oakmoss, finished with aged beach-found ambergris. House Oud is a pure oil made from three Thai oud distillations. Earlier releases include Elixir, a semi-gourmand of cognac, coffee and caramel over cedar and sandalwood, and the green, soapy sandalwood Santalamore.

Centauri sits among small independent niche houses, made by one person and sold through its own website and a handful of overseas stockists. It suits wearers who like oud, vanilla and amber in a hand-made, concentrated form.