Sentir

Sentir is an independent fragrance house in Manchester, run by its founder and perfumer, Michael Gibson. He says he makes every Sentir fragrance himself, from sourcing the materials through building the formula, testing and refining to the final blend, and that the creative side will always stay with him. His interest began with his grandfather's bottle of Eau Sauvage, grew through a job in a perfume shop at eighteen, and became years of buying and studying raw materials one at a time. Cèdre Doux, created in 2018, was the first scent he felt worked, and the six-fragrance collection reached the market in 2024.

The house works on balance and restraint: refined rather than overcomplicated, with each material allowed to speak. The six eau de parfum are unisex and made in small batches. Aplomb is an aromatic aquatic with grapefruit, blackcurrant and a marine opening over ambergris, vanilla and cedar. Bombe de Mimosa and Brilliance Mandarine are fruity florals, Cèdre Doux is a woody scent with tobacco and amber, Mon Soleil pairs bergamot and blackcurrant with vanilla and soft woods, and Ambre Brûlé is a resinous amber with labdanum and sandalwood.

Gibson is clear about what he stands against: he is completely against dupes and wants to make fragrances that do not smell like every other. He says his buyers are usually bored of mainstream designer scents that all start to smell the same, and want something with more personality.

Sentir sits in the premium, independent end of British perfumery. It suits wearers who like a hands-on maker, modern unisex compositions and a house that is still very small.