Centaure (1991)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

This fragrance seems to have two distinct personalities that smells both modern and classically French at the same time.

The first personality is the scent diffused in the air that you experience either from re-entering the room in which you sprayed it in or from getting whiffs of the sillage. This part of Centaure is a single accord that smells unmistakably like sweet synthetic black current. It is pleasant and in perfect harmony but I have no doubt that there are various molecules that my untrained nose simply cannot make out.

The second personality is the scent on the skin. This is much more complex and contains all the notes which other reviewers have mentioned: lavender, mint and vetiver. This is where the classic French signature of MPG comes through.

This is one of my favourites!

29th November, 2011.

First, a disclosure: I have become a big fan of MPG fragrances (Santal Noble, Jardin du Nil, Racine, Fraiche Badiane) despite their limited availability and expensive price tags. I was a bit timid to try Centaure on a blind basis, but did so in a leap of faith. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. MPG, in my opinion, produces some of the most unusual, unique colognes in the niche market. “Love” would be too strong a word, but I can definitely say I haven’t yet found one that wasn’t interesting enough to like. Centaure falls in this category. I find it hard to pick out many individual notes in this (or most other colognes) but I certainly detect the lavender, mixed with woodsy notes in the middle and yes, the mint throughout. Anchoring the bottom are a pleasant tobacco and vetiver, again tinged slightly by mint. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I do not find the mint to be overwhelming nor offensive. It is a soft mint that lurks in the background just enough to make Centaure yet another unique, nice cologne from the extreme-high-quality MPG stable. Sillage is good (not monstrous) and longevity is excellent. Not for everyone, I realize, but absolutely for me.

2nd April, 2010.

Centaure starts out with brisk, tart citrus notes and lavender. Lots of lavender. Very real, stuffed-your-nose-in-a-sachet lavender. Then some more lavender.

Next comes soap. With lavender. Then, after 15 or 20 minutes, some sweeter floral notes squeeze in to round out the lavender and turn Centaure into more than a one-note concert piece. Woods and some very nicely rendered spices lift up the florals and further displace the lavender. The much-discussed mint is next at bat, and once it arrives it dominates the game. Centaure chugs along for quite some time in mint/woods/floral mode, sweetening very slowly as it goes.

Mint, I must say, is not a great note for me. I have a hard time perceiving it as anything but synthetic, especially when it dominates a fragrance as completely as in Centaure. If there’s any black currant in this mix I’m not getting it under all the mint and lavender. As with other MPG scents I know, longevity is good, and there’s plenty of projection. I might recommend it if you're looking for mint, but I’m going to pass.

23rd December, 2009.

I'm surprised by all the negative and lukewarm reviews. Lavender, mint and tobacco, moistened with honey. The coldness and bite of the lavender and mint and the warmth of the tobacco and honey somehow blend together seamlessly creating an accord that is Ihot and cold at the same time, as well as smooth and sharp at the same time. Very masculine and somehwat formal. Certainly worth checking out at the very least, and worth having a bottle in my case.

19th June, 2009.

Has anyone mentioned the word "honey" while reviewing Centaure?? And why not?!?!

To me Centaure in very much of a honey scent, even when its not listed anywhere in the pyramid. It has that same kind of honey scent that can be found especially in many traditional fougere scents. Its that very same soapy honey note here, playing the main role. The smell is obviously a combination of different notes and ingridients in actual pyramid, playing together, but still it smells like honey....soap.

And then, you could tell me if I`m wrong (I don`t care) but to my nose Centaure holds very much similarities to Mandarine Mandarine by Serge Lutens. It may sound weird, yes, but eventually I don`t understand if you cannot agree with me - the resemblance is that obvious.
SL`s MM is a bit more sweet and thick for sure, but let`s put it this way : If Mandarine Mandarin is an oriental take on that teddy-bear shaped mandarin-honey soap I mentioned in that one`s review, then Centaure makes the same with fougere vibe.

Centaure. The honey soap fragrance.

12nd November, 2008.

I wanted to like Centaure - I like the idea of a fragrance called Centaure - but alas, it smells just like mosquito repellant. I know I've been comparing scents to mosquito repellant before, but none of them has been so spot-on as Centaure. It really has no other notes, just a perfect rendition of those mosquito repellant sticks you put on your skin.

27th August, 2008.