Centaure (1991)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

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.

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.

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.

A lofty mint. Nothing special. Lasts a good while.

Top – mint, lemon, orange, lavender
Mid – floral, blackcurrant, cedar, wood tones
Base – tobacco, vetiver, oakmoss
The opening is aromatic and herbal, with a hint of grass. I’ve tried this several times and only get a tiny bit of mint and lavender. The wood tones are fairly faint. Mostly what I get is a somewhat fusty tobacco leaf note, followed by a mossy and musky drydown. Grass is the dominant theme, a fairly sweet one due to the tobacco and supported by the vetiver. This is an OK scent, not brilliant in my opinion.

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. Good, I suppose, if you like mint, but I’m going to pass.