Cæleste

Cæleste is a Romanian perfume house created by Ștefan Răduț, its creative director. Its first three extraits came out in 2024, a fourth in 2026. Each fragrance bears the name of a rank in the hierarchy of angels and was entrusted to a different perfumer, which makes for a short but highly contrasted collection.

A house built on the hierarchy of angels

The starting point of Cæleste is a text by Ștefan Răduț published on the house's website. In it he recalls that the first perfumes were offerings: incense, aromatic herbs, spices and flowers burned for God. In his view, that origin has been lost, and it is what pushed him to launch the project.

The structure of the collection follows classical Christian angelology, which the house sets out itself: nine ranks of spiritual beings divided into three orders. The first order brings together the Thrones, the Seraphim and the Cherubim. The second gathers the Dominions, the Virtues and the Powers. The third, the one said to watch over earthly life, includes the Principalities, the Archangels and the Guardian Angels.

Cæleste began with this third order. Its first three fragrances are called Principalities, Archangels and Guardian Angel, and the set that brings them together is logically named 3rd Order. In 2026, Virtues opens the second order. So the collection can be read as a work in progress, moving up the hierarchy one rank at a time.

The people behind Cæleste

Ștefan Răduț leads the creative side. He does not compose the fragrances himself: he chooses one perfumer per creation and gives them a theme. Around him, two artists set the visual identity.

The illustrations are by Aleksandar Stoicovici, an artist who works in analog collage. In the text he wrote for the house, he says he wanted to become an Orthodox monk as a teenager and lived for some time in monasteries. His images grow out of that memory: angels hidden in trees, floating feathers, light coming down.

The bottle was designed by Anne-Marie JP, based on sacred geometry. Its pattern is meant as a network of crossing lines, an image of the links between all things. In practical terms, it is a 30 ml bottle, the only size the house offers.

On the perfumer side, the lineup is international:

• Chris Maurice, the professional name of Christian Carbonnel, composed Guardian Angel.
• Cristiano Canali, an Italian perfumer, composed Archangels.
• David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi, a Romanian perfumer who also creates under the name Toskovat', composed Principalities.
• Michael Nordstrand, an independent perfumer based in the United States, composed Virtues.

An olfactory style of resins and white flowers

From one fragrance to the next, the common thread is incense. It is present in all four compositions, often alongside myrrh, benzoin or frankincense. It is the direct translation of the idea of offering on which the house is founded. Around this resinous base, each perfumer has taken a very different direction.

Guardian Angel and Archangels are two white florals built on neroli and tuberose, one softer and milkier, the other brighter and smokier. Principalities heads in an abstract, mineral and metallic direction that resembles nothing familiar. Virtues returns to a more classic spicy amber, with honey and cocoa.

They are all extraits de parfum, with concentration levels stated by the house between 20 and 30%. This figure is the share of concentrate in the alcohol. It gives an idea of the density of the juice, not of its quality. A fragrance at 30% will mostly be more present on skin than one at 20%, without necessarily being better.

Cæleste fragrances available at Passion Parfum

The house currently has four fragrances and a set. All four are sold in 30 ml bottles at €215 and as 2 ml samples at €19.

Guardian Angel, by Chris Maurice

Guardian Angel is the most concentrated in the collection, at 30%. The pyramid is split into three stages. Top notes: a white bouquet of neroli, tuberose, jasmine, heliotrope, bergamot and hawthorn. Heart: musks, coconut milk, cardamom, vanilla and tonka bean. Base: incense, benzoin, myrrh and amber. Chris Maurice himself describes a cloud-like texture and a fragrance built around the color white. It is the softest of the four, and the easiest to wear during the day.

Archangels, by Cristiano Canali

Archangels is an extrait at 20%. Cristiano Canali explains on the house's website that he and Ștefan Răduț chose to focus on two archangels: Gabriel the messenger and Michael the warrior. Lily and white flowers stand for the first, burnt resins and myrrh for the second, and a pink pepper extract bridges the two. The product page lists neroli, blood mandarin and CO2 pink pepper in the top notes, lily, tuberose, davana, rose and ylang-ylang in the heart, and smoked incense, frankincense, myrrh, amber, benzoin, cedar and elemi in the base. It is brighter than Guardian Angel in the opening and clearly smokier in the base.

Principalities, by David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi

Principalities is the most unusual fragrance in the house. It is an extrait at 25% and a 2025 Art and Olfaction Awards finalist in the Independent category. The perfumer says he received neither a brief nor a title, only a code name, Project Quasar, and a wish: space, the birth of creation. He read accounts by astronauts, who say that space has no smell but that objects come back from it smelling of hot metal and burning.

The pyramid follows five elements. Wind: hyssop, black tea, rose thorn, violet, ylang-ylang. Water: mineral notes and petrichor. Earth: assafi oud, dry leaves, galbanum, ginseng root, leather, immortelle. Fire: ash, elemi resin, chili seeds, saffron. Ether: stardust, cosmos flower, gunpowder, burnt almond biscuit, incense, hot metal, sandalwood. On skin it is a dry, mineral, spicy fragrance that calls for a test before buying.

Virtues, by Michael Nordstrand

Virtues came out in 2026. It is an extrait at 25%, the first fragrance of the second order. Michael Nordstrand won the 2025 Art and Olfaction Award in the Independent category with Bad Lily, composed for the brand TALE, the same year Principalities was among the finalists. He also received an award from the British Society of Perfumers in 2024. The fragrance follows the seven virtues. Top notes: bergamot, star anise, cinnamon and clove. Heart: jasmine, iris, honey and cocoa absolute. Base: Mysore sandalwood, vetiver, cypriol, patchouli, incense, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum and musk. A warm woody amber, more sensual than Principalities, for fall and winter.

The 3rd Order set

The 3rd Order set brings together the first three fragrances in 5 ml each, at €89. It does not include Virtues. It is the most economical way to wear the three fragrances of the third order for several days each, and the size is fine for airplane carry-on.

Where to start with Cæleste

If you like white flowers and enveloping fragrances, start with Guardian Angel. It is the house's most crowd-pleasing fragrance and the easiest to wear every day.

If you are looking for something unlike anything you already wear, try Principalities. It divides opinion, and that is exactly why you should test it on skin before committing to a €215 bottle.

If you prefer spicy ambers and resinous bases, Virtues is the safest choice.

In every case, the 2 ml sample allows several full tests, on skin and on clothing. All our options are gathered on our samples page. To discover three fragrances at once, the 3rd Order set works out much cheaper per milliliter than three 2 ml samples.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Cæleste come from?

Cæleste is a Romanian house. Its creative director, Ștefan Răduț, launched its first three fragrances in 2024. The illustrations are by Aleksandar Stoicovici.

Who are the perfumers of Cæleste?

Each fragrance has its own perfumer: Chris Maurice (Christian Carbonnel) for Guardian Angel, Cristiano Canali for Archangels, David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi for Principalities and Michael Nordstrand for Virtues.

Where can I buy Cæleste fragrances?

Passion Parfum is the official retailer of Cæleste in France. The four fragrances are offered in 30 ml bottles and as 2 ml samples, and the 3rd Order set in 3 × 5 ml. We ship within France and to the rest of Europe.

Is Cæleste a niche brand?

Yes. It is an independent house, with four fragrances, a single bottle size and distribution limited to a few retailers. Principalities was a finalist at the 2025 Art and Olfaction Awards, an award devoted to independent perfumery.

How long do Cæleste fragrances last?

They are extraits concentrated between 20 and 30%, so dense fragrances. On our product pages, Guardian Angel and Principalities get the top score for longevity, Archangels one notch below. Actual longevity always depends on your skin, which is why the sample is worth it.

To discover the other creators we carry, see the houses and creators page.