Perfume house · United States · Since 2011

Kerosene

United StatesSay it KERR-uh-seen · the lamp and engine fuel; the founder says the name was 'forged' from his love of the smells of gasoline, steel and the garage

Bold, warm indie perfumes mixed by a self-taught Michigan perfumer and sold in hand-painted bottles, best known for the tea-and-honey Unknown Pleasures.

John Pegg grew up in St. Clair, Michigan, worked in car-parts factories and repaired motorcycles, then reviewed perfumes on YouTube before releasing his first, R’oud Elements, in 2011. He still composes the perfumes and paints the bottles himself.

Owned by

Independent: owned and run by its founder and perfumer, John Pegg; no public filing was read. Checked October 2026.

Where this comes from

The sentence · houseofkerosene.com · ministryofscent.comThe story · houseofkerosene.com · cafleurebon.comOwned by · cafleurebon.com · houseofkerosene.comThe perfumes that made it · cafleurebon.com · nstperfume.com · ministryofscent.com

5 of the 20 perfumes its own site lists are here.

In many of its perfumes

Vanilla4 of 5Caramel3 of 5Musk3 of 5Lemon2 of 5

Best known

Unknown Pleasures2013 · Eau de ParfumUnisexBergamot and lemon over Earl Grey tea, sweetening into honey and caramel, then vanilla, tonka bean and waffle cone.Summer of 842017 · Eau de ParfumUnisexGrapefruit, lemon and bergamot with juicy melon and white flowers, over a watery, musky finish.Followed2022 · Eau de ParfumUnisexWarm coffee and caramel with cocoa and vanilla, resting on sweet amber.Blackmail2016 · Eau de ParfumUnisexJuicy raspberry and plum over smoky sandalwood and oud, with vanilla, amber and musk.Sweetly KnownEau de ParfumUnisexCardamom over cocoa and burnt caramel sugar, drying to creamy vanilla and soft musk.

All 5 here

5 perfumes · the best known first

Unknown Pleasures2013 · Eau de Parfum · Unisex · Premium $$$Bergamot and lemon over Earl Grey tea, sweetening into honey and caramel, then vanilla, tonka bean and waffle cone.Summer of 842017 · Eau de Parfum · Unisex · Premium $$$Grapefruit, lemon and bergamot with juicy melon and white flowers, over a watery, musky finish.Followed2022 · Eau de Parfum · Unisex · Premium $$$Warm coffee and caramel with cocoa and vanilla, resting on sweet amber.

No sales evidence yet for the 2 below, so A to Z

Blackmail2016 · Eau de Parfum · Unisex · Premium $$$Juicy raspberry and plum over smoky sandalwood and oud, with vanilla, amber and musk.Sweetly KnownEau de Parfum · Unisex · Premium $$$Cardamom over cocoa and burnt caramel sugar, drying to creamy vanilla and soft musk.

Its perfumers here: John Pegg (5).