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Perfumeries of Grasse

Grasse is a city with a wonderful heritage. Grasse makes you dream because it enchants you with its fields of flowers. But did you know that raw materials from all over the world are also processed there? Did you also know that Grasse has about thirty perfume factories, many perfume shops, a perfume museum and a perfume school?
Here is a guide to the most important information about this city.

 

History of Grasse

Grasse is a city of the French Riviera located on the hills north of Cannes, which provides an ideal setting for fragrant plants thanks to the altitude, combining heat with a little coolness.

Grasse's history began in the Middle Ages, when the town specialized in tanning. At that time, perfumes and leather work were closely linked. The fashion for scented leather was introduced during the Renaissance and continued to be successful in the 17th century. All leather objects, such as gloves, belts or shoes, had terrible scents because the leather was badly tanned.
Wigs and handkerchiefs were also scented, coated with a perfumed grease. The royal authorization to be named both master glove maker and perfumer was granted in January 1614.

In the 16th century Catherine de Médicis launched the fashion of perfume in Paris, and contributed to the rise of Grasse which became the world capital of perfumery. At the end of the 17th century, an estimated 15 hectares of jasmine were cultivated in the vicinity of Grasse.

The distillation process improved. Grasse specialised in the production of perfumed gloves. Leather gloves could be soaked for a week in tuberose, jasmine or orange blossom. Plant cultivation flourished in this region. The city established commercial links with Genoa and Spain. With the invention of the printing press, many books were published with recipes for floral waters, other home fragrances and dry perfumes for pomanders.

All leathers were scented and each noble family had its own olfactory signature created by their own perfumer.

Grasse then sold many of its plots of land destined for perfumery in favor of real estate, which was considered more lucrative. However, in the last 10 years or so there has been a revival of young entrepreneurs who are reviving certain crops that had disappeared, the Association des Fleurs d'Exception Du Pays de Grasse.

 

 

Famous names in Grasse for tourists

These companies are mostly known by a large number of people, because they show their factories, museums and stores to sell their own products:

  • Galimard
  • Molinard
  • Fragonard 

Factories in Grasse with a reputation among professionals.

Here is the list of leading international companies that produce both concrete raw materials, absolutes, essential oils, food flavors and finished products, namely perfume concentrates for many perfume houses.

64 companies are listed around perfumery and 4600 employees.

These houses or international companies have a reputation of seriousness, unfortunately, one cannot visit their productions or their establishments. The visits are reserved only to professionals of the perfume industry.

  • Mane
  • Robertet/Charabot Group
  • Monique Remy : LMR 
  • Firmenich who bought the villa botanical
  • Payan et Bertrand 
  • Jean Niel 
  • Albert Vieille 
  • Domaine de Manon: a company that harvests and processes beautiful raw materials such as rose and jasmine, Clos de Gallian, Florapolis these 3 companies grouped under the banner of exceptional flowers.
  • The Mul family, which created an exclusive partnership with Chanel: iris, jasmine, rose (the rose, for example, costs 12,000 euros for 1 kg of absolute compared to 3,000 euros for the rose from Turkey; it is noted that these are different botanical varieties), tuberose, geranium and orange blossom.

Some of these companies also manufacture food flavors.

 

Perfume raw materials

Many natural raw materials from the region are produced in Grasse.

Here are the main ones:

  • Rose de Mai, Centifolia rose or Grasse rose
  • Grandiflora jasmine
  • Mimosa
  • Lavender
  • Genet
  • Tuberose
  • Iris
  • Orange blossom
  • Geranium

But also dry raw materials that come from all over the world to be transformed: patchouli, vetiver, mosses, spices, resins such as benzoin, incense, opoponax, hay etc. These raw materials are used in perfumery and cosmetics.

 

To know about the city of Grasse

In Grasse you can also find:

  • The perfume fountains that are owned by LVMH, Dior and Vuitton which have some flower productions. These companies also have their creation laboratories since 2016.
  • A perfume school that exists in Paris and Grasse, the Ecole Supérieure du Parfum, which trains for several professions: evaluation, fine perfumery, technical perfumery, food flavors, management.
  • The Grasse Museum of Art and History which traces the history of perfume, not to be missed!
  • The Evanescence perfumery where you can discover the 3 refined Sylvaine Delacourte Paris Collections around 3 iconic raw materials: Musk, Vanilla and Orange Blossom.

 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.