The small town of Grasse in the South of France is well known for its perfume industry, and is considered the perfume capital of the world, but it was not always famous for its perfumes.
In Medieval times, Grasse had a booming leather industry, whose tanning process created a pungent odor, unsuitable for the gloved nobility. A tanner allegedly presented scented gloves to Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France from 1547 to 1559, establishing the now world-renowned perfume industry of Grasse. The oldest perfume house in the world, Maison Galimard, dates back to 1747, when Jean de Galimard, Lord of Seranon provided the French court of Louis XV with olive oil, pommades and perfumes from formulas that he created. At the end of the eighteenth century, Grasse was awarded the title of World Capital of Perfume and laid the foundation for the thriving perfume industry as we know it today.
Many of the most famous perfume houses are based in Grasse, and many iconic "noses" are from this small town. François Demachy, Head Nose at Christian Dior, Hermès’s Jean-Claude Ellena and Louis Vuitton’s Jacques Cavallier are all from Grasse, and some still live there.
If you visit Grasse, you can also take part in various perfume-making classes at perfume houses such as Fragonard, Molinard or Galimard, and you can visit various flower fields. Grasse definitely on my dream destination list!
Can’t wait to visit.... as planned 😘