Grasse & Perfume: the story of a world capital

Tucked into the hills above Cannes, Grasse is far more than a Provençal town: it has been the world capital of perfume since the 16th century. A well-earned title, carried by generations of artisans, extraordinary flower fields and a craft now inscribed on the UNESCO heritage list.

From tanneries to perfume: the origins

Grasse did not start out as a city of flowers, but of leather. In the Middle Ages it was a renowned tanning centre — and tanned leather had one notorious flaw: its smell. To meet the fashion launched in the 16th century by Catherine de' Medici, local craftsmen began perfuming their gloves with the essences of the surrounding flowers.

The scented glove became a sensation across the courts of Europe. Little by little, perfume eclipsed leather, and Grasse turned its mild climate, its spring water and its flower-friendly soils into the foundation of an entirely new industry.

The flowers that made Grasse famous

The genius of Grasse lies in its land. The microclimate of the hills allows the cultivation of flowers of exceptional olfactory quality, several of which became signatures of French perfumery:

• The May rose (Rosa centifolia) — harvested only in May, the very soul of countless great perfumes.
• Jasmine — the emblem of Grasse, picked by hand at dawn, celebrated every August during the Jasmine Festival.
• Tuberose, mimosa, orange blossom and violet — each bringing its own facet to the perfumer's palette.

These flowers are fragile and demanding: jasmine must be picked before the morning sun, and it takes hundreds of kilos of petals to obtain a single litre of absolute. This rarity is precisely what makes "Grasse-grown" raw materials so precious.

The art of extraction

Capturing the scent of a flower is an art in itself. Over the centuries, the perfumers of Grasse perfected several techniques, each suited to a particular raw material:

• Cold enfleurage: petals are laid on layers of fat that slowly absorb their fragrance. An ancestral, almost abandoned method, as it is extremely costly.
• Hot enfleurage (maceration): flowers are immersed in heated fats. Faster than cold enfleurage.
• Steam distillation: steam passes through the plant matter and carries off the aromatic molecules. The most widespread technique today.
• Volatile solvent extraction: used for fragile flowers (jasmine, rose) that cannot withstand heat. It produces a "concrete", then an "absolute".

Grasse today: between tradition and modernity

Grasse is not an open-air museum frozen in its past. The town blends its perfumery heritage with a remarkably lively contemporary energy.

The flower fields, which had almost vanished in the 20th century under the pressure of low-cost countries, are enjoying a striking revival. New growers are settling here, drawn by the rising demand from major luxury houses for traceable, "made-in-Grasse" raw materials. Chanel, LVMH and Dior now invest directly in Grasse farmland to secure their supply of perfume flowers.

The town also hosts major events each year: the Expo Rose in May, the Perfume Heritage Days in autumn, and the flower market of the Place aux Aires — an unchanging ritual for centuries.

What to see and do around perfume

From our guesthouse, you are ideally placed to explore every facet of this fascinating world. Here is our essential selection:

Our host's tip: book your perfume-creation workshop at Galimard or Molinard as soon as you arrive — sessions often sell out in high season. And plan your visit to the May rose fields between 10 and 31 May to see them in full bloom.