From Royal Fragrances to Modern Scents of France: Tracing Perfume History in the idyllic Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur.

“The perfume world is beautiful, it is delicate, ancient and unique to itself. It’s an accessory that’s sometimes demanded and prohibited. It affects people positively and some negatively. We have olfactive memories and sometimes allergies from a mix of synthetics and natural perfumes. But regardless the impact on individuals – it’s an art that has influenced cultures and stood the test of time.“

Our first big international trip for our new business venture, ASOB Media, sent us to The South of France to explore their legendary perfumeries. Note: France being the authority in perfume I had the privilege and opportunity to live in this picturesque country for a couple of months last fall to fully absorb it all. It was an unparalleled experience and to this day, I miss the apartment… waking up to the sunshine and the mediterranean sea. 

Our apartment was settled right in the middle of the idyllic and timeless French Riviera and all of it felt like a dream. I didn’t know how to share all of the beauty it provided while experiencing in real time, so this story is now best told as a retrospective. I had to overcome a lot of imposter syndrome from leaving my life in LA to begin something new in France. But regardless of this personal narrative, I learned a lot about the perfume industry and I would love to now share it with you. 

1. The perfume industry we know today began from leather tanneries. The scenting of leather gloves began because of the strong odor that came from the dying process.  Natural perfume plants were able to grow in abundance in Grasse which they naturally used to scent and gloves. That process evolved into bottling the perfumes to sell individually and began the perfume industry we know today. Catherine Medici, when she was Queen of France, would travel back and forth to Florence.  Upon moving to France from Italy, she took her entire court, including her personal perfumer from Italy.  En route to Florence from France she began to stop in Grasse to have her perfumer gather ingredients and because of that, she deemed Grasse as her personal perfume capital which now has translated into the perfume capital of the world.

2. The French culture of perfume began with fashion, originally having bottles that could be filled with vinegar or strong salts to accompany a women’s corset led to the evolution of the bottles being used for perfume.  Chanel was the first fashion house to source from Grasse and to begin the trend of a signature scent to compliment the line. 

3. The last fact I will leave with you is that the demand for natural perfume is actually not sustainable.  For perspective, it takes 1 ton of roses for 1 liter of rose oil and even more for lavender with an average of two tons for one liter.  So if one is in demand for natural or organic perfumes, in my personal opinion, you cannot also be in demand for sustainability. Or you can, just know the stance would be contrary to one another. 

And these are just fun facts about perfume. I could go into all of the nuances between Eau de Toilette, Eau de Perfume and Cologne. And I even made my own perfume at Fragonard and Galimard in Grasse… But this is another post for another time. 

If you find yourself in the south of France, I highly recommend a trip to Grasse. Say hello to my friends at Fragonard, 1000Flowers Perfumer and Galimard. You have the opportunity to make your own perfumes and to study and learn about the history of this beautiful art in France and its a beautiful experience that is unique to the region. You don’t want to miss out. 

XO

Gab