Thinking about getting into the perfume industry? Want to know how the French perfume industry works? We’ve put together facts on making & selling perfume that you want to know.
Situated in Provence in the South of France on the Mediterranean coastline. Nice is at the centre of the France Fragrance Industry, just down the road from Grasse, the World Capital of Perfume. In Provence you cannot escape perfume, flowers are everywhere and Nice has the best flower market of all, over 100 market stalls dedicated to flowers. The February Carnival in Nice is famous for its ‘Battle of the Flowers’ where spectators are pelted with flowers and petals by the lavishly decorated floats as they parade through the City. Visitors and tourists to the City can go on a walking tour around various gardens open to the public, visit greenhouses and perfumeries, there are several excellent Museums dedicated to the History of Perfume and the Fragrance Industry that are worth visiting and you can even take a short course in perfume making at the ‘Parfumerie Molinard’.
‘Parfumerie Molinard’ is the oldest family run business in France. Founded in 1849 in Grasse you can still visit the original factory rooms where perfumed products are still created with loving attention to detail. The Head Office, factory and museum are in Grasse, the ‘House of Fragrance’ is in Nice. Perfumers to Royalty, Molinard has worked with Baccarat and René Lalique for many years who have created some stunning perfume bottles for Molinard.
Perfume Companies in Nice
Around Grasse and Nice there are more than 20 Perfume companies. Chanel, Obsession and Giorgio are all created here as well as many other famous perfumes. Chanel N° 5 with its principal ingredients of May Rose, Jasmine and Musk is the best selling perfume in the world and here in Provence farms are dedicated to producing 20 tons of Jasmine and 50 tons of May Rose each year just for Chanel!
History of Fragrance Industry in Nice
The France fragrance industry began here in the 16th Century. Originally a leather and tanning centre in the 13th Century, the area became famous for its leather gloves. Then it became the fashion in the 16th Century to wear perfumed leather gloves (thanks to Catherine de Medici) and that was the beginning of the Perfume Industry here in Grasse and Nice. The fragrance industry production now surpasses that of leather here.
If you, like the majority of us, appreciate fragrances and flowers then Nice is the place for you. Even if you don’t there is still a bewildering variety of things to do and see. But Nice, at the heart of the France Fragrance Industry is for perfume lovers first and foremost.
