Grasse is a hill town in Provence, in the south of France, long regarded as the historic capital of perfume. It was first known for tanning leather; when perfumed gloves became fashionable, its glove-makers turned to fragrance, and the mild climate let the region grow flowers such as jasmine, rose, tuberose and orange blossom for perfumery. Over the following centuries Grasse became a centre for growing perfume plants, extracting natural materials and training perfumers. In 2018 the skills related to perfume in the Pays de Grasse were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
From leather to fragrance
Grasse’s craft industry was long dominated by tanning, and tanned leather had a strong, often unpleasant smell. Scented gloves were fashionable among the wealthy in Europe from the sixteenth century, and perfuming leather became a skill in its own right. Glove-makers in Grasse developed it, and the trade of glover-perfumer took shape. As the leather industry declined, perfume took its place. The link survives in the "leather" notes of perfumery today; see Leather Fragrances.
Why there?
- Climate. A mild, sunny climate, sheltered from cold winds, suited fragrant crops.
- Water. Streams and springs supported both tanning and later processing.
- Know-how. Generations of skill in treating materials passed from leather to flowers.
The flowers of Grasse
Grasse and the surrounding area became known for:
- Jasmine, especially Jasminum grandiflorum. See Jasmine in Perfume.
- May rose, Rosa × centifolia, harvested in late spring. See Rose in Perfume.
- Tuberose, orange blossom, mimosa, violet and lavender from the wider region.
Flowers grown around Grasse remain highly valued, though production today is small compared with its historical scale, and much of the world’s supply of these materials now comes from countries such as India, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey.
Grasse did not invent perfume. It made a landscape, a trade and a training ground for it, and kept them for centuries.
The techniques
Grasse was a centre for extracting natural materials: distillation in copper stills, enfleurage — laying petals on fat to absorb their scent — and later solvent extraction, which largely replaced it. These methods, and the reasons each suits different flowers, are described in How Perfume Ingredients Are Extracted.
A centre for perfumers
Grasse is also associated with the training of perfumers and with companies that produce natural materials. Perfume schools and fragrance companies there have helped train generations of perfumers. See What Does a Perfumer Do?.
UNESCO recognition
UNESCO’s listing covers three related skills: cultivating perfume plants, knowing natural raw materials and their processing, and the art of composing perfume. It is the know-how that is listed, not the town itself, and UNESCO notes that the knowledge is passed on largely informally, through long practice, as well as in formal training.
Grasse today
Grasse is a working town as well as a destination. It has a museum of perfume history, fragrance companies, flower fields in the surrounding countryside, and festivals celebrating the jasmine and rose harvests. For visitors, it’s a place to smell the raw materials of perfume in their own landscape.
Grasse in the wider history
Grasse is one chapter in a much longer story that includes ancient incense, distillation in the medieval Islamic world, eau de Cologne and the arrival of synthetic molecules. See A Short History of Perfume.
Common questions
Why is Grasse called the perfume capital of the world?
Because of its long history of growing perfume flowers, extracting natural materials and training perfumers.
Is perfume still made in Grasse?
Yes. Natural materials are still produced there, fragrance companies and perfumers work there, and flowers are still harvested, on a smaller scale than in the past.
What flowers is Grasse famous for?
Jasmine and the May rose above all, along with tuberose, orange blossom and others.
Sources
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, The skills related to perfume in Pays de Grasse: the cultivation of perfume plants, the knowledge and processing of natural raw materials, and the art of perfume composition (inscribed 2018, element 01207; decision 13.COM 10.B.14).
