Grasse and perfume
In the Middle Ages, the town of Grasse was especially famous for its tanning and glove-making activities. The tanners and master glove makers were thus renowned throughout Europe. But leather tanning was based on smelly methods, and the rich bourgeois and nobles complained about the unpleasant smell of their leather gloves and accessories. Until one day a craftsman has the idea of dipping his articles in baths of perfumed essence. From the 16th century onwards, the gloves sold by craftsmen in Grasse were scented, and the fragrances they exhaled became a real selling point. Perfumery developed strongly in the region of Grasse and was carried by a land favorable to the cultivation of fragrant plants.
In the 17th century, plants from all continents were imported into the region: jasmine comes from India, tuberose is native to Italy. In the 18th century, leather work was abandoned in favor of perfumery which became the main activity of the town in the 19th century: flower gardens multiplied in the countryside. In the 20th century, the city of Grasse continued to thrive thanks to the perfume industry. In 1926, Eugène Fuchs founded the Fragonard perfume house, a name synonymous with luxury worldwide
Struggling at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century, the perfume industry of Grasse was able to transform itself and find a new balance, thanks to the image of quality, know-how and luxury of French perfumery.
