Perfume, the emblem of French refinement

Where does this French fascination with perfume come from?

What role has France played in establishing it as one of Europeans' essential beauty rituals?

How has French expertise, in the cultivation of perfume plants and fragrance creation, gradually become recognized worldwide?

You'll find out in this new article from Mag Parfum by Estéban.

France: The Realm of Perfume Plants

If France is today considered one of (if not THE) global benchmark for perfume, it is because it is readily recognized for an exceptional horticultural heritage (the cradle of many luxurious raw materials), talented master perfumers (some world-renowned), and above all, unique expertise, inherited from centuries of trade, technical innovations, and both political and economic investment. Even today, around the world, the perfume industry retains a very French identity. The know-how of the Grasse region, in terms of perfume, was officially inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2018.

This award recognizes the expertise of the region and its inhabitants, who have been cultivating perfume plants and transforming them, as well as creating scented compositions, since at least the 16th century. At the time, the region was mainly known for its tanneries (an activity producing strong odors). To remedy this, the nobility of Grasse organized themselves to encourage the cultivation (and use) of fragrant plants and the concomitant development of the perfumer's trade. While flower essences had until then been imported from Montpellier, Grasse developed dense cultivation of perfume plants; so that lavender, jasmine, rose, and rosemary could quickly be harvested locally, meeting the needs of the industry.

Alongside Paris and Grasse, Montpellier played an essential role in the development of French perfumery in the 17th and 18th centuries: while the capital was crucial for the creation and distribution of perfumed products, Parisian professionals mainly sourced their ingredients from the Grasse and Montpellier regions (flowers and aromatic plants were then used to perfume leather gloves, which were highly prized by high society). Beyond its unparalleled natural and plant heritage, the city of Montpellier, ideally located on the edge of the Mediterranean basin, imported rare spices, plants, and goods, greatly contributing to the rise of southern perfumery. The city even had up to 21 perfume factories.

Did you know? Connoisseurs of the city of Montpellier will be curious to learn that the current Grande Rue Jean-Moulin, which was its center, was once called "Rue des parfums" (Perfume Street).

Crowned Heads and Passionate Perfumes

The passion for perfume firmly took root in the customs of the French aristocracy from the mid-16th century, during the reign of Catherine de' Medici (Queen of France from 1547 to 1559). This Italian woman, introduced to perfumes from a very young age (Italian products were then the benchmark and were already exported abroad), arrived at the Parisian Court accompanied by her master perfumer (Renato Bianco, known as "René le Florentin"). Catherine quickly imposed the fashion for Pomanders, perfumed gloves, and small scent bottles slipped into clothing pockets. As for Renato Bianco, his fame allowed him to open his perfume shop in the capital (Rue Pont aux Changes), leading to the arrival of many other perfumers in his wake. The perfumers of the Kingdom of France had already been organized into a guild since 1190, but their expertise was still relatively rudimentary. Thanks to Renato and his activity, French perfumery gradually gained its prestige…

But it was truly from the reign of Louis XIV, in the 17th century, that the reputation of French perfume began to flourish abroad. The monarch, determined to lead France to its peak, gave considerable importance to the arts, culture, and literature. Perfume, of which he himself was a great connoisseur (he was nicknamed "the sweetest-smelling King"), was no exception and became an instrument for Versailles' influence abroad (Versailles was then called "the Scented Court"). It was customary to appear there every day adorned with a different perfume, and all the Courts of Europe soon followed French fashion. This was a boon for perfumers who then created tailor-made eaux-de-senteurs for their illustrious clientele.

Simon Barbe (perfumer, skilled writer and courtier in his spare time) describes in his work Le parfumeur François, the perfumed customs of the Court, where flowers with intoxicating trails scented the leather of gloves, where "Venus handkerchiefs" (fabrics impregnated with fragrant essences) were commonplace, and where it was customary to burn perfume braziers (the ancestor of ambient fragrance) in bedrooms, to perfume and purify the air. Indeed, at the time, the use of perfumes also had a hygienic and medicinal purpose (the line between apothecary and perfumer was then blurred). To enjoy its virtues, perfume even found its way into food: at the King's table, one could find wine infused with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, long pepper, and coriander. Amber and musk were then added to this nectar, as well as citrus fruits, which the King was very fond of.

Under his reign, courtiers rubbed their bodies with Bologna soap, cleaned their teeth with a preparation made of cinnamon, clove, and lemon, and anointed their hands with a paste of iris, benzoin, and sweet almond to "gently remove dirt." Oils of sandalwood, rose, or lavender, which anointed the hair under the wig, completed the adornment. Perfume plants (jasmine, roses, and tuberose in particular) were found even in Lenôtre's gardens and in the Hall of Mirrors, where potted orange trees bloomed all year round, to the delight of diplomats and other prestigious guests, contributing to the renown of this Scented Court throughout Europe.

Political Choices in Favor of French Perfumery

Since the Renaissance, numerous political decisions have enabled France to position itself at the forefront of the perfume trade and manufacturing.

In 1536, Francis I signed an alliance with Suleiman the Magnificent, leader of the Ottoman Empire, securing a prime position for the French on the perfume routes. From then on, France would play a strategic role in what was known as "The Levant Scales" (a set of ports and merchant cities through which European travelers accessed the East). The war between the Serenissima (Venice) and the Porte (Constantinople) gradually eliminated Venice's commercial competition, offering Marseille a real advantage in the maritime trade of rare essences and spices.

Later, under the influence of his wife Catherine de' Medici, Henry II established the first perfume bottle factory in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, hiring the services of great Italian master glassmakers to create exceptional pieces for the Court, thereby countering Italian glass production, which was then dominant in the market. Following this, Colbert would create the Royal Glass Manufactory, which would later be named St Gobain. Gradually, French production surpassed its competitor in quality and renown.

The manufacture of perfumes, meanwhile, was encouraged during the reign of Louis XIV by the creation of the "Métiers d'Art" (the origin of luxury in France), of which perfumery was obviously a part. The charter of the glove-perfumers was also expanded, allowing for the emergence of new processes that fueled the creativity of perfumers. The refinement of distillation and the capture of the scent of "mute flowers" through enfleurage, in particular, broadened the perfumers' palette and freed them from the constraints of seasonality of essences. So much so that by 1673, the exceptional sales volume of perfumes placed the perfumers' guild among the most important merchants in the Kingdom.

In the 18th century, French perfumery firmly established itself on the European scene.

Even today, perfume remains one of France's most beautiful symbols and a testament to its refinement.

An expertise that has only grown finer with time, making "made in France" a true guarantee of quality and authenticity worldwide. This year, the country will be the center of all international attention due to the global sporting event being held there. For the occasion, Estéban has combined the emotion of sport and French savoir-vivre in a collection of official licensed Paris 2024 products designed to perfume the daily lives of thousands of enthusiasts. To be discovered in its entirety very soon.

Sources:

• Podcast La voix du parfum by Isabelle Sadoux: "France on the Perfume Routes"
• "Marie-Antoinette's Rosewater and Other Voluptuous Perfumes of History," by Elisabeth de Feydau