pairs to those in her

pairs to those in her favour, and so began a16th century craze for perfumed gloves. Thetanning and perfume industries would evolveto operate hand in glove!By the 17th century, perfumed gloves hadbecome so popular it led to the growth ofGlovers Perfumers guilds in Grasse whoscrambled to meet demand and began togrow flowers to make perfume. Over timethe glove making industry waned, and theperfume industry rocketed. It wasn’t until thestart of the 19th century that regular bathingbecame a thing, so perfume was vital tomasking foul smells. Grasse became the placefor perfume supplies and King Louis XIV whohad his own perfumer, trained in the arts ofblending scents, his supplies coming fromGalimard in Grasse. And Napoleon loved hiseau de cologne so much it’s said he not onlydabbed it but drank it, and always carried asmall bottle in his boot.Visit the town in May for Exporose, every corner is decorated with roses, a hugerose market, street performances and moreTo this day, Grasse is the most importantcentre of perfume making in France and in2018 UNESCO awarded the town intangiblecultural heritage status, safeguarding thisliving tradition.The old town, with its narrow pastel huedbuildings, fountains on every corner anda stupendous sweeping view down to theBay of Cannes, still bears the story of itsfragrant transformation.Statue of Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the townThe old town of GrasseAncient Greek warriorswore vials of perfumeto protect themselvesin battleStart your visit at theMusée International de laParfumerie – the only oneof its kind in the world, andyou’ll get a great overviewof how Grasse became sofamously fragrant. Discoverhow there are more than4000 listed scents, and thata ‘nose,’ an expert perfumecreator, must memorise at least 1000 of them.Stick your nose into ‘essence fountains’ and‘vapour trails’ and if you take a guided tour,you may be ‘lucky’ enough to be invited tosniff a jar of synthetic civet which mimics thescent of the anal secretions of small animalslike beaver, a frequent ingredient in perfumeand said to be a particularly favoured aromaof King Louis XIV. It’s a fascinating exhibitionincluding a greenhouse filled with popularperfume plants from roses to ginger, andQueen Marie-Antoinette’s travel case. It’ssaid that she had the case sent to her sister toavoid attention to such an obviously expensivepiece, when trying to flee Paris during theFrench Revolution – but her famously scentedjasmine hair oil led to her being recognised.When creating perfume,the scents are separateto three classes knownas notes:Top/head notes – light citrus, floral andfruity scents that last for around 15 minutesafter you apply.Middle/heart notes – these last 2-3 hoursand include jasmine, lavender, rose andspices like cinnamon and nutmeg.Base/soul notes – can last up to 24hours, and scents include musk, vanilla,sandalwood and cedar wood.Didier Galglewski ofParfum G, GrassePerfumers, known as‘noses’ (nez), aboundin Grasse, not justat the big houses ofGalimard, Molinard,Fragonard, Dior, Chaneland Lancôme, butsingle independentstoo. In a dazzling12 th century buildingin rue de l’Oratoire,independent perfumerDidier Galglewski’s skills are in demand withthe great beauty and couture houses, but youcan buy his unique and exquisite perfumes inhis shop Parfum G. He specialises in artisantechniques to create an authentic andpersonal approach to perfumes, and can tellfrom looking at someone and asking just a fewquestions which perfume will suit them.Jessica September Buchanan,1000 Flowers, GrasseWhile in Place AuxAires, Canadian JessicaSeptember Buchanan,who studied perfumeryin Grasse, now livesthere. She was drawnto the town for itslifestyle as well as theresources of the areaand her quest to createperfumes in a sustainableecological way. Her shop 1000 Flowers is fullof her divine perfumes. Jessica also teachesfragrance creation from her academy on thefirst floor.There are plenty ofopportunities to createyour own unique scent inthe town, and I headed toGalimard to channel myinner Coco Chanel. Thefamous haute couturierworked with top noseErnest Beaux to createMy own personal organ!a “woman’s perfume.”He presented her witha range of perfumesnumbering 1-5 and20-24. She chose No.5 as it was her luckynumber. Installed at myown ‘organ’ of perfumesto sniff more than 100different notes – around40 each of head, heartand base notes, I mixedMy own personal fragranceessences with help froma nose/instructor to get the balance right,creating perfume is part science, wholly art.I received a bottle of perfume, the blend10 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 11