City Focus: Grasse

“In 2018, the “world capital of perfume” was honoured with UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage status to acknowledge and protect a centuries-old expertise.

Of the five senses smell is our most neglected, its miraculous subtlety drowned out by those workhorses hearing and sight. But scents are evocative, and informative, on levels

we don’t consciously compute. It turns out that emotions have an odour. Why do we prefer to be around someone who’s giddy in love? Because we like the smell of delight. Scientists have even pinpointed odours that make us appear more attractive. In one study, participants who smelled and enjoyed the aroma of ripe grapefruit guessed the age of women shown in photographs to be around 12 years younger than they actually were; floral or spicy notes made women appear around four pounds slimmer. It seems science is finally catching up with some of the mysteries the perfumers of Grasse have known for centuries.

Nestled between the Côte d’Azur and the foothills of the Southern Alps, the Pays de Grasse’s temperate weather, rich soil and sheltered fields coincide to create the ideal microclimate for the cultivation of flowers. Iris, mimosa, tuberose, violet, orange blossom, hyacinth and most of all jasmine and the tousled pink centifolia rose (called the

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May rose) provided the backbone of an early cottage industry that over the centuries blossomed into the world epicentre of perfume.”