Grasse is the world’s capital of perfume. That is exactly what I told you in this blog post. In the past few years I have visited lots of different perfumeries at the Côte d’Azur. This year I wanted to do something special…not just going to one of the perfumeries again and buying a new fragrance, this year I went to Fragonard to create my very own fragrance.
Fragonard offers a workshop that is called Perfumer’s Apprentice. In this workshop a teacher explains to you what a fragrance consists of and what you have to think about when you create a fragrance. You also get to smell different ingredients and discuss about different scents in detail and what the smell reminds you of. So like close your eyes and tell what a special ingredient/scent makes you think of. For example when you smell lavender it makes you think of a summer vacation in the Provence. You smell lavender and imagine the purple fields, walking through them and just feeling happy and free. Every scent reminds me of something, of a particular situation, a special place, etc. The nose and what we smell with it is closely connected with our brain and memories. So we don’t just smell things, we associate something with it and try to get a connection and a meaning between the scent of a flower or a fragrance and a memory.
In this workshop my mum and I took part in we learned that there are more than 5.000 different scents (if I remember that correctly!?) that are used to create a fragrance. You have to distinguish between three different types of notes: the top, middle and base note.
- Top Note (20-40 % of the fragrance): e.g. basil, bergamot, lemon, orange, tea tree oil, grapefruit
- Middle Note: known as the “heart” of a fragrance (40-80 %): e.g. lavender, black pepper, pine, rosemary, juniper
- Base Note (10-25 percent): e.g. sandalwood, rose, vetiver, patchouli, jasmine, cedarwood
Now take a look at the creation of my fragrance which I called Wanderlust (as that is the exact feeling that I have every single day when I’m not on vacation 😉 )
This is where the magic happens 😉
Wanderlust in the making 🙂
At the end we received a diploma. Proud me 😉
The workshop costs 65 € per person (95 € when you would like to do it in their Paris perfumery) and includes the following: 100 ml perfume, a lovely pouch to carry your perfume bottle, a Fragonard designed apron and a diploma signed by the teacher.
Museum
Fragonard also offers guided tours in different languages through the museum. Here’s a sneak peak:
Fragonard Store
And if you don’t want to book a workshop or participate in one of the guided tours (you should though because they are for free!) you can always visit one of their shops to buy one (or more) of their amazing fragrances.
I had a lot of fun creating my own fragrance and learning more about the history and the creation of fragrances. Would you also like to create your own fragrance? For more information about the workshop at Fragonard click here. Please note that reservations can only be made online.
xx
Alissa
