Fragonard is a perfume factory in Grasse, near Nice. There you can visit the historic production line, the perfume museum, and buy cosmetics in the factory’s shop. It is certainly worth visiting this place while you are on the French Riviera.

Fragonard (Fragonard Parfumeur) is one of three famous perfumeries who have their headquarters in Grasse, about 44 km from Nice (the others are Galimard and Molinard). The city itself is known for the production of beautiful fragrances; and this is where the action takes place in several chapters of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, a book by Patrick Suskind. I will write more about Grasse on the blog soon – but this time we will visit the historic Fragonard perfume factory and museum.

The Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse on the French Riviera

The Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse on the French Riviera

The Fragonard Perfumery took its name from the French painter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who was born in the eighteenth century in Grasse. Tourists can visit the building that housed one of the first perfume factories in Grasse (1782). Currently, it is a renovated, elegant building that contains a perfume museum and a small production line, from which products can be bought on site. Perfumes under the Fragonard brand have been produced continuously since 1926.

Visiting the Fragonard Perfumery

Your Visit to the perfumery begins right after you enter the building. First, you will see the exhibits related to the production and storage of perfumes. The mini museum includes, among other things, a set of richly decorated miniature bottles once belonging to aristocrats. The museum presents the history of perfumery, which dates back as much as 3,000 years. On the lower level of the building there is a waiting room where the production line guided tours start (also in English).

Visiting the old factory takes about 15 minutes. Here, you can see where the so-called “noses” work. There are only 50 of them worldwide, and they earn a minimum of 15,000 euro per month. It is the “noses” who compose the perfumes that we all admire. Going along further, you can see tanks for the extraction of fragrances (one of the production techniques) and the baskets used for filtering. There is also a place for the production of fragrant soaps in the shape of eggs and a line for filling perfume bottles and packaging them. The perfumes produced at the site are poured into aluminum bottles so that they retain their aromas for longer.

The Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse on the French Riviera

The Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse on the French Riviera

The perfumery can be visited free of charge daily from 9am to 6pm. The Fragonard Perfumery in Grasse is located at 20 Boulevard Fragonard, and the city bus stops exactly at the perfumery. For 65 euros, you can take part in training on how to compose fragrances. The workshop lasts for 1.5 hours and at the end you will get 100 ml of your own perfume.

From the museum straight to the Fragonard factory shop

The tour of the perfumery and museum ends at the Fragonard store. The guide presents two of the most popular female and male fragrances, and the task for visitors is to guess the main ingredients in the perfumes. Then the prices are presented. Certainly this whole process was invented by some marketing genius. It is impossible to simply leave the building after visiting the production line. Everyone is overwhelmed by the smells and information they have learned during the visit – there is nothing left but to choose something for yourself and approach the cash register. I did this myself, and because I did not need a new fragrance, I at least bought a shower gel (10 euros for 250 ml).

I would definitely recommend a visit to Grasse and one of its local perfumeries. It is a fantastic adventure and an unusual fragrance experience. However, it is worth knowing that there are several similar places on the Cote d’Azur – one of these is in the village of Eze.