As I have been on the subject of French perfumes in the past few weeks, in recognition of my upcoming aromatherapy study trip to France in the summer, I thought I would take a quick look at the perfume museums in Paris that I discovered in the course of my research for the trip!  I will be spending a few days in Paris on the return from the south of France and so wanted to incorporate a final piece of French fragrance into my trip!  This is what I discovered:

• there are several companies that either offer a tour of their fragrance house or offer a class in making perfumes
• many do not operate during the month of August, the traditional time when Parisians “get out-of-town” to escape the summer heat of the city
• one company, Fragonard, has not one, but two locations which offer an insight into the world of fragrance. Here’s a quick look at what Fragonard offers:

Fragonard Perfume Museum in Paris

Fragonard operates both the Musee du Parfum on Rue Scribe and the Theatre des Capucines Museum on Boulevard des Capucines in Paris.  Both museums are free to visit:

• the Musee du Parfum on Rue Scribe is situated inside a Napoleon III town house dating back to 1860.  It has a collection of various perfumery objects that have been used throughout history
• the Theatre des Capucines museum first opened in 1900 and is described as ” a miniature factory composed of 19th century copper distilling apparatus demonstrating the methods for extracting raw materials.”

Although these days most fragrance companies use synthetic ingredients in the making of perfumes, the perfume museums promise an insight into the world of perfumery making when plants and flowers were still used (as in the day of Marie Antoinette) – and as is the case of clinical aromatherapy today.

More information on both of these perfume museums can be found on Fragonard’s website – but I will also be posting my own review of both places on my return from France in the Fall!  Watch out for other related material, such as e-books, articles and courses, from my France trip too!