Grasse is known as the perfume capital of the world because it has been at the heart of perfume making for centuries and is home to some of the world's most experienced perfumers. Today, many leading fragrance brands continue to work with perfumers in Grasse because of their expertise, attention to detail, and long tradition of creating fine fragrances.
Before I visited Grasse, I knew about its reputation. After spending time there and working closely with experienced perfumers, I came away with an even greater appreciation for why it continues to be regarded as the world's perfume capital. What impressed me wasn't just its history. It was the people, the craftsmanship, and the amount of care that goes into creating every fragrance.
Before you first visited Grasse, what did you expect, and what surprised you most once you arrived?
Before I visited Grasse, I expected to see a town with lots of perfume shops, museums, and businesses connected to the fragrance industry because I'd heard so much about its history. I imagined perfume would be everywhere, but I still wasn't prepared for what I experienced once I arrived.
What surprised me most wasn't the buildings or the museums. It was the people. Everyone I met seemed genuinely passionate about perfume. It didn't feel like they were simply doing a job. Many of them had spent decades working in the industry, and you could see how much pride they took in what they created.
I also expected most of the work to be carried out by machines. Instead, I found experienced people making careful decisions throughout the process. That visit completely changed the way I looked at perfume making because I realised that even with modern technology, creating a great fragrance still depends heavily on human knowledge, experience, and attention to detail.
Why did you decide to have Luxaro fragrances made in Grasse instead of somewhere else?
I chose to have Luxaro fragrances made in Grasse because I wanted to work with experienced perfumers who cared about quality rather than simply finding the cheapest place to manufacture fragrances.
When I started building Luxaro, I had plenty of options. I could have focused on reducing production costs, but that was never my priority. Customer satisfaction has always come first. People are spending their hard-earned money, and I believe they deserve a fragrance that's been created with care using high-quality ingredients.
That's why I chose to work with perfumers in Grasse. Our perfumers have more than 40 years of experience creating fragrances, and after visiting them and seeing how they work, I knew I'd found the right people. Their approach matched exactly what I wanted Luxaro to stand for. They don't rush the process, they don't cut corners, and they're focused on producing the best fragrance they possibly can. That same level of care goes into every fragrance created by our experienced perfumers in Grasse.
After visiting your perfumers, what made you realise why Grasse became the perfume capital?
The biggest reason I understood why Grasse became the perfume capital was seeing the experience, patience, and attention to detail of the people working there.
Anyone can say they've been making perfume for decades, but seeing that experience in action is something completely different. Every decision had a purpose behind it. Nothing was rushed, and nothing was done simply because it was quicker or cheaper.
I was also impressed by the level of quality control. Before I receive a fragrance sample, it has already been evaluated by more than ten experienced noses. That's something most customers never see, but it shows just how seriously they take producing a high-quality fragrance.
After spending time there, I realised Grasse hasn't kept its reputation simply because of its history. It continues to deserve that reputation because the standards are still incredibly high today.
What have you personally learned from working with perfumers in Grasse that most customers probably don't know?
The biggest thing I've learned is that creating a perfume takes far longer than most people imagine.
Many people think perfumes are created by mixing a few ingredients together before pouring them into bottles. In reality, that's only a small part of the process. Developing the perfume oil alone can take several weeks before the first sample is even ready. During that time, the perfumers are constantly assessing how the fragrance develops, making small adjustments, and checking that it captures the character they're aiming for.
What surprised me even more was that creating the perfume oil isn't the end of the process. The oil is then sent to our manufacturer, where it's blended with perfume alcohol before going through further production, including maceration. That stage alone can take another month or more before the fragrance is finally ready to be bottled.
Until I started working closely with perfumers in Grasse, I never fully appreciated how much patience, experience, and attention to detail goes into producing one finished bottle of perfume. If you're interested in learning more about the process, I've explained how experienced perfumers create inspired scents, from analysing the original fragrance to testing and refining the final formula.
Do you think Grasse still deserves to be called the perfume capital of the world today? Why?
Yes, I absolutely believe Grasse still deserves to be called the perfume capital of the world because the knowledge, experience, and passion for perfume are still very much alive there today.
History is important, but history alone isn't enough to maintain a worldwide reputation. What impressed me most was seeing that the same commitment to quality still exists. The people I work with have spent decades creating fragrances, and they're focused on producing the best possible result rather than simply producing fragrances as quickly as possible.
There are talented perfumers in many parts of the world, and I've never believed that great perfume can only come from one place. However, after spending time in Grasse and working closely with experienced perfumers there, I completely understand why so many respected fragrance brands continue to choose it. Brands such as Le Labo, Chanel, Hermès, have long recognised the expertise found in Grasse, which gave me even more confidence that it was the right place to have Luxaro fragrances created.
Have you noticed any difference between fragrances made in Grasse and fragrances you've tried from elsewhere?
Yes, although I wouldn't say every fragrance made outside Grasse is inferior because that simply wouldn't be true. There are talented perfumers all over the world, and great fragrances can be created in many different places.
What I have noticed over the years is the consistency and attention to detail. The experienced perfumers I work with in Grasse don't just focus on making a fragrance smell good for the first few minutes. They pay just as much attention to how it develops over the following hours, how balanced it feels, and whether every stage of the fragrance works together naturally. That's the same approach behind the fragrances we create with our Grasse perfumers.
I've also noticed they're incredibly patient. If they believe something isn't quite right, they'll continue refining it until they're happy with the result. They're not interested in rushing a fragrance into production simply because it's quicker. Their priority is getting it right, and that's one of the biggest reasons I continue working with them.
That attention to detail is especially important when creating rich fragrances with lots of depth. For example, balancing tobacco, vanilla, spices, and woody notes so that one ingredient doesn't overpower the others takes time and experience. It's the same careful approach our perfumers used when creating Smoky Vanilla, where every stage of the fragrance develops smoothly from the smoky opening to the warm vanilla finish.
Was there anything you saw during your visit that made you appreciate how much work goes into perfume making?
Yes, absolutely. Visiting Grasse completely changed the way I looked at perfume making because I finally saw just how much happens behind the scenes before a fragrance reaches the bottle.
Watching experienced perfumers work was fascinating because every decision seemed carefully considered. Nothing was rushed, and nothing was left to chance. You could tell they had spent decades developing their knowledge, and that experience showed in the way they approached every fragrance they created.
What surprised me even more was how much work happens after the perfume oil has been completed. Many people think that's the finished product, but it's really only one stage of a much longer process. The perfume still needs to be blended with alcohol, left to macerate so the ingredients can properly combine, then filtered, bottled, checked for quality, labelled, and packed before it's finally ready for customers.
Seeing the whole process gave me a completely different appreciation for why creating a high-quality fragrance takes time and why taking shortcuts can affect the final result.
Why do so many perfume brands, including Luxaro, choose to work with perfumers in Grasse?
I believe so many perfume brands choose to work with perfumers in Grasse because of the experience and knowledge that's been built over generations. I've also looked more closely at why so many luxury perfume brands continue to choose Grasse, France, including the role of experienced perfumers, ingredient knowledge, quality, and the practical reasons brands still have fragrances developed there today.
From my own experience, that's the biggest advantage. When you work with perfumers who have spent more than 40 years creating fragrances, you're benefiting from skills that simply can't be learned overnight. They understand how ingredients behave, how fragrances develop over time, and how small adjustments can completely change the finished result.
When I chose to work with perfumers in Grasse, I wasn't choosing a location because it sounded impressive. I was choosing people whose standards matched my own. They care about quality, they pay attention to the smallest details, and they're prepared to spend the time needed to create the best fragrance they can.
As a business owner, that gives me confidence because I know we're both working towards the same goal, which is producing fragrances that customers genuinely enjoy wearing.
Have you ever had a customer react positively after finding out your fragrances are made in Grasse?
Yes, many customers react positively when they discover our fragrances are made in Grasse because they already associate the town with high-quality perfume.
Some customers already know about Grasse before they contact us. They've visited the town themselves, watched documentaries, or read about its history. As soon as they hear our fragrances are made there, they often tell me it gives them extra confidence because they already recognise Grasse as one of the world's most respected perfume-making locations.
I've also spoken to plenty of customers who had never heard of Grasse before. When they ask why our fragrances are made there, I explain that I wanted to work with experienced perfumers rather than simply choosing the cheapest manufacturer I could find.
Once they understand the experience behind the people creating the fragrances and the amount of work involved, they usually understand exactly why I made that decision. It's always nice when customers realise there was genuine thought behind choosing Grasse rather than it simply being something to mention on the website. That's one of the reasons I continue to trust the expertise of our Grasse perfumers.
If someone asked you, "Does it really matter where a perfume is made?", what would your honest answer be?
Yes, I think where a perfume is made does matter, but probably not for the reason many people think.
For me, it's less about the location itself and more about the people working there. You could build a perfume factory almost anywhere in the world, but you can't instantly recreate decades of knowledge, experience, and craftsmanship.
That's what I found in Grasse.
The experienced perfumers I work with understand fragrance in an incredible amount of detail. They know how ingredients behave, how fragrances develop over time, and how small adjustments can completely change the final result. That kind of knowledge comes from years of experience, not from simply following a formula.
Ultimately, I believe great perfumes are created by talented people rather than famous places. The reason I continue working with perfumers in Grasse isn't because of the name alone. It's because I trust the people behind the fragrances, I've seen how they work, and I know they care about quality just as much as I do.
That's something I believe customers deserve, and it's one of the reasons I'll continue working with them as Luxaro grows.
