Perfume scentral – Grasse near the south coast is an iconic spot


Scentsational Provence C


elebrity headlines recently revealed that Noel Gallagher of superband Oasis


has bought Noel Edmonds’ house in Grasse in the south of France. Gallagher is the latest in a long list of celebrities and other notable fi gures to fall in love with the Provencal town. Property owners from the world of music, TV and fi lm, along with heads of industry, fi nanciers – and even a few royals – have chosen the area around Grasse for its beautiful surroundings – and also the fact they can be anonymous, unlike on the glitzy Riviera just a short drive away. Grasse was famously loved by Queen Victoria, the Rothschild family and many others (Alice Rothschild and Queen Victoria


both have streets named after them in the town). Known as the world’s


perfume capital, Grasse sits high up in the hills above the Côte d’Azur. Its reputation for perfume began in the 16th century when glove-makers started creating scents to sweeten the smell of leather, famously receiving Catherine de Medici’s favour. It is claimed that 50% of French perfume originates in Grasse. The area’s warm micro-


climate, quality of air and abundance of natural springs allowed for the cultivation of rare ingredients such as myrtle, jasmine, roses, orange blossom and wild mimosa. Grasse soon became the largest global producer of raw materials for perfume. Many of its


58 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023


cornerstone perfume houses, such as Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard still exist today. Christian Dior owns two


estates in Grasse; Chanel also has properties here, where it grows the jasmine and roses used to make the iconic Chanel No 5, and last year Lancôme bought a beautiful estate called Domaine de la Rose. In 2024 Grasse will host the 2024 World Perfume fair (SIMPPAR). One of the major turning


points for the town was when LVMH (owner of Dior, Louis Vuitton and Moët & Chandon) announced that it was taking on a huge project in the centre of the town. Les Fontaines Parfumées opened in September 2016, the worldwide HQ and development centre for the perfume departments


Perfume capital Grasse has long attracted the rich and the famous – from Queen Victoria to the latest celebrity property owner Noel Gallagher, writes Holly Peters


of Dior and Louis Vuitton, plus the opening of Château de La Colle Noire to the west of Grasse (Christian Dior’s former home and now a fl agship venue for Dior). Naturally, this put a huge spotlight on Grasse internationally, and more interest and investment has continued to fl ow into the town, including upgraded train lines. Other developments of note


include the Martelly project in central Grasse, which will see an old car park and empty buildings transformed into a new shopping centre, cinema, shops, food hall, parkland and apartments. A new student campus and business school recently opened in the town off ering a variety of higher education courses from perfume to engineering,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148