We took the interurban train to Grasse which is in the hills above Cannes and toured the Fragonard perfume factory and the international perfume museum. The town and the industry have an interesting history which can be seen by this documentary by National Public Radio.
The factory tour was excellent and we learned that Grasse became the centre of perfume production in the late 1700s due to its great climate for growing roses, jasmine, lavender, and orange trees. It takes 1,000 pounds of orange blossoms to make 1 pound of essential oil. An excellent perfume is 30% essential oil and 70% alcohol. The desire for perfume to overcome the smell of leather when wearing leather gloves became fashionable.
The Fragonard Factory
This machine puts the perfume into the bottles, which are made out of aluminum. This is the best preservative of perfume, for up to six years. Perfume only lasts two years in a glass container.
This is the machine which makes the shape of the perfumed soaps. Fragonard soaps are in the shape of eggs.
This is where different essential oils are mixed to produce new perfumes. Up to 250 different essential oils can be mixed in one perfume. A perfume has three "notes". The first top note is what you smell at first, for example lemon and last for about ten to fifteen minutes. The second middle note or heart note is what you smell next, such as cinnamon. It lasts for two to three hours and is the main body of the perfume. The final base note is what lasts up to 24 hours. It is rich and heavy such as cedar wood or vanilla. There are only 500 perfume mixers in the world and they go to school for seven years to learn their trade.
Perfumed Soap
Did you buy lovely leather gloves, too? PMc
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