France is divided into eighteen administrative regions.
One of these 18 regions is Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the southeast, which borders Italy.
This region is known for housing the largest farms of plants used in the production of scented substances.
Back in the 12th century, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur was known for its leather tanning industry.
And because of the leather and dead animal bodies, the region was known for unpleasant smells.
By the 14th century, the authorities were working out plans to combat these unpleasant smells, and one of the ideas was to populate the area with pleasant-smelling plants.
It turned out that the soil and other environmental conditions were highly supportive of some of these plants.
One area in this region, Grasse, was particularly suited to horticulture, notably the production of jasmine, lavender, myrtle, roses, and mimosa—the most important natural aromas used by the perfume industry.
Today, Grasse is known as the perfume capital of the world.
These were times when running water was a rarity, and even the kings, queens, and aristocrats had body-odour problems.
As techniques of extracting essential oils from these plants became known, the royalty and the wealthy began using them to mask body odours.
As the royals and the rich started supporting the extraction of perfumes, the perfume industry boomed and overtook the local tanners in importance.
Perfumed gloves became popular in France, and in 1656, an association of glove and perfume-makers was established.
Then, when the French King Louis XV (ruled 1715-1774) came to power, he transformed the French perfume industry thanks to his love for perfume and the generous supplies he ordered.
He demanded a different fragrance for his apartment every day, and his court was called “la cour parfumée” (the perfumed court).
Today, France is a market leader in perfumes with close to 30% market share.
