FRENCH PERFUMES

French Perfume plays an important part in France's image and history. The French are known for perfume and have been manufacturing perfumes for centuries. Today, France's contributions account for a substantial share of the world's perfume exports. Rich in tradition, French perfume is associated with luxury, sensuality and refinement, and represents some of the most well known names in the perfume industry. Examples of this are Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.

Part of the reason that French perfume has such a strong reputation for exquisite perfumery is because many French perfume makers launch their fragrances in France prior to bringing them to other countries, such as the United States. French perfume also tends to last longer than the US counterparts of the same fragrance, because French perfume is made with potato alcohol, unlike grain alcohol, which is used in US perfume manufacturing.

French perfume is so rooted in history that "the perfume capital of the world" is located in France. The town of Grasse, located about 15 kilometers north of Cannes in the French Riviera, has been manufacturing French perfume for the past four centuries and is still considered to be a mecca for perfume connoisseurs throughout the world. It houses the Musée International de la Parfumerie (the International Museum of Perfume), and is the home base for premier French perfume factories Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard.

Although the French didn't invent perfume, which dates back to the times of ancient Egypt and Rome, it was a French man who is credited for making perfume accessible to the average Joe. Up until the early 1900's, French perfume was available to only the very wealthy. It was French perfume maker François Coty who produced his French perfume at prices that availed personal fragrance to average consumers both in and out of Europe.