Founded in 1989, The International Perfume Museum, the only museum of its kind in the world, is located in the iconic town of Grasse, the birthplace of luxury perfumes of which France was the initiator. Dedicated to one of the most prestigious traditional French activities, the International Perfume Museum is a public institution labelled "Museum of France" allowing visitors to discover the history and uniqueness of the profession of manufacturers and large perfumery houses. A true testament to the international technical, aesthetic, social and cultural history of the tradition of the use of scents, the museum takes an anthropological approach to the history of fragrances in all its aspects - raw materials, manufacturing, industry, innovation, trading, design, uses and through a variety of forms- art objects, decorative arts, textiles, archaeological evidence, unique pieces or industrial forms.

Exceptional collections 

The museum is organised into five sections according to Western historical chronology - Antiquity, Middle Ages, Modern and Contemporary periods , each representing a historical period and contemporary issues: elegance and classicism, magic and dynamism, frivolity and hygiene.

In all civilisations, perfumes have triggered an incredible production of precious and refined objects in rare materials: alabaster, glazed earthenware, ceramics, glass, metalwork. Through exceptional collections of objects and the staging of different industrial processes, the museum retraces the history of perfumes as well as soaps, make-up and cosmetics back for four thousand years.
This 21st century museum looks at the past, but also at the present or even the future if we consider the section on the era of globalisation, marketing and communication and new markets.

Welcome to the world of perfume...