I know individuals who select the place to trip primarily based on the meals scene, local weather, and typically, social media virality of a vacation spot. As for me, I base my travels round perfume. Fragrance has been an integral a part of my life for so long as I can keep in mind—I started amassing perfumes in highschool and have leveraged my olfactory fascination right into a profitable profession as a perfume author, advisor, and professional.
My aromatic curiosity has led me to discover among the world’s prime fragrance locations, not simply for work, but additionally for pleasure. I’ve adopted my nostril to Grasse, France, (a.okay.a. the fragrance capital of the world) to study concerning the historical past of perfumery; I’ve spent birthdays sniffing my method by means of Paris’s area of interest fragrance outlets in an effort to uncover otherworldly creations; and I lately stayed in a grasp perfumer’s home in Florence, Italy, the place I developed my very own private scent earlier than venturing out to go to the world’s oldest perfumery. And that’s simply the tip of the iceberg.
Perfume tourism isn’t new, however it’s gaining traction. Research agency Market Intelo initiatives fragrance tourism will develop from $1.12 million (in 2024) to $2.08 billion in 2033. This goes hand in hand with the truth that the perfume trade is the fastest growing sector of the wonder trade, with no indicators of slowing down. People are trying for new methods to discover perfume cultures and get uncovered to distinctive scents and experiences—and if that sounds such as you, you’ve come to the fitting place.
This information consists of seven fragrance-forward locations world wide which can be leveling up fragrance tourism by means of retail experiences, manufacturing unit excursions, perfume-making workshops, museums, and extra. Every location has one thing completely different to provide, however all of them have one factor in frequent: Perfumery is deeply ingrained of their heritage. So go forth and let your nostril information you to the world’s greatest fragrance locations.
Jump to:
Grasse, France
Hidden within the rolling hills above the French Riviera lies the fragrance capital of the world: Grasse. Grasse has lengthy been thought-about the mecca of perfumery, not solely for its optimum flower-growing local weather—the place roses, jasmine, lavender, and violets abound—but additionally as a result of many perfume-making strategies originated within the city. Designer fragrance homes like Chanel, Dior, and Lancôme all domesticate flowers for their fragrances within the space, and (*7*) in 2018 for its intangible contributions to fragrance conservation and composition.