Parfumerie Molinard

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60 bd. Victor-Hugo, Provence, France

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Grasse, France Photo - Parfumerie Molinard, Provence, France

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Good smell, but little substance

by TianjinPaul

Rotherham, United Kingdom

April 3, 2013

Best of IgoUgo It is often common in the UK to talk about a town being built on the industry for which it is most renowned. There are several great examples of this. My hometown of Sheffield is often described as being built on the steel industry – although, ...Read more It is often common in the UK to talk about a town being built on the industry for which it is most renowned. There are several great examples of this. My hometown of Sheffield is often described as being built on the steel industry – although, sadly, little remains nowadays. Stoke, which is famed for its ceramics is even often labelled the Potteries. There is also, of course, Newcastle which is heralded for its coal and created the phrase 'Coals to Newcastle' (A common phrase used in the UK at least)
The town of Grasse, which is located at the foot of the French Alps is also built on one particular area. However, its main sector is far less traditionally industrial. Instead, it focuses on perfume. It is home to the International Perfume Museum and at least three major perfume 'factories' (Although I am not sure something so sweet-smelling could really be described as a factory). The most famous of these is the Fragonnard factory. However, there is also the Molinard and Galimard parfumeries within the confines of the town.
We visited Parfumerie Molinard after already having visited the modern Fragonnard factory just outside the town and the older Fragonnard Parfumerie in the centre of the town. Therefore, we found Molinard just that little bit disappointing as it failed to live up to its significantly more famous competitor.
The high point of a visit to Molinard is the building in which it is housed. It is much older than the modern Fragonnard facility and is a lot more quaint than the larger and older Fragonnard parfumerie in the centre. It is a very nice one storey building that is set back from the road in a rather nice garden through which we walked to reach the main building. The interior is also beautiful. It is ornately decorated with wonderful ceilings and some magnificent dark woods.
Sadly, aside from the aesthetics of the building, I found Molinard lacked any real substance. The Fragonnard facilities have displays about the histories of the company and about how perfume is made. Molinard had none of this. It had just one room with a few old bottles of perfume and old advertising materials. There were no explanations and no historical analysis of the company. Instead, it felt much more like it was a perfume store dressed up as a museum – there was a huge supply of perfume and soaps for sale.
A visit to the Molinard Parfumerie is free – if you do not buy any of the perfume on sale, obviously. It is close to the centre of town, so it is worth a visit just for the building itself. However, I would budget less than 10 minutes.
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From journal A Visit from Dad

Parfumerie Molinard

by DrTravel

Columbus, Ohio

April 15, 2005

The House of Molinard has been developing its tradition and craft for the last five generations. A free guided tour will allow you watch the extraction of the essence of the flowers and learn the process of converting flowers into essential oils. ...Read more

From journal Sweet-Smelling Grasse

Parfumerie Molinard

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Good smell, but little substance

Parfumerie Molinard