Discover Grasse, the flower-filled French town behind the world's most famous perfume

Key Points:

• Grasse, a medieval town in 15th-century France, transformed from a leather trade center with unpleasant odors into the perfume capital of the world by cultivating flowers, notably for Chanel No. 5.
• The iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume relies heavily on locally grown flowers, especially jasmine and Rose Centifolia, with 1,000 jasmine flowers and twelve roses used per bottle, highlighting the importance of Grasse's unique climate and soil.
• Despite a significant decline in flower farming acreage over the past century, efforts led by local families like the Muls and support from luxury brands such as Chanel have sparked a revival of the perfume industry in Grasse.
• The town's mayor and luxury houses have invested in preserving and promoting Grasse's heritage, including designating it a United Nations Cultural Heritage Site and blocking real estate development to protect flower fields.
• Modern perfumery balances natural ingredients from Grasse with synthetic scents created in labs, maintaining authenticity and tradition while innovating, with Chanel closely guarding the secret formula of No. 5 and continuing traditional jasmine harvesting and extraction methods.