The center of perfume production in the 19th century was the southern French city of Grasse, where fragrance plants had been growing for centuries. Tanners had lived there since the Middle Ages, practicing the odorous trade of leather processing. But then, perfumed gloves came into fashion, and the tanners first transformed into glove perfumers, before eventually dedicating themselves entirely to perfume production, as was the case for Jean de Galimard. The companies Galimard, Molinard, and Fragonard are still famous addresses in the “world city of fragrances”. In the local museum, you can watch how the precious oils are obtained: through distillation, through extraction of the fragrances, or even through the use of fat as a fragrance store. This latter method—the oldest method there is, vividly described in the book “Perfume”—is, however, very time-consuming and expensive, and is therefore hardly ever used today. The basic components of a perfume are 80 percent alcohol, mixed with distilled water and dissolved fragrance essences.