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Since I was young, I’ve loved perfumes and how the different notes can trigger a memory or transport you to a completely different place. While searching for things to do in Nice, France, my friend and I found a really unique perfume making workshop right in the heart of Nice. Be sure to check out my travel guide for more things to do in Nice and the French Riviera.

Molinard and Perfume in the French Riviera

The French Riviera is mostly known for its’ glitz and glamour, but one thing you might not realize is that it’s located near Grasse, which is a region in France known for producing some of the world’s best perfumes. In Grasse, you can find fields of flowers from lavender to jasmine and tuberose. Grasse has been the perfume capitol of the world for quite some time. Since the 1700s perfume factories were scattered throughout the region and royalty for centuries has visited to purchase perfumes straight from the source. When we began planning our trip to Nice, we thought we’d have to rent a car and drive out to Grasse to visit perfume factories, but to our surprise, you can find showrooms, museums, and shops of heritage perfumeries like Molinard, who has been creating beautiful scents since 1849. While all of their production takes place in Grasse, they also have mini museums and boutiques in Nice and Paris that you can tour and purchase perfumes, candles, and soaps from. One very unique thing that Molinard offers to the public is a custom perfume making workshop and it ended up being one of the best things we did on our vacation in Nice!

Molinard Perfume Workshop in Nice, France

The perfume making workshop at Molinard in Nice takes place in their boutique located in Nice’s shopping district near the Promenade. After checking in, you’ll be directed into a room separate from the boutique where you’ll sit around a large circular table filled with bottles of over 90 essences. Each workshop is led by a master perfumer who will teach you the basics of how to build perfume and help guide you along the way. Fragrances consist of three parts: the base, the heart, and the top notes. You’ll begin your workshop smelling different base notes until you find one or two that you love, then you’ll work your way through the other parts, building on top of the previous layer to create your perfect customized perfume! It can be a bit overwhelming since there are 90 scents to choose from but your instructor will guide you the entire time and help you find notes that blend well together. The entire workshop takes a couple of hours and is a really fun process. It’s pretty cool to see how different people react to different scents. For instance, I tended to consistently narrow down my options to more floral scents like gardenia and lilac, where as my friend opted for very clean, fresh scents like bamboo and cotton. Once you’ve completed your custom fragrance, you’ll receive a diploma with information about all of the scent components you chose for your perfume and a special code so that you can reorder your custom perfume again when you run out! And of course, you get to take home your 50ML glass perfume bottle filled with your new favorite fragrance! Your perfume will be packaged in a black cylindrical container with black tissue paper inside to keep light out. One thing I learned during the workshop is that exposure to light can distort your perfume and change the notes so it’s best to store your perfumes away from direct sunlight. This workshop costs a little over $80 and it’s worth every penny! It was such an amazing experience and after years, I still treasure my custom perfume I made at Molinard! To be honest, I would even take this class again if I went back to Nice or Paris because your scent preferences change as you get older so I’m curious what category of scents I would be drawn to now.

Happy travels!

- Tess

Tess Arnold

Hi! I’m Tess, founder of TravelingTessie.com, and not only do I love to travel, but I love immersing myself in new places and finding off the beaten path experiences wherever I go! I’ve lived in 4 different states & traveled to 13 countries and counting. I believe that tourism is meant to benefit both visitors and locals alike—and I want to bring that idea back into the travel industry by highlighting companies run by locals such as tours, hotels, restaurants, and more. On Traveling Tessie you can find hidden gems in top destinations around the world, travel tips, detailed city guides, and tons of inspiration for your next trip!  If you love travel as much as I do, then please join me on this journey! I hope you enjoy my content as much as I enjoy providing it for you!