Gaglewski

Gaglewski is the house of Didier Gaglewski, an independent perfumer who was born in Grasse and took to the town's old trade of perfume composition by instinct. He first showed his creations at fairs in Provence, then in Paris, Germany and Switzerland, and chose to sell his work himself. His website went online in January 2009.

He composes in Grasse and makes each perfume in his own laboratory, where every scent takes several months of research. He favours natural raw materials and studies extraction methods handed down through generations and the perfume plants of the region. He works with Michelle Cavalier and Le Jardin de la Bastide. Cambouis, for example, is made in the Grasse region with cedar, cade, basil and birch.

In Grasse, the Parfums Gaglewski shop, his own, is at 12 rue de l'Oratoire, in one of the oldest houses of the historic centre, near the International Perfumery Museum. The tourist office lists a free discovery of his composition work, daily in summer and on varying days out of season. The shop is not wheelchair accessible. A 50 ml eau de parfum such as Lettre de Noblesse costs €75. Try Bal à l'Ambassade first: it opens with orange blossom, then jasmine and tuberose, softened with amber.