French perfume is the finest in the world, yet, until recently, perfume did not have its own museum in Paris. The situation was rectified a few months back, last December to be precise, when the Grand Musée du Parfum opened its doors at 73 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The setting - a splendid mansion that has also housed Louis Roederer Champagne and luxury fashion brand, Christian Lacroix. This prestigious address is just a few minutes’ walk from the Burgundy Paris.
An Emporium Dedicated to the Fifth Sense
Completely dedicated to the olfactory sense, the Grand Musée du Parfum plunges visitors into an exciting and captivating world of thousand-year-old traditions that are sometimes misunderstood. Fragrance is ephemeral by nature, so difficult to explain. The word ‘perfume’ comes from the Latin "per fumum", meaning "through the smoke", - a rather apt description. The museum invites visitors to experiment with a collection of 70 fragrances; Marie Burgundy doesn’t need to be asked twice, and it’s with her daughter Victoire that she enters the magnificent building for the first time.
What a nose!
Panoramix the druid was right to pronounce Cleopatra thoroughly beautiful; the Egyptians had already mastered the olfactory art by her reign. And that’s what our two adventurers discover during the first part of the exhibition, a section that’s dedicated to the history and origins of perfume. And, it’s an emotional journey as they breathe in the honey, cinnamon, and myrrh scents of kyphi, the oldest known perfume and one that was used by the Ancient Egyptians to honour the god, Ra. Strengthened by this new knowledge, mother and daughter are now ready for sensory immersion where the mysteries of perfume will be revealed. The perfumer's lair awaits with its library of fragrances, its creative talents, and the key to the art of blending. Visitors can find the scents that suit them best through initiation into the perfumer’s subtle art - a visit to the empire of the fifth sense truly is a wonderful way to spend the day.
~oOo~
Hotel Burgundy Paris, a 5 star hotel in Paris, at the heart of the 1st district