Montpellier celebrates its olfactory heritage with “les chemins du parfum” (the paths of perfume)

[Press release] - Published on May 26, 2025 in Press Room, Science-Society

Through Les chemins du parfum(The Paths of Perfume), Montpellier is highlighting the richness of its olfactory heritage by offering a unique cultural and sensory experience that will take place from June 19 to 21, 2025. Led by Marc and Valérie Chaouat, the event is co-organized with the University of Montpellier, under the patronage of the French Society of Perfumers, with essential support from the City and Metropolis of Montpellier.

The origins of perfume: Montpellier revives its olfactory heritage

For more than five centuries, Montpellier has been a mecca for perfumery, playing an essential role in the development of this discipline at the crossroads of art and science. Its status as the ancestral capital of perfume is based on an exceptional heritage: a prestigious medical school active since the Middle Ages, a pioneering botanical garden in France, flourishing spice trading posts, and the first alcohol-based perfume in history, Eau de la Reine de Hongrie. These unique conditions gave rise to a generation of apothecary-perfumers, apothecary-perfumers to the French royal houses, true precursors of refined olfactory expertise. Today, this heritage continues to inspire teaching and research in Montpellier, particularly in the fields of fragrant ingredients and green chemistry, where it provides a living foundation for new forms of creation, combining eco-responsible innovation and the transmission of expertise. Les Chemins du Parfum revives this memory by inviting the public to an immersive exploration where scents, sounds, and colors interact in an exceptional heritage setting.

Encounters, creations, and discoveries

Over three days, the event offers a sensory, scientific, and artistic immersion through conferences, meetings, workshops, and creative moments. This unique event brings together professionals, researchers, apprentice perfumers, artists, and historians for the first time in Montpellier to offer a true panorama of the world of perfume, between tradition and innovation.

The highlight of the event will be Jean-Benoît Patricot's play DARIUS, which will be performed in the main courtyard of the Faculty of Medicine. A true olfactory journey imbued with sensitivity, this show will conclude with activities based on scents created by undergraduate (LProPAC) and master's (ICAP) students from the Faculty of Science. The program will also feature roundtable discussions, guided tours outside the university, sensory walks, and a symphony concert.

Access to daytime activities is free, while certain creative workshops and performances of the play DARIUS will be available for purchase.