Montpellier celebrates its fragrance heritage with “The Fragrance Trails”

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

Through " Les chemins du parfum," Montpellier highlights the richness of its olfactory heritage, offering a unique cultural and sensory experience to be held 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 the Montpellier Metropolitan Area.

The Origins of Perfume: Montpellier Revives Its Olfactory Heritage

For more than five centuries, Montpellier has been a hub of the perfume industry, playing a vital role in the development of this field at the intersection of art and science. Its status as the ancestral capital of perfume is rooted in an exceptional heritage: a prestigious medical school active since the Middle Ages, a botanical garden that was a pioneer in France, thriving spice markets, and the first alcohol-based perfume in history, Eau de la Reine de Hongrie. These unique conditions gave rise to a generation of apothecaries-perfumers, including those serving the French royal houses, who were true pioneers of refined olfactory expertise. Even today, this legacy continues to shape education and research in Montpellier, particularly in the fields of fragrance ingredients and green chemistry, where it serves as a living foundation for new forms of creation, bridging eco-responsible innovation and the transmission of expertise. The Paths of Perfume revive this legacy by inviting the public on an immersive journey where scents, sounds, and colors interact within an exceptional heritage setting.

Encounters, Creations, and Discoveries

Over the course of three days, the event offers a sensory, scientific, and artistic immersion through lectures, discussions, workshops, and creative sessions. This unique gathering brings together professionals, researchers, apprentice perfumers, artists, and historians in Montpellier for the first time to provide a comprehensive overview of the world of perfume, bridging tradition and innovation.

As the highlight of the event, Jean-Benoît Patricot’s play *DARIUS* will be performed in the main courtyard of the Faculty of Medicine. A truly sensitive olfactory journey, the performance will conclude with activities centered on scents created by undergraduate (LProPAC) and graduate (ICAP) students from the Faculty of Sciences. The program also features roundtable discussions, off-campus guided tours, sensory walks, and a symphony concert.

Admission to daytime activities is free, while certain creative workshops and the performance of the play DARIUS will require tickets.