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I’ve been to Paris many times, and while I still enjoy some of the typical tourist activities such as the Paris museums, I also like to look for something different each time. Enter Galimard Perfume House. A perfume workshop in Paris is a crash course in perfume making, with experts to help each step of the way. You even get to leave with a large bottle of your own personal creation.
No previous experience necessary, just let your nose guide you. I knew nothing about perfume making so this was a really enlightening activity.
The cost may put you off a bit, but it really is a unique activity in Paris, and a great way to fill a couple of hours on a rainy day.
Why Choose Galimard For A Perfume Workshop In Paris?
After discovering that a perfume workshop in Paris is a possibility, I looked into a few different workshops offered. Galimard ended up checking all the boxes for me.
- Enough time to create your perfume so it isn’t rushed
- Multiple time slots each day so you can easily work around other plans
- Full size 100ml bottle of perfume to take home
- Most importantly – Ability to create a signature scent vs. watching someone else make the perfume, or having to make the same as everyone else
I also found a workshop at the Musée du Parfum (Fragonard Parfumeur) that I almost booked. I liked the idea of getting a bit more history about perfume making to go along with the workshop (which is maybe the only thing missing from the Galimard workshop).
However, there’s no autonomy over what you create at the Musée du Parfum. In the class each person follows the instructions of the guide to create the same scent with pre-picked notes.
For me, the ability to pick my own notes to create a signature scent was more important – especially since the classes were more or less the same cost.
Therefore, I took the workshop at Galimard, and visited the Musée du Parfum (which is free) separately.
How To Find Galimard Perfume House
Galimard Perfume House is located at 43 Rue de Provence in the 9th Arrondissement. It’s a short 5-7 minute walk from the Palais Garnier opera house.
If traveling by Metro the closes stations are: Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, both only a 5 minute walk. From the Louvre Museum or Gare du Nord station it’s only about 12 minutes away via Metro.
The exterior of the storefront is painted bright blue, so it’s not too difficult to miss. When you go inside you’ll notice all the work stations and once your ticket is checked and you’re signed in, staff will direct you to your seat for the class.
How Much Is A Perfume Workshop In Paris?
The perfume workshop in Paris at Galimard is 89€.
For this you get all the tools and equipment you need to create your own signature scent, English or French speaking instructor, and at the end of the workshop you’ll receive a certificate and a fabric pouch for your perfume bottle, and a cloth shopping bag to take it away in.
Comparing other classes, the Musée du Parfum charges 95€ for the Parfumers apprentice workshop, and L’ABC du Parfum charges 75€. All workshops are fairly similar in pricing so expect to pay anything from 75€ to 110€.
TOP TRAVEL TIP: Fragonard do offer a mini class which is around 30-minutes and costs around 35€. You end up with a 12ml perfume. Great if you don’t have much time though.
Additional Optional Costs
All you need is included in your 89€ at Galimard, however you can choose to “upgrade” your perfume bottle if you want. Your perfume will be given to you in a standard brown glass, screw cap bottle. For an extra 12€ you can have it in a clear glass spray bottle. That’s the option I went with.
TOP TRAVEL TIP: Visiting with a partner or friend? You don’t both have to create a perfume. There’s an optional cost of 15€ for an accompanying guest (versus having to make your own creation for 89€).
How Long Is A Perfume Workshop In Paris?
All the workshops say it will take 1.5-2 hours. What I found was that it really depends on how long you take deciding on your notes (or scents). At Galimard there were 100+ scents of which you ended up choosing around 12-18. That’s a lot of smelling, and a lot of narrowing down of choices.
Being on my own as a solo traveler meant not really having anyone to chat with as I created my perfume. That allowed me to be a little quicker.
I finished making my perfume within 90-minutes and then waited an extra few minutes for them to bottle up my perfume. Best to plan for the full two hours so you’re not rushed.
What Do I Need To Take With Me?
Nothing at all except a sense of smell. All it comes down to is figuring out what flavors you like and which ones you don’t. Everything else you will need is provided by the parfumeur.
They’ll supply all the fragrances, the test tube for mixing, the bottle and the guide. You just need to show up and get creative.
The only other thing I would suggest is bringing a drink like a bottle of water. The class can be up to two hours and with so many smells in the workshop it can get to the back of your throat after a while.
What To Expect From A Perfume Workshop In Paris
I knew nothing about perfume making when I walked in here, so don’t worry if you don’t either. Much like with art, I know what scents I like and which ones I don’t. As long as you can pick out some nice flavors you’re good to go.
There are multiple work stations in the workshop, you’ll be seated at one in front of all your fragrance bottles divided into three rows. Creating a perfume comes down to the three types of olfactory notes (aromas): Base note, Heart (middle) note, and Top note. You’ll start at the bottom and work up.
The base notes are those that last the longest, and the top notes are the first ones you smell in any fragrance. The heart notes are somewhere in between, tying the three olfactory notes together.
CHOOSING YOUR AROMAS
The instructor will advise you to start with the BASE notes and work your way up. Your job: Smell all the aromas and pick your favorites. No need to worry about which ones go well together as long as you like them.
Your perfume will be created using the following formula:
- BASE NOTES – 3 to 6 scents making up around 50% of your perfume
- HEART NOTES – 4 to 6 scents making up about 30% of your perfume
- TOP NOTES – 4 to 6 scents that make up the final 20% of your perfume
By the end of it, your perfume will be made up of a total of 11 to 18 olfactory notes. Take your time and smell ALL the aromas in front of you for each layer.
If you have trouble narrowing down your choices ask the instructor for help and they will typically tell you which one you might want to skip.
TOP TIP: You may find a cup of coffee beans at your work station. Use these to “reset” your nose every once in a while. Think of it like a palate cleanser.
CREATING YOUR PERFUME
You’ve got your 3-6 BASE notes, now what? The instructor will look at the options you’ve chosen and ask which ones you liked best (i.e. which you want to be more prominent in your perfume). They could recommend you use less of scents that overpower others.
The instructor will put the notes in order of which you should pour them and have you enter the names into the tablet where you record what you do. Here the instructor will also advise the quantities of each note.
Once this is done, you simply measure out each into a 100ml tube in the correct order. You’ll repeat the process for the HEART and TOP notes, in that order.
SMELL AS YOU GO
After each additional layer of notes added, your instructor will give it a mix and dip in a test strip. They will have you smell it with them as they call out what they smell, and how they interpret the notes working together.
If you find your perfume has an overpowering aroma this gives you a chance to change it up a bit at the next layer.
I found the testing at each layer the most interesting part. It felt much like tasting wine and figuring out what you can smell. You really do smell all the individual scents and see how they change with time after you spray.
NAME IT AND BOTTLE IT
Once your aromas have been selected and mixed, you’ll have the finished product. Here’s your last chance to make sure you like it. Your instructor will let you smell the finished product and explain what they smell in your unique fragrance.
The final step in a perfume workshop in Paris will be the most challenging yet – come up with a name for your perfume. A punchy one word name, or a creative play on words? Something with your name, or something that describes you?
I went with a French translation of Wanderlust which pretty much sums up my love of travel and that my perfume was made up of scents I associated with my travels.
Commitment to a name made, your instructor will whisk away your perfume to bottle it in your chosen bottle. You’ll receive it back complete with name sticker and a nice bag and certificate.
ORDERING MORE OF YOUR SIGNATURE SCENT
I’m not sure about any other perfume workshop in Paris, but at Galimard we entered all our perfume details (notes, order of scents, amount of each fragrance) into a tablet throughout the course of the class.
You’ll also enter some personal information and the perfume name. You’ll be given a unique identifier number on your certificate. All of this is what you can use to order more of your perfume at a later date.
Your signature scent will remain on file at Galimard for future orders. Order online and they even ship around the world. Like it a lot? You can even create other products of your signature fragrance such as body lotion or shower gel.
Is A Perfume Workshop In Paris Worth Taking?
Including the spray bottle upgrade I paid 101€ for my signature perfume. While a little more than I would usually spend on perfume, it wasn’t a bad price since you get 100ml of it, and the experience of creating it yourself. All in all, I thought this was a worthwhile activity. I had fun and I am happy with my finished product.
If I were to take another perfume workshop in Paris (which I would consider doing), I would try a different location. Not because I didn’t enjoy Galimard – I did – but to see if there are any differences with other workshops.
I likely wouldn’t choose Fragonard at the Musée du Parfum, as I feel like if you’re going to spend the money to create a perfume, I’d prefer to have control over the contents. L’ABC du Parfum, though, has a class where you make four different perfumes (3 x 5ml and 1 x 50ml). Although this is overall less perfume, it would be nice to create multiple scents.
If you or someone you’re traveling with love perfumes, this is a really cool activity. Cut down the cost by creating a scent between you if you don’t need one each.
A perfume workshop in Paris is a great way to spend a couple of hours, and something many people don’t think of doing while in France. Plus you get a great reminder of your trip to take home with you.
If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you take a perfume workshop in Paris or anywhere else? Is this something you’d like to try?
