ActivitiesVisits in the form of perfume sessions

Perfume discovery sessions : the history of perfumery

An experienced perfumer will tell you all about the history of perfumery from antiquity to the present, while getting you to smell old perfumes and common and unusual raw materials, as well as certain Osmothèque treasures: perfumes no longer available commercially but which made an impact on their times. Houbigant, Coty, Poiret, Guerlain: you will enjoy discovering or rediscovering wonderful masterpieces of perfumery.

About thirty raw materials and old or current perfumes will be smelled and described by the speaker: myrrh, incense, opopanax, Parfum Royal (A.D. 1st century ), L’Eau de la Reine de Hongrie (14th century), Eau de Cologne de Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène (1820), Fougère Royale (1884) HOUBIGANT, Le Fruit Défendu (1914) LES PARFMUNS DE ROSINE – POIRET, Le Chypre (1917) COTY, Crêpe de Chine (1925) MILLOT, Iris Gris (1947) JACQUES FATH,…

Special focus sessions

Would you like to learn more about perfumery? Perfumers have developed other sessions on more in-depth subjects, so even more perfumes can be smelled.

A few examples of sessions: “Leather-based perfumes – they just had to happen”; “Jean Patou perfumes from the start to the present day”; “The history of how synthetics were introduced into perfumery”; “A moment with Francis Kurkdjian, perfumer”, etc.

These sessions take place once per month. Keep informed of the schedule, thanks to our newsletter.

Online rates : 20€ / person

Reduced rates : 16€ / person (SAO member or student)

Audience : age 12€ and up (recommended)

The Société des Amis de l’Osmothèque talks and visits

The Osmothèque sometimes holds exceptional events or is invited to take part in them: it gave several perfume talks on the Parfums de Rosine as part of an exhibition on couturier Paul Poiret, in Grasse in 2013 (MIP), and every year it takes part in the niche perfumery show in Milan (Esxence); it was also invited by Alliance Française to make a series of presentations in Toronto, Chicago, Washington and Bogota (2010 and 2012), and regularly holds fragrance talks for many events involving perfume.

Children's workshops

For 90 minutes, in the company of a perfumer, children become initiated into the world of smells: they find out where smells come from and put their noses to work along with their olfactory memory, in a playful, interactive environment.

Online rates : 15€ /child (preferential rates if several children are from the same family)

Please note that if you wish to pay on site, 2€ /ticket will be added to the regular online rate.

Payment on site: check or cash (CB not accepted).

Time: 90 minutes
Audience: age 6 to 11

It is recommended not to wear perfume before joining a fragrance session

Address: 36 rue du Parc de Clagny, 78000 Versailles (at ISIPCA, Institut Supérieur International de la Parfumerie, Cosmétiques et Arômes).
Closest station: Versailles Rive Droite, departure from Paris Gare Saint-Lazare, Line L, direction Versailles Rive Droite (stop: terminus)
Bus line to Versailles: Bus G: direction Pershing. Stop: Général Mangin
Or by foot from Versailles Rive Droite station

Exceptional events

The Osmothèque sometimes holds exceptional events or is invited to take part in them: it gave several perfume talks on the Parfums de Rosine as part of an exhibition on couturier Paul Poiret, in Grasse in 2013 (MIP), and every year it takes part in the niche perfumery show in Milan (Esxence); it was also invited by Alliance Française to make a series of presentations in Toronto, Chicago, Washington and Bogota (2010 and 2012), and regularly holds fragrance talks for many events involving perfume.