Chapter 2: Catherine's Revolution - The Medici Influence

The year 1533 marked a turning point in French fragrance history. When fourteen-year-old Catherine de' Medici arrived in France to marry the future King Henry II, her entourage included someone who would transform French perfumery forever: her personal perfumer, Renato Bianco (later gallicized to René Blanc).

Catherine, raised in the sophisticated courts of Florence where perfume was already high art, found French nobles still relying on heavy musks and simple flower waters to mask poor hygiene. She set about revolutionizing not just French fashion but French fragrance, introducing the concept of perfume as personal signature rather than mere deodorant.

The Secret Laboratory

René Blanc established his laboratory on the Pont au Change in Paris, creating an island of Italian sophistication in the French capital. But Blanc was more than a perfumer—he was Catherine's confidant, and rumors swirled that his laboratory produced not just fragrances but poisons. Whether true or not, these whispers added an aura of danger and mystery to perfume that persists in French culture to this day.

What is certain is that Blanc introduced revolutionary techniques: the use of alcohol as a base for perfume (creating the first true eau de cologne), the art of layering scents to create complex compositions, and the concept of seasonal fragrances. His apprentices spread these innovations throughout France, establishing perfume-making dynasties that would last centuries.

The Glove Connection

One of Catherine's most lasting contributions to French perfumery came through an unlikely source: her love of perfumed gloves. In 16th-century Europe, leather gloves were essential fashion accessories, but the tanning process left them with an unpleasant odor. Italian glovers had developed techniques for scenting leather with aromatic oils, and Catherine's passion for these gloves created a new industry in France.

The guild of glove-makers and perfumers (gantiers-parfumeurs) received royal charter in 1582, giving them exclusive rights to produce both scented gloves and perfumes. This seemingly odd pairing would have profound consequences, as Grasse, already a center for leather tanning, began its transformation into the perfume capital of the world.

Diversity in the Perfumed Court

While histories often focus on Catherine and her Italian retinue, the French court's embrace of perfume attracted aromatic artisans from across Europe and beyond. Abraão Crescas, a Sephardic Jewish perfumer who fled the Portuguese Inquisition, established himself at court with his unique blend of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fragrance traditions. His orange blossom water, incorporating techniques from his family's origins in Morocco, became a favorite of French noblewomen.

Similarly, Maître Jean-Baptiste, identified in court records only as "the Moor," brought sub-Saharan African aromatic traditions to Paris. His use of resins and woods unfamiliar to European perfumers expanded the French fragrance palette and influenced the development of oriental fragrances centuries later.