Napoleon’s dynamite

RANCÉ MAISON FONDEÉ Á GRASSE FRANCE is one of the oldest and most prestigious scent emporium in Europe of men's and women's fragrances.

Francois Rancé, heir to a family of glove makers-perfumers well known since the early 1600's, he dedicated himself to Perfumery only, and founded Maison Rancé in Rue Rancé, in the old town centre of Grasse, France in 1795.

He soon became the star Perfumer of aristocracy and in no time conquered the Imperial Court and Paris. He paid tribute to Napoleon the Conqueror , “LE VAINQUEUR”   with fragrances of a new conception and great appeal which made him the Emperor’s favorite Perfumer.  The genius artist bewitched the Imperial Ladies with his ethereal and alluring fragrances and stole the heart of the empress JOSÉPHINE, the beloved wife of Napoleon, with a fragrance with her name, in a refined Sèvres porcelain case.

Many generations of Rancé have created fine perfumes and natural body care products in Grasse, and then in Milano, where they moved at the end of the 1800's. Rancé has proudly produced fine beauty soaps since 1795. The family's closely guarded methods and formulas remain unchanged.

The beauty of the Rancé perfume collection has evolved over generations as gifted Rancé perfumers have added their own creative nuances to the world of perfume artistry.

Today, as in 1795, absolute & natural ingredients, chosen for their freshness and purity are used according to strict traditional Rancé formulations. Slight innovations over the years have been incorporated for more accurate analysis and controls; however, the hand made/hand wrapped personal attention to each Rancé creation is still instituted in the MILANO factory today.