Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Chiris perfumeries, installed in Grasse in the last quarter of the 19th century, occupied the site of a former Capuchin convent transformed in 1868. The mother factory, of neoclassical style, formed a homogeneous "E"-shaped ensemble, with a central body of four levels flanked by lateral wings. Its façade was dated 1868, probably marking the initial construction, while later extensions, especially on the lateral and rear sides, incorporated industrial structures such as a chimney and a wooden hall for the distillers.

In 1899, the company inaugurated a revolutionary workshop called the Mosque, a large hall of 4,582 m2 with Moorish bays to ventilate flammable products (ether, benzene, alcohols). This workshop, the first of its kind in Grasse, was dedicated to the extraction of perfumes by solvents, complementing the traditional methods of distillation and deflowering still practiced in ancient parts. The serpentins of the stills, visible in some workshops, showed these historical techniques.

Chiris, which was officially founded in 1768, became the precursor of Brass perfumery, employing up to 262 people in 1954. Its site also includes, since the 1930s, social facilities (canteen, swimming pool, sports facilities), reflecting a progressive employers' policy. After its closure, the factory was acquired by the city: the main building, demolished in 1999, left room for the courthouse, while the extraction hall (the Mosque) was preserved as the only vestige.

Successive demolitions (including the aerial hangar and distillers in 1999) erased much of the industrial heritage, but Chiris's history remains emblematic of the economic boom of Grasse, the world's perfume capital. The company's technical and social innovations were a lasting sign of the sector, prior to its transformation into a contemporary urban space.

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