For nearly forty years, Luxe Pack Monaco has established itself as a premier trade fair. During three days, brands and suppliers come together away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to take a step back, identify the innovations that matter and forge the partnerships of tomorrow. This event for the packaging value chain in the luxury sector was the perfect occasion for French perfumer, Fragonard, to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Founded in 1926 by Eugène Fuchs, this historic French perfume house was set up in Grasse, the world capital of perfume, 40km east of Nice along the Mediterranean sea. Named after the famous 18th century painter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, it reflected the family’s appreciation of art and French culture. Originally focused on traditional fragrance production using flowers grown around Grasse, Fragonard expanded over the decades into perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other scented products. Today, the family-run house remains closely associated with Grasse and is known for preserving traditional French perfumery, while combining it with modern designs and products.

Originally introduced during the Second World War, when the shortage of glass forced perfume manufacturers to seek alternative materials, Fragonard’s aluminium packaging draws inspiration from pharmaceutical containers. Their opaque metal construction was traditionally used to protect sensitive contents from light, heat and external exposure. Even today, the use of aluminium remains a central pillar of Fragonard’s packaging identity.

Eric Fabre, co-director of Maison Fragonard from the fourth generation, explained: “Beyond its distinctive appearance, the material offers important technical advantages for fragrance preservation: it is completely opaque, protecting the perfume from exposure to light and heat, two factors that can accelerate the deterioration of a fragrance. This protection can extend the perfume’s shelf life to more than six years, compared with approximately two years for glass. Aluminium therefore combines functionality and durability with a strong visual identity, while also recalling the traditional metal containers historically associated with perfume production in Grasse.

“Indeed, in our tradition we use golden ‘Estagnon’ for the Maison’s women’s perfumes. The name derives from the Provençal word estagnoun, referring to a small tin or metal container. Made from brushed aluminium, the cylindrical bottle features a luminous golden finish and a minimalist cap, evoking both the industrial containers traditionally used by Grasse distillers and the flowing forms of traditional Provençal dress. For the men’s collection, Fragonard developed a corresponding silver or chrome-coloured aluminium Estagnon, whose metallic, uncoloured finish creates a more contemporary and understated aesthetic. This version houses our range of masculine creating a coherent packaging language while distinguishing the women’s and men’s collections.“

The men’s bottles. Image: Dominique Huret

Fragonard has three production sites in the Alpes-Maritimes. Two factories in Grasse are dedicated to the production of perfumes, eaux de toilette and soaps. The third one specialises in the manufacture of the cosmetics range. Fragonard’s iconic aluminium Estagnon bottles are manufactured in Grasse, reinforcing the Maison’s connection to the local perfume industry. Their long-standing supplier is Tournaire, an historic local company founded in 1833, specialist in technical packaging and equipment for the perfume and cosmetics industries.

Once manufactured, the empty aluminium Estagnons are delivered to Fragonard’s Historic Factory, where they are filled and finished. The semi-automatic production line transfers each bottle to the filling station, after which the pump is installed, a traceability code is printed on the base, and the bottle is labelled. Final quality controls are carried out individually by the operators. Fragonard therefore maintains a particularly strong ‘Made in Grasse’ production chain. The group does not publicly disclose the annual number of aluminium Estagnon bottles produced or sold, but Tournaire produces approximately 25 million aluminium containers annually for customers worldwide.

Very much in line with today’s refill and circular packaging movement: Fragonard has designed 600ml aluminium refill canisters to replenish spray bottles. In this way, the perfumer carries on the tradition of ‘Made in Grasse’ over-the-counter perfumery.

Dominique Huret (she/her), Cape Decision journalist

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