Durance
Durance is a French family-owned maison founded in 1986 in Grignan, Provence, that handcrafts scented candles, home fragrance diffusers, personal perfumes, and natural body and face care products for French consumers and corporate gifting clients, sold via durance.fr, owned boutiques, and a dedicated B2B channel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersAvignon, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Durance does
Durance is a privately held, family-founded French maison headquartered in Grignan, Drôme provençale, that manufactures and sells scented candles, home fragrances, personal perfumes, and natural body and face care products. The company originated in 1986 as a flower and lavender farm before pivoting in the late 1990s to fragrance production; manufacturing is consolidated in its Grignan workshops where products are handmade, filled, and finished with a signature raphia ribbon. Core technology is a proprietary natural wax blend with cotton wicks for even fragrance diffusion, paired with rattan-reed diffuser sticks that use capillary action for passive ambient scenting without flame or electricity; fragrance formulations are developed in collaboration with Master Perfumers from Grasse.
The product portfolio spans six core categories — scented candles (over 40 unique fragrances, with 12–50 hour burn times), fragrance diffusers and refills, interior perfumes (ambiance sprays, pillow mists, concentrated extracts), personal perfumes (eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum), body care (shower gels, lotions, soaps, scrubs, hand creams), and facial care (moisturizers, serums, lip balm) — plus seasonal lines such as Monoï and premium offerings such as Les Eternelles. Unit pricing ranges from €3.90 entry-level mini products to €74.90+ premium diffusers and gift sets.
Durance operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a France-focused DTC e-commerce site (durance.fr), company-owned physical boutiques, and a dedicated B2B "Cadeaux d'affaires" corporate gifting channel with customization and account-managed logistics. Customer segments are primarily individual consumers in France seeking natural, Provençal-themed home and personal care, with a secondary business segment serving corporate gifting, seminars, employee onboarding, and CSE benefit programs. Distribution is supported by four delivery partners (Mondial Relay, DPD, Chronopost Express, 2 Shop), with free shipping above €59, a loyalty points program, and installment payments via Alma.
Durance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Durance
- Legal name
- Durance
- Website
- https://durance.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Durance is a French family-owned maison founded in 1986 in Grignan, Provence, that handcrafts scented candles, home fragrance diffusers, personal perfumes, and natural body and face care products for French consumers and corporate gifting clients, sold via durance.fr, owned boutiques, and a dedicated B2B channel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Durance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Home Fragrance and Personal Care
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air Care & Home Fragrance (Air Fresheners, Candles, Plug-ins, Diffusers) (CRADAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Candles, Home Fragrance & Diffusers Retail (CRAIACAC), Natural & Clean Fragrance (CRABADAG)
Keywords
Where Durance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Avignon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Durance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales (E-commerce and Retail): Direct-to-consumer sales of scented candles, diffusers, interior fragrances, body care, face care, and perfumes through durance.fr and physical boutiques. Revenue generated through one-time product purchases across various price points.
- Corporate/Business Gifts: B2B sales of gift boxes and personalized corporate gifts for companies, including custom logo placement, personalized cards, and bespoke packaging solutions.
- Recharges and Refills: Refill products for diffusers and other items, creating ongoing revenue from initial product purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level products including mini candles and small fragrances |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range scented candles and diffusers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium products including gift sets and large format items |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Durance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Durance manufactures and sells handcrafted scented candles, fragrance reed diffusers, home fragrances (ambiance sprays, sachets, pillow mists, concentrated extracts), personal perfumes (eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum), and natural body and facial care products from its workshops in Grignan, Drôme provençale, France. Products are sold direct-to-consumers through its e-commerce site durance.fr and physical boutiques, and to businesses through a corporate gifts program offering customization and personalized packaging.
Product overview
Durance is a French family-owned house founded in Grignan in 1986, specializing in handcrafted scented candles, home fragrances, personal perfumes, and natural cosmetics. The product portfolio centers on four core offerings: (1) Scented candles (bougies parfumées) handmade in Grignan workshops using a proprietary natural wax blend and cotton wicks, (2) Fragrance diffusers (diffuseurs) using rattan reed technology in various formats including dried flower diffusers and electric mist versions, (3) Home fragrances (parfums d'intérieur) encompassing ambiance sprays, sachets, pillow mists, and concentrated extracts, and (4) Personal perfumes (parfums pour soi) in eau de toilette and eau de parfum concentrations. Supporting product lines include body care (soins corps) with shower gels, body lotions, and scrubs, and facial care (soins visage) with moisturizers and serums. Seasonal collections like Monoï feature exotic tropical-inspired fragrances. The company collaborates with master perfumers from Grasse and emphasizes naturally-derived ingredients, with manufacturing conducted entirely in their Drôme provençale workshops.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bougies parfumées (Scented Candles) Handmade scented candles manufactured in Durance's Grignan workshops using a proprietary natural wax blend and cotton wicks for even burning and optimal fragrance diffusion, offered in classic, small, large, and specialty formats across more than 40 fragrances.
- Diffuseurs de parfums (Fragrance Diffusers) Reed and electric fragrance diffusers that continuously release scent through natural rattan sticks by capillary action or through electric misting, available in standard, dried flower, large-format, and electric variants with refill options across more than 50 scents.
- Parfums d'intérieur (Home Fragrances) Interior perfumes including ambiance sprays, scented sachets, pillow and linen mists, and concentrated perfume extracts for scenting the home and linens.
- Parfums pour soi (Personal Fragrances) Personal perfumes including eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum, also offered in gift sets and discovery collections, formulated in collaboration with master perfumers from Grasse.
- Soins corps (Body Care) Body care products including shower gels, body lotions, liquid soaps, solid soaps, dry oils, hand creams, body scrubs, and body creams made with naturally-derived ingredients.
- Soins visage (Facial Care) Facial skincare products including moisturizing creams, concentrated elixirs/serums, and lip butter balms formulated for daily facial care routines.
- Collection Monoï Seasonal summer collection featuring monoi (tiare flower) scented candles, diffusers, body care, and personal fragrances with exotic floral notes of white flowers, vanilla, and coconut.
- Cadeaux d'affaires (Corporate Gifts) Business gifting service for companies offering bulk orders, customization with company logos, personalized cards, and bespoke packaging, supported by an account manager (Patrick Oualid) and multi-address delivery logistics for events, seminars, onboarding, and client appreciation.
Companies that use Durance
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Durance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Feature3 records
Durance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Master Perfumers of GrassecoreDurance collaborates with Master Perfumers from Grasse, the world capital of perfume, to create authentic, balanced, and refined fragrances. This partnership is fundamental to the brand's identity and quality positioning.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Durance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Diptyque: French luxury home fragrance and personal care house best known for scented candles, diffusers, and eaux de toilette. Direct overlap with Durance across candles, home fragrances, and personal perfumes, with a similar Parisian/Provençal French heritage positioning.
- Cire Trudon: Historic French luxury candle and home fragrance maker with heritage dating to the 17th century. Highly comparable to Durance in artisanal candle manufacturing, premium positioning, and Made-in-France identity.
- Rituals: Dutch-founded body care and home fragrance brand selling scented candles, diffusers, body care, and personal care. Overlaps Durance on product categories, multi-channel D2C and retail strategy, and refill/extension model.
- Roger & Gallet: Heritage French perfumery offering eaux de toilette, body care, and home fragrances. Direct overlap with Durance in French heritage, personal perfumes, and natural-ingredient positioning, with broader retail distribution.
- Dr. Vranjes Firenze: Italian luxury home fragrance house specializing in reed diffusers, room sprays, and candles with refillable formats. Closely comparable to Durance in premium ambient scenting, refill revenue model, and European heritage positioning.
Emerging players
- Mad et Len: Niche French artisanal home fragrance and candle brand with craft positioning. Comparable to Durance in small-batch, design-led artisanal positioning and target customer overlap, though smaller and more design-focused.
- Maison Margiela Replica (Candles): Luxury fashion house's candle and home fragrance line sold in department stores and D2C. Competes with Durance in premium scented candles and lifestyle fragrance with strong branding, though narrower category depth.
Broad incumbents
- Bath & Body Works: US-listed specialty retailer of candles, body care, soaps, and fragrances. Comparable in multi-category D2C/retail home-fragrance and personal-care model, but at much greater scale and with stronger pricing power.
- Yankee Candle: Largest mass-market scented candle brand globally. Competes with Durance in scented candles but at a fundamentally different price tier and scale, and represents the volume ceiling Durance must differentiate against.
- L'Occitane en Provence: Major French natural beauty and home care group rooted in Provence. Comparable to Durance in Provençal provenance, natural-ingredient positioning, and broad portfolio spanning body care, fragrance, and home.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Durance social profiles
Digital presenceDurance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Durance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Durance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Durance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Durance
What does Durance do?
Durance manufactures and sells handcrafted scented candles, fragrance reed diffusers, home fragrances (ambiance sprays, sachets, pillow mists, concentrated extracts), personal perfumes (eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum), and natural body and facial care products from its workshops in Grignan, Drôme provençale, France. Products are sold direct-to-consumers through its e-commerce site durance.fr and physical boutiques, and to businesses through a corporate gifts program offering customization and personalized packaging.
Is Durance a public or private company?
Durance is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Durance founded?
Durance was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Durance based?
Durance is headquartered in Avignon, France, in the Europe region.
How does Durance make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales (E-commerce and Retail) is the primary driver. The others are corporate/Business Gifts and recharges and Refills.
Who are Durance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Diptyque, Cire Trudon, Rituals, Roger & Gallet and Dr. Vranjes Firenze. Emerging players are Mad et Len and Maison Margiela Replica (Candles). Broad incumbents are Bath & Body Works, Yankee Candle and L'Occitane en Provence.
Does Durance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Durance.
What industry is Durance in?
Durance's product category is Home Fragrance and Personal Care. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAKAI, Air Care & Home Fragrance (Air Fresheners, Candles, Plug-ins, Diffusers), with a secondary code of CRAIACAC, Candles, Home Fragrance & Diffusers Retail. Its NAICS code is 456120 and its SIC code is 2844.