Grasse Institute of Perfumery

What Grasse Institute of Perfumery does

Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP) is a French non-profit educational institution operating under the Association Loi 1901 parent ASFO Grasse, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Grasse, the historical world capital of perfume. GIP's core offering is the 18-month International Technical Degree in Fragrance Creation and Sensory Evaluation, an intensive program capped at 12 students per cohort that links traditional French perfumery craftsmanship with modern analytical techniques. The institute supplements this flagship with a three-tier ladder of short sessions (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) for professionals and enthusiasts, private corporate training tailored to fragrance, flavor, and cosmetics companies, and a portfolio of educational raw-materials and survival kits for at-home practice.

The business model combines several revenue streams: long-term tuition for the 18-month degree, fees for short sessions across multiple languages (English, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Taiwanese), live online courses priced at €2,500–€3,050 with shipped kits, customized corporate training priced on quotation, and recurring class-sponsorship revenue from major fragrance houses (Louis Vuitton, Parfex, Dior, Givaudan, Firmenich, IFF, Symrise, Robertet, Takasago, TechnicoFlor, Bordas). Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer via the institute's website, supported by wholly-owned international training branches in Moscow (2015), Shanghai (2018), Taiwan (2021), and Dubai (2024), a regional representative network, and participation in trade events such as Beautyworld Middle East.

The institute serves four primary customer segments: aspiring professional perfumers pursuing the 18-month degree, perfumery enthusiasts and amateurs seeking hobby-level short courses, fragrance-industry companies procuring corporate training, and international students accessing the curriculum through the global branch network and online courses with delivered kits. A second domestic training site opened in central Grasse in October 2025, signaling continued physical capacity build-out alongside the digital and international expansion.

Name

Grasse Institute of Perfumery

Legal name

GIP – Grasse Institute of Perfumery (Association Loi 1901)

Website

https://grasse-perfumery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grasse Institute of Perfumery is a French non-profit perfumery school offering an 18-month International Technical Degree, tiered short courses, online programs, and corporate training. It serves aspiring perfumers, fragrance-industry companies, and international students from its base in Grasse plus branches in Moscow, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Dubai.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Perfumery & Fragrance Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Salon Business, Management & Retail Training (HSALANAK)

Keywords

• Perfumery training programs
• Fragrance creation education
• Sensory evaluation courses
• Online perfumery courses
• Olfactory raw materials kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Grasse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: Revenue from long-term programs (18-month International Technical Degree limited to 12 students) and short sessions at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Courses offered in multiple languages including Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and English.
2. Online Courses: Live online courses for small groups of 7 people with 2 levels, each trainee provided with complete kits for olfaction, formulation, and applications. Prices range from €2,500-2,650 depending on language version.
3. Educational Kits: Sale of raw materials kits (€50-€170), survival kits (€50-€130), and balance kits (€265) for olfactory training and home practice.
4. Private Corporate Training: Customized training courses tailored to company needs, previously subjected to quotation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GIP is a perfumery school that delivers an 18-month International Technical Degree in Fragrance Creation and Sensory Evaluation (limited to 12 students), supplemented by tiered short sessions (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced), multilingual online courses (English and Chinese levels 1–3), and customized private corporate training for fragrance industry companies. Its educational products are bundled with raw materials kits and survival kits for hands-on olfactory practice, and the curriculum is delivered in Grasse and through international branches in Moscow, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Dubai.

Product overview

Grasse Institute of Perfumery is an educational institution offering a portfolio of perfumery training programs. The core offering is the 18-month International Technical Degree in Fragrance Creation and Sensory Evaluation (limited to 12 students). This is supplemented by short session courses at Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels for professionals and enthusiasts. Private customized courses are available for companies and individuals. The institute also offers online courses in English (Levels 1-3) and Chinese, with Level 1 covering Perfumery Raw Materials and Level 2 covering Fragrance Creation. Supporting products include Raw Materials Kits (EUR 50-170) and Survival Kits (EUR 50-130) for hands-on practice. The institute has expanded internationally with branches in Moscow (2015), Shanghai (2018), Taiwan (2021), and Dubai (2024), plus a new headquarters location in Grasse (2025).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Technical Degree in Fragrance Creation and Sensory Evaluation An 18-month intensive training program that develops fundamental knowledge to create and evaluate fragrances by linking traditional and modern techniques, limited to 12 students per cohort. Awarded as a professional International Technical Degree.
• Beginner Short Sessions Introductory short classes for those wanting to discover perfumery, covering topics such as fragrances, natural extracts, cosmetics, taste and smell. Designed for both professionals and enthusiasts.
• Intermediate Short Sessions Short classes for those who achieved beginner level, allowing improvement of knowledge and skills in topics including soaps and candles applications as well as pushing toward higher-level fragrance creation.
• Advanced Short Sessions Technical short courses for those who completed previous levels, focusing on complex fragrance creations and applications.
• Private Corporate Training Courses Tailored training courses for companies and individuals interested in fragrance, flavor or cosmetic world, customized upon quotation to address company-specific requirements.
• Online Perfumery Course (Levels 1 & 2 bundle) Live online course bundle covering Level 1 (Perfumery Raw Materials – history of perfumery, raw materials classification, fragrance vocabulary, perfume family genealogy) and Level 2 (Fragrance Creation – lab rules, blending methods, perfume manufacturing, simple and complex accords). 15 hours live with perfumer plus 15 hours personal work per level. Includes raw materials and Fine Fragrance samples kits. Priced at EUR 2,500 (English).
• Chinese Online Course (Levels 1 & 2) Full Chinese language version of the online perfumery course with Level 1 and Level 2 modules, priced at EUR 2,650. Designed for Chinese-speaking students who cannot attend in-person training in Grasse.
• Online Course Level 3 Intermediate-advanced online course Level 3, priced at EUR 3,050. Builds on Levels 1 and 2 with deeper formulation and advanced perfumery topics.
• In-House Course Level 4 Advanced in-house training course at Level 4, priced at EUR 2,000, delivered at the Grasse institute for advanced practitioners.
• Raw Materials Kits Educational kits intended to sustain olfactory memory after training courses, priced between EUR 50–170 depending on kit size and contents. Sold as standalone products to support ongoing study and practice.
• Survival Kit Kit to practice at home and experiment with fragrance creation, priced between EUR 50–130 depending on configuration. Sold as a standalone product for students and enthusiasts.
• Raw Materials Kits Balance Supplementary kit for additional raw materials, priced at EUR 265, used to balance and expand olfactory training sets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% global customer satisfaction rate (2024)

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AfalulaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2022Representatives from Afalula (French agency for AlUla, Saudi Arabia) visited GIP to explore collaboration. The Madrassat Addera center in AlUla wishes to integrate a perfumery program, potentially using GIP's training curriculum.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Givaudan Perfumery School: Givaudan runs an internal perfumery school as part of its global fragrance house operations. It is a corporate training program rather than an open-enrollment school, but competes for talent and training hours within the same perfumery education niche.
• Robertet Perfumery Training: Robertet, the natural raw materials specialist and historical GIP sponsor (class 2006), runs internal perfumer training and is itself a leading employer of GIP alumni. Represents both a sponsor partner and an internal training alternative.
• Firmenich Perfumery School: Firmenich's internal perfumery training program develops perfumers from within the organization. Comparable as an alternative pathway to professional perfumery careers, often absorbing candidates who might otherwise pursue a GIP-style independent program.
• Symrise Perfumers' School: Symrise operates internal perfumery training programs for its global staff. Represents an in-house alternative to GIP's external certification for candidates considering industry careers.
• Mane Perfumery Training: Mane, a major French fragrance and flavor house, runs its own internal perfumery training initiatives. Comparable as a parallel industry-led pathway for perfumer development.

Regional players

• Floraïku: French-Japanese luxury fragrance house offering immersive perfumery workshops and masterclasses tied to their brand universe. Adjacent competitor in the premium short-course / experiential segment in the Asia-Pacific market.

Direct peers

• ISIPCA: Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique alimentaire, based in Versailles, France. The most direct competitor to GIP, offering professional degree programs in perfumery, cosmetics, and food flavoring with industry placement focus.
• Cinquième Sens: Paris-based perfumery training studio offering short courses, workshops, and corporate programs in olfaction and fragrance creation. Direct competitor in the short-session and corporate training segment, with similar professional and enthusiast audiences.

Emerging players

• Nez (Le Nez) & Nez Magazine Workshops: Editorial and workshop brand built around olfaction, perfume culture, and sensory training. Competes for the same enthusiast and corporate gifting segment that GIP addresses with short sessions and private courses.
• The School of Perfumery (UK): UK-based independent perfumery school offering short courses and online training in fragrance creation. Competes for the international amateur and aspiring professional segment that GIP targets through short sessions and online courses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grasse-institute-of-perfumery

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grasse Institute of Perfumery