parfums godet through the generations

by Sharon Santoni

parfums godet st paul de vence

In St Paul de Vence one of the very prettiest boutiques belongs to Sonia Godet.   As I walked past her door I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous decor, with its beautiful chandelier, authentic floor tiles and delicious scents.   I didn’t know as I entered the store that I was about to discover a very special family story.

st paul de vence my french country home

Sonia is a young woman with great things ahead of her.   She is what the French call a “nez”, or a nose, which means she is the one who creates the perfumes that surround us each day.  She grew up here, a stone’s throw from Grasse and the heartland of the French perfume industry, and the art of creating perfumes is in her blood.

parfums godet st paul de vence

Sonia  learned how to create perfumes and worked as a ‘nose’ on both sides of the Atlantic, for prestigious brands such as Lancome, Cartier and Burberry.   But she missed her native Southern France, and when one day she found the vintage perfume bottles, remaining from her great-grandfather’s perfume business, she decided to revive the family brand and after many dormant years, Parfums Godet was brought back to life.

parfums godet st paul de vence

The Godet family were first noticed in the 16th century for their fine cognacs, and beautiful presentation bottles.  When Sonia’s grandfather  Julien Joseph Godet started to create perfume, and to open his boutique in Paris in 1901, he drew on the family tradition and savoir faire for blending fragrances and presenting them in beautiful bottles.

parfums godet st paul de vence

He got to know the artist Bonnard, and gradually was introduced to the buzzing artistic circle at the time, and felt inspired to move to the South of France and create more perfumes and fragrances.   It was his fragrance Fleurs de Reine that inspired Bonnard when painting his famous Nu à Contre Jour.

parfums godet st paul de vence

Today, Sonia’s range of perfumes and her beautiful hand made soaps are all made locally, and she is growing fast.  It was touching to see how  excited she is about her brand, and as I chatted with her in her little bijoux boutique, I kept thinking how proud her great grandfather would be if he could see her prolonging the family name.

parfums godet st paul de vence

One of my very favourite things about this blog is the doors that are opened for me, and the opportunities I am given to highlight talented and passionate artisan creators from all corners of France.   Sonia is one of those souls, who goes to work every day excited about her brand and eager to share her savoir faire and her love for the family brand.

parfums godet st paul de vence

Thank you Sonia for making me so welcome and sharing your world with me, for a brief perfumed moment.

If you’re in St Paul and you’d like to visit Sonia’s shop, or if you want to buy her products on line, then check out her website here, and if you see her be sure to say hello from me!

Parfums Godet, St Paul de Vence 

 

31 comments

Teddee Grace August 25, 2017 - 12:39 pm

It would encourage sales if the Godet blog could offer translation.

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Scotty August 25, 2017 - 5:29 pm

If you use Google you can just hit the translate button – very useful tool I find as I am browsing who knows where.

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Baciu Crina June 10, 2020 - 11:15 pm

Minunat! În această seară am urmarit un documentar pe canalul TV5 in care a fost prezentat si acest micuț magazin de parfumuri.Ce m a fascinat a fost povestea lui, un magazin renăscut din propria cenușă.Ii doresc Soniei mult succes si multa inspirație .Acum , e foarte târziu și abia vad literele de pe telefon dar maine o sa intru pe calculator sa citesc in amănunt despre produsele magazinului.

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Lorie Fangio August 25, 2017 - 7:02 pm

Thank you for sharing this lovely brand with us! As always just delightful Sharon!

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Sonia godet August 26, 2017 - 2:26 am

Hello, first of all thank you Sharon for such a great article. It goes straight to my heart. Merci ! I have just translated the website in English, the bilingual version is available on http://www.parfumsgodet.com. The full English version will be live in 10 days. Warmest regards, Sonia

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Taste of France August 25, 2017 - 2:01 pm

I love tales of passion like this. Especially when they also involve family history, beautiful settings and artists. I would like to move into that shop. Just look at the perfection of the motif on the upholstery of the chair in the last photo. And that chandelier. And the carved woman pillar. Treats for the eyes as well as for the nose.

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Sonia August 26, 2017 - 2:29 am

Thank you so much ! It felt lovely reading your comment. Hope to meet you in person at maison Godet one day 🙂

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Vicky from Athens August 25, 2017 - 3:13 pm

Sharon, this was such a treat!! Thank you for taking us to visit this beautiful shop … I know that I could spend an entire day there sniffing each and every perfume.

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Sonia Godet August 26, 2017 - 2:31 am

Thank you !!!!!! I would love to have you discover my fragrances one day in the south of France !

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Margaret Campbell August 25, 2017 - 3:38 pm

This is heaven…beautiful !!!!!

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Sonia Godet August 26, 2017 - 2:32 am

Thank you Margaret !

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Pamela August 25, 2017 - 3:48 pm

Was in Saint Paul de Vence less than two months ago. Wish I’d known about this shop then – sadly didn’t see it on my walk around the village. We’d spent the morning up at the Fondation Maeght, then a wonderful long lunch at La Colombe d’Or. A perfect day!

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Deborah August 25, 2017 - 4:19 pm

Loved the article & her shop is beautiful! Unfortunately, any fragrances with any chemicals cause me to start sneezing. Just a thing that happened to me here in Texas. Once in a while I put on Channel no.5 my husband bought me many years ago at the London airport, but that’s about it. Very happy for her!

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Our French Oasis August 25, 2017 - 4:54 pm

How fabulous that she has revived the family tradition, it is small boutique shops like this, selling one off items, be they perfumes or soaps or even clothing, that I love the most. It all looks absolutely divine.

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Karen Ward August 25, 2017 - 6:12 pm

This is one of our favorite towns in France! I love that you giving such great information to add to our own incredible experiences of visits to St Paul de Vance!!

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Rosemary August 25, 2017 - 6:20 pm

Hi Dear Sharon,

“Lovely, Lovely. Lovely!”

I’m having trouble getting to her website, can you please list it for me?

Thank you, and a million blessings to you as well!

Your friend,

Rosemary

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Sonia Godet August 26, 2017 - 2:35 am

Hello Rosemary, thank you so much for your positive comments, it’s just so wonderful reading you. The website is http://www.parfumsgodet.com. Warmest regards, Sonia

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Rebecca R. Dyer August 25, 2017 - 8:45 pm

I WOULD LOVE TO ORDER THE SOAP BUT IT IS NOT MENTIONED ON THE WEBSITE. CAN YOU PROVIDE ANY HELP HERE? AND ARE THERE ANY LIQUID SOAPS, SCRUBS, CREAMS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL BLOG.

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Sonia Godet August 26, 2017 - 2:39 am

Dear Rebecca, thank you very much for your interest for la maison Godet ! The link to order the soap is https://parfumsgodet.com/collections/savon-exquisite-lavande-natural-lavender-soap/. I also make handmade organic scrubs which are not on the website because my stock is very limited. Hope to see you one day in Saint Paul de Venice village !

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Madonna August 25, 2017 - 9:18 pm

They say that our sense of smell can be our longest memory. I know when I get to France one of my souvenirs will be some perfume.

I love this post. I love your generosity toward others.

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Debbie Courtney August 25, 2017 - 10:01 pm

I love St. Paul and must go soon. Can you order her products from the US?
Merci, Debbie

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Sonia August 26, 2017 - 2:43 am

Bonjour Debbie, thank you so much for your kind words. yes you can order my creations via my website http://www.parfumsgodet.com. The English website version will be live in 10 days. Have a great weekend, Sonia

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Gail Richards August 25, 2017 - 11:45 pm

Please don’t misunderstand, I love, love, love perfume. But, when I’m trying to eat, a heavy scent turns my stomach. I wish it weren’t true.

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Kathryn Gauci August 26, 2017 - 1:10 am

I have been following your journey through Provence and the south with interest.It is one of my favourite areas and I visited and ate at some of the places you wrote about. St Paul de Vence is a special place.The arts and history coming together. The next time I am there I will be sure to buy one of these perfumes. Thank you for all your inspiring posts.

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Robert E Hyman August 26, 2017 - 6:03 am

Thank you! Your gift of words and visual photos have made the story of the Godet family and Sonia Godet come alive! I re-read your Summer Story again. It is easy to imagine the heroine,Catherine, popping in Sonia’s lovely shop to buy Godet before her husband, Bob, arrives. What a wonderful movie this story would make.Casting Meryl Streep/ Tom Hamks or may be Kate3 Winslett/George Clooney.

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Zamo August 26, 2017 - 4:02 pm

I’ve just discovered Sharon’s blog from the Podcast she did with Shannon on The Simple Sophisticate. I’m obsessed. Thank you for inspiring a girl from South Africa and evoking some wanderlust. Can’t wait to come to France next year and discover a different side of France.

Thank you Sonia for translating your website. My favorite page is the La Maison Godet, reading about your history and seeing one of my favourite artists Matisse. I can’t wait to personally visit the shop purchase some perfumes, soap and hopefully meet you.

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Jan Bell September 2, 2017 - 2:26 pm

Thank you Sharon for posting about the Godet perfumes and history. I linked in and yesterday received my lavender soap and first authentic bottle of French perfume here in the state of Maine. Sonia emailed me back when I sought her advice regarding which fragrance to select since this was without using my own olfactory discernment! It was spot on what I received and brings me one step closer to experiencing France from across the pond!

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purecaramel September 10, 2017 - 7:00 am

I am currently nosing three Godet scents
Petite Fleur Bleue, Chypre and Cuir de Russie.
I am pleased that you are reviving these elegant gems.

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Borden Green June 1, 2018 - 2:46 am

Hello, Sharon. I bought one of your lovely perfumes last weekend at your Saint-Paul de Vince boutique. I feel embarassed to have to ask, but I can’t seem to figure out how to get the lid off. The bottle has a tiny tube in the liquid that makes me think that it has a spray dispenser. However, when I take off the lid, there is no spray top. What am I doing wrong?

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Vicki September 3, 2018 - 2:07 pm

Will be visiting Nice next month and now will definitely be visiting this little town which obviously houses this “ jewel” of a shop.
Cannot wait !

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Sue Patzschke January 22, 2019 - 4:40 am

We had a wonderful visit in Saint-Paul de Vince and meeting Sonia’s was the highlight! We enjoyed family champagne while selecting perfume to take home to Florida. The fragrances she creates are faboulous. Truly a talented family of artists. Sue Patzschke

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