On my trip to Barcelona, I discovered the perfume museum. Well OK, I didn’t discover it, but I went there. Its located through the back of the prestigious Regia cosmetic store and plays host to many very very old perfumes as well as first editions of some of the modern world’s classics such as Chanel, Dior, Estée Lauder, Jean Paul Gaultier et al. Established in 1963, it was set up to show the evolution of the perfume bottle and perfumes. Playing host to over 9,000 individual items, including bottles, cosmetics and advertising materials.

Accessing the museum is odd and very Spanish. You enter the store, and ask one of the incredibly glamorous staff that you wish to access the museum. They then take you through some doors to a small office, with a man, sat at a desk that appeared to be the store manager. I then told him I fancy a look, and he said that’s great and I needed to give him €5. Then you go through another set of glass doors into the museum. It’s not all that big, about 10-15 metres squared with lovely red carpet. In there are cases upon cases of perfumes and such dating from Mesopotamian right up until modern day. I mean, these bottles must be worth hundreds of thousands (probably more, I’m no David Dickinson); I’m guessing not millions as there was only a thin sheet of glass between them and me, and I contemplated how easy it would be to smash, grab and leg it.

I got to see some beautiful original bottles signed over to the museum personally by designers such as Paco Rabanne, Chanel and Guerlain. Guerlain actually have a stand in their where they’ve recreated some of their originals for the museum.

Finally there’s this casually placed photo album on top of one of the glass cases. Inside there are copies of headshots of the industry’s founders and biggest names such as those mentioned above. Many of the photos had actually been written and signed to Regia and it was a stunning touch, I mean we’re talking Rubenstein, Lauder, Max Factor. Big names!

If you get chance to go to Barcelona then definitely give this museum a look in. Here are some of my pictures from the museum for you to have a gander at: