https://michelgermain.com does have a location in perfume development historically, there is no doubt about that, but the history of fragrances dates back plenty of years actually. There is plenty of evidence of its used in Ancient Egypt and nearby Cyprus has the earliest site that presents it being created locally. The Romans of course wandered around that area and additional refined the production process. They were quite well-known for their standards of sanitation and general cleanliness, when not engaged in battle! The Arabs developed fragrances along similar lines, but their version was based on incense which of course needs to be heated or burned release a the fragrant odours.
When did French perfume start to make its mark in this sector? Well it really is largely Louis XV that gets the credit here. Ruling in the 18th century he encouraged the liberal use of fragrance at Court. The ensuing Royal patronage ensured that the nobles along with other social climbers were quick to take this up too therefore it gradually spread outside the Royal Courts. France can count itself lucky to have both a moderate climate in the South of the country and soil there that is particularly suited to growing aromatic plants. The city of Grasse, right now, remains the foundation of the French perfume oil concentrate that's used in ladies perfumes all over the world - men's colognes too!
If you visit Grasse the very first thing that strikes you may be the abundance of flowers and aromatic herbs that populate the hills round the town - an incredible splash of every colour beneath the rainbow. The firms that produce the oils are called 'perfume houses' and to some extent that IS descriptive, because they're often small family-run businesses with production methods which have not changed much over the centuries. The difference is that French perfumes now find their way around the globe and not restricted to France or nearby Europe any more.
Once the plants and flowers have been harvested they're put through a fairly unsophisticated process to render them into a liquid form. After filtration to remove stalks and other debris, they're quality checked in the laboratory to keep up the high standards expected of these (right now) expensive perfume oils.
The French perfumes you might buy are actually a variety of many of these essential oils, often a hundred or more are used to make just one single fragrance - the perfumer must know his art! He is called a 'nose' in the trade and contains to come up with the right mix of oils to make sure consistency and keep costs in order too. The proper balance of ingredients vs cost is what results in a high selling fragrance which makes lots of profit for its makers. Only by sourcing wholesale perfumes, maybe at an out-of-town perfume outlet, can the retail prices of ladies perfumes be brought right down to an affordable level.