Place des Lices

Place des Lices is a niche fragrance and body-care house associated with Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. It takes its name from the town's central square, the Place des Lices, and builds its identity around the light and atmosphere of Provençal Saint-Tropez. According to Fragrantica, the brand started in 1999 as a line of sun-related body products before expanding into perfumery [8]. Its fragrances are produced in Grasse, the town in southern France long regarded as a centre of perfume-making [8].

The brand has a dual identity. Its concept and origin are French, but it is commercially owned and distributed by the Italian company Gida Profumi, which is based in Rimini and led by Daniele Passera [4]. Place des Lices remains active: the company operates an e-commerce store carrying perfumes alongside body, hair, home-fragrance and sun-care products, and ships internationally.

The house presents itself as rooted in Saint-Tropez, "located in the shade of the plane trees only a few footsteps away from the port." A retailer account credits Isabelle Jolivet as the creative force behind the lines, describing products drawn from "her childhood in the shade of the Toscane awnings" and a philosophy centred on nature, purity and simple, calm forms [6].

The founding year is recorded inconsistently. Fragrantica states the brand "started in 1999 in St. Tropez" [8], while an Italian trade article marking a 20-year anniversary in 2020 back-calculates the launch to around 2000 [4]. Both plausibly point to the same period at the turn of the century.

Place des Lices is one of three fragrance brands held by Gida Profumi, an Italian artistic-perfumery company founded and led by Daniele Passera [4]. The other two named in the group are "Fragranze di Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561," a historic Florentine pharmacy brand, and In House Fragrances, focused on home fragrance and design objects [4]. The brand's own webstore lists an operator address in Rimini, Italy, and an Italian VAT number, which reflects this commercial ownership rather than the French origin of the concept.

The company frames Place des Lices around the "authentic spirit of the French Riviera," presenting naturally inspired products with what it calls "delicate formulations, suitable for sensitive skin, with natural ingredients and not tested on animals" [1]. Its stated tagline is "Inspired by Nature." Independent niche retailers echo the same positioning, describing Provençal-influenced fragrances with a high concentration of essences. The brand sits in the prestige niche segment, with full-size perfumes priced in the region of €120 to €138.

The range spans perfumes, body and hair care, home fragrances and sun care. Its signature scent, Saint Tropez, is described by the company as "a charming bouquet of sensual and sunny flowers enhanced by delicate notes of milk." The perfume collection includes named releases such as Bohème, 1900, Rose au Sucre, Blanc des Cotons, Passion Figuier and Encens de Nuit, among roughly eighteen fragrances. The brand states that its perfumes are made in Grasse and characterised by a high essence concentration [8].

Place des Lices was presented at Esxence, an artistic-perfumery trade fair, in 2018, where Fragrantica covered it as "St. Tropez's Perfume" [9]. In 2020, Italian trade media reported on Gida Profumi marking the brand's 20-year anniversary within its Spray boutiques [4].

The brand is active. Its official webstore carries a full perfume, body, home and sun-care catalogue and offers international shipping, with distribution also running through Gida Profumi's "Spray Parfums" boutiques in Turin, Milano Marittima and Milan [4].