We look at Grenouille as a murderer, as a psychopath. But because of his horrendous actions we cease to try to understand his personality. and simply label him as a 'psychopath' to help explain his behavior in a more acceptable way that we can comprehend. We also come to believe that Grenouille was 'evil' since the moment he was born. In my opinion this is false.
Grenouille was born gifted and talented but not born 'evil'. He was simply born without a smell. and furthermore he was born abandone. Not only was he abandone by his mother, but also by the wet nurse Jeanne Brussie and also by Father Terrier. His mother simply could not take care of him, Jeanne Brussie and Father Terrier label him 'evil' based on nothing else than the fact that they could not smell him. Furthermore Madame Gaillard did not have the slightest concern for him. Therefore in the first few essential years his childhood of he experience no love, no compassion or anything of such. Putting it in a modern perspective, he suffers a very realistic and very common Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).
At an early age they completely depend on themselves for protection and survival, hence they become completely isolated from other people, because they see everyone else as a threat. With that in mind they will not be able to trust and hence not be able to love. Without treatment most children grow up to become sociopaths (psychopaths) and do not develop a consciene and care for no one else but themselves.
This is obviously only a small attempt in trying to understand Grenouille, also this is only my opinion because I have only read about a few cases of RAD, to me if Grenouille was had been taken born in a proper hospital and with proper care, his character would have been completely different. and despite his actions, I find it hard to believe that anyone is born 'evil'.