Eau de Cologne - Then and Now!

The Italian perfume maker Johann Maria Farina created a new fragrance in the 18th century and named it after his German home town Köln (Cologne): Eau de Cologne. Over the years Eau de Cologne (Kolnisch Wasser) became very popular.

In 1792 the Carthusian monk Wilhelm Muelhens gave an unusual wedding gift—the secret formula of "aqua mirabillis," miraculous water for internal and external use: Cologne Water (Kolnisch Wasser). Convinced of the successful product, he opened a small factory in Glockengasse and began producing his version of the fragrance, issuing it under the same name as Farina.

   

 

 

 

 

 

  

In 1810 Napoleon issued a decree requiring that all secret formulas for internal use be published, and Muelhens reissued his product as cologne for external use in order to keep the formula a well-hidden secret. A more functional bottle was designed in 1820 so that the cologne could be easily filled, stored, and labeled with the name of the fragrance and the brand.

Many years later, in 1875 the grandson of Ferdinand Muelhens, under court pressure, changed the name of the scent to 4711 Original Eau de Cologne. It was the number on the building which the city Cologne assigned to Wilhelm Muelhens during the French occupation. In that year the brand 4711 was established. After several generations of family ownership, the company was sold in 1994 to Wella Inc. Today the brand is owned by Maurer & Wirtz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original creation Farina Eau de Cologne has remained for eight generations in the Farina family. Echt Kolnisch Wasser (Eau de Cologne) is still in production.
 

In Cologne, Germany"The Farina fragrance museum" was established in 1709. The museum still offers several floors of very detailed insights into the design and production of perfumes, and displays the ancient machinery for distillation. It was difficult back then to keep your product on the market because there were no copyright laws and the success of Eau de Cologne was followed by numerous forgeries and copycats, which are also exhibited in the museum.

In addition to the The Farina Fragrance museum, one of Cologne's main attractions is the traditional Muelhens 4711 Glockengasse house, where tourists come to find out more about the famous 4711 Original Eau de Cologne and see the exhibitions. As of November 2007, this building also hosts perfume seminars.

The term Eau de Cologne is used for a closer description of the perfume's concentration. The concentration of cologne requires 2-5% of perfume extract and alcohol content of about 70%. In the USA the term cologne is also used for perfumed water. Also, Eau de Cologne comes in spray and splash editions.

In 1924 Chanel offered Eau de Cologne—a smell that invigorates and refreshes with its composition interweaving petit grain, herbs, spices, bergamot and neroli. Today this fragrance in offered as a part of collection Les Exclusifs de Chanel.

 

An entire collection of excellent colognes is available on the market: Jardin de France Eau de Cologne 1920 (recommended articles: Jardin de France Eau de Colognes 1920 and Spring Wind Collection); Bensimon editions Cologne Bensimon 1993 and Cologne Bensimon 2005; the Diptyque trilogy of Colognes presented in 2008 (L'Eau de Hesperides, L'Eau and Eau de L'Eau de Neroli), as well as Dior's excellent Eau de Colognes—Bois D'Argent, Cologne Blanche, Eau Noire and the recently launched Ambre Nuit Cologne.

The latest editions are bringing the colognes back to the spotlight! Fragrances worth mentioning are certainly colognes created by Francis Kurkdjian, Cologne Pour Le Matin and Cologne Pour Le Soir,  composed as good-night fairy tales, suitable for peacefull moments during the day or night. The precious balance of those  colognes gives us a comfortable and enjoyable experience of cotton and linen, and cashmere and fur.

In last year's collection, Hermes put Cologne Water on the pedestal of authentic compositions. Jean-Claude Ellena "signed" his refined compositions for personal pleasure with bright citrus and exquisite rose— Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. Iris, incense and musk make out the Eau de Gentiane Blanche, while the harmony of citrus and fresh green is expressed in the "fragrant reincarnation" of Eau d`Orange Verte.

There are also the new Penhaligons Eau de Cologne, Kenzo's FlowerbyKenzo La Cologne, and Jean Paul Gaultier and his variation on the popular Fleur de Male: Cologne Le Fleur du Male, offering a fresher and sharper variation of the original composition. Thierry Mugler added to his collection the miraculous Mugler Cologne, keeping its formula secretive and listing the molecule "S" as the secret ingredient lending the ultimate charm to the composition. Fresh and very pleasant, green, creamy and gooey, Mugler's cologne is definitely modern and will be welcomed by coming generations. The two Diesel colognes are fragrances Fuel for Life Cologne,  distinctly created for men and for women. Both fragrances are available in spray and splash editions.

I will close the circle about colognes with the latest editions of Guerlain's perfumer Thierry Wasser. His La Cologne Du Parfumeur was created after the model of Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This scent includes notes of citrus, orange, neroli, verbena, lemon water, syrup lavender, rosemary and mint. It is available in luxurious bottles in quantities of 100, 250, 500 and 1000 ml.

Author: Sandra Raičević Petrović (sandrina_bambina)
Fragrantica Editor, writer & designer