Eau de Cologne
A bit of perfume history
In the Middle Ages, it was recognised that perfume could heal.
During this period, medicinal perfumes, Aqua Mirabilis, were made in monasteries using a still.
Only in the 14th century the use of alcohol in perfume became more common.
The Queen of Hungary's Water, dating from 1370, was one of the first alcoholic preparations that emphasised its medicinal virtues, at that time these potions cured miasmas and were drunk.
Hygienic conditions were far from excellent and therefore this kind of product was like a miracle water, a perfumed water, with a pleasant smell.
This distillate or alcoholate was based on rosemary, sage and marjoram combined with cedar and lemon balm.
This Hungarian Water was a precious medicine that was drunk and rubbed into the body for internal and external purification.
The art of perfume flourished during the Renaissance period, notably thanks to the personal perfumer of Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), René le Florentin.
Louis XIV (1643-1715), the most perfumed king in history, preferred to rub his body with perfumed towels rather than take a bath.
He had the will to promote the French perfumery, under his reign the glove makers received the authorization to proclaim themselves perfumers.
During the reign of Louis XV (1710-1774) the Court of Versailles was nicknamed the Perfumed Court and eau de Cologne appeared.
Eau de Cologne as medicine
Eau de Cologne was originally a medicine, a kind of miracle cure.
Originally, the beneficial character of Eau de Cologne was such that each bottle sold was accompanied by a small leaflet indicating the uses and effects of this miraculous water.
Thus it was explained that young people could swallow 20 to 30 drops of this Eau de Cologne, mixed with water or wine spirit, while older people could swallow 50 to 60 drops to slow down a rapid heartbeat.
It was also said that Eau de Cologne cured headaches when the fragrance was inhaled for a few minutes.
The first Eau de Cologne
It's a story that begins three centuries ago and starts in Santa Maria Maggiore, in Lombardy, north of Milan.
A young Italian, Giovanni Paolo Feminis, invented the recipe for Aqua Mirabilis in 1695, perhaps inspired by the citrus accord of the nuns of the convent of Maria Santa Novella, Acqua di Regina.
He passed on his recipe to his nephew Jean Antoine Farina, who settled in Cologne in 1709.
But another version given by Roger & Gallet tells that Giovanni Paolo Feminis would have invented Aqua di Regina without being inspired.
Or that he was inspired by a recipe given to him by an English officer returning from the Indies, and that he passed on his recipe in 1734 to Jean Antoine Farina.
In short, the history of this Eau de Cologne is complex and confusing, the legend is still making its way.
Today, the original Eau de Cologne is still produced by the eighth generation of Farina's descendants in Cologne, and it is said that he kept his Eau de Cologne in cedarwood barrels.
One hundred years after the creation of Eau de Cologne, this composition found itself in competition with countless imitations, which the family succeeded in having banned after lengthy court cases.
The lawsuits lasted for almost 80 years, however, and as a result the term Eau de Cologne became commonplace.
The success was incredible and other companies started to produce it.
Another famous Eau de Cologne, dating from 1792, is still sold today. It is N°4711 by Muelhens, named after the number of the rue de Cologne where it was made in the 18th century.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was a fan of this Eau de Cologne and used to slip a very long and thin bottle into his boots before going to the countryside.
He consumed an average of 43 litres of Eau de Cologne per month.
Very sensitive to odours, he appreciated its scent to perfume his flats and his horse.
The Emperor consumed it without moderation, it is said that he drank a few drops before each battle to give himself energy.
Later, he issued an order requiring the disclosure of the formulas of all ingested medicines.
As this order compromised the secrecy of the formula, it was prescribed for external use and became the product we know today.
Eau de Cologne and Guerlain
Born in 1798 in Abbeville, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain began as a merchant clerk at the Maison Briard, which manufactured and sold perfumes.
He was soon hired by the House of Dissey and Piver, where he learned the fundamentals of perfume creation.
He moved to Paris in 1828 to 42 rue de Rivoli. At the beginning, the majority of the products were imported from England, he quickly launched the creation of Eau de Cologne and thermal preparations.
The Empress Eugenie suffered from horrible migraines, she asked Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain to create for her a bespoke Eau de Cologne with a lot of freshness but very soothing.
He did it with mastery using an overdose of petit grain which is the essential oil of orange leaf, neroli and orange blossom with calming properties.
She used this Eau de Cologne Impériale for a few years for her personal use.
Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain asked for permission to market it, which she accepted.
On the occasion of this great olfactory success, he received from Napoleon III the title of Official Supplier to the Imperial Court.
A superb bottle with the bees is still sold today in Guerlain’s shops and outlets all over the world. 69 bees is a symbol of the Empire, 69 is the number that corresponded to the number of provinces at that time.
For Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain, it was the beginning of the fame that gave the lineage of 5 generations of perfumers.
Initially, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain tried to sell his perfumes in the department stores of the time but was not well received and decided to create his own perfumeries.
He also created a lot of custom-made creations and only created Eau de Cologne, an eau de toilette did not exist yet.
Eau de Cologne and Eau Fraîche
The traditional structure of Eau de Cologne is made up of tonic top notes: bergamot, lemon, orange, neroli, petit grain, mandarin, grapefruit, sometimes some aromatic notes like verbena and orange blossom.
Eau de Cologne, with a concentration of 4 to 6 %, can now include synthetic notes for a better tenacity.
Real Eau de Cologne like Eau de Cologne Impériale are made of 99% natural products, which is why this product has very little tenacity.
In the same register, there are Eau du Coq and Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat by Guerlain.
From the second half of the 20th century onwards, Eau de Cologne provided the inspiration for eau fraîche.
The latter have slightly chypre (scented moss, patchouli) and woody (vetiver, cedar) base notes and floral notes.
An addition Firmenich's famous hedione helped to keep the fresh notes alive.
These eau fraîche thus became more tenacious and diffusive by their more faceted construction.
We then witnessed the arrival of ultra-modern, transparent, refreshing Eau de Cologne with a musky trail.
CK One by Calvin Klein has the air of an Eau de Cologne with the addition of its tonic accord of a very specific tea note borrowed from the Eau de Toilette of Bulgari's Tea fragrance.
This modern Eau de Cologne is for men or women, like all Eau de Cologne.
We also have, in the same style, the superb Eau de Cologne by Thierry Mugler, the Eaux de Cologne by Dior, La Cologne by Chanel and Cologne by Allure Homme Sport.
Eau by Artisan Parfumeur, Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermès or even very fresh fragrances such as in the Aqua Allégoria line by Guerlain are more like eau fraîche or eau de toilette that have the tenacity of eau de parfum.
At Guerlain, Cologne du 68 (the label lists 68 components) was a nod to the prestigious Champs-Elysées address created in collaboration with Sophie Labbé of IFF.
Eau de Cologne by Sylvaine Delacourte
I launched my eau de parfum Orange Blossom Collection with an eau de Cologne effect, sublimated by floral notes with a very high tenacity.
Oranzo is the freshest and most invigorating fragrance of the Collection.
It is a Collection of 5 fragrances that you can discover thanks to its Discovery Box.