Eau de Cologne

History

The original Eau de Cologne is a spirit-citrus perfume launched in Cologne in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina (1685–1766), an Italian perfume maker from Santa Maria Maggiore, Valle Vigezzo. In 1708, Farina wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Eau de Cologne, in honour of his new hometown.

The Eau de Cologne created by Farina was used only as a perfume and delivered to "nearly all royal houses in Europe". His ability to produce a constantly homogeneous fragrance consisting of dozens of single-origin essences was seen as a sensation at the time. A single vial of this aqua mirabilis (Latin for miracle water) cost half the annual salary of a civil servant. When free trade was established in Cologne by the French in 1797, the success of Eau de Cologne prompted countless other businessmen to sell their own fragrances under the name of Eau de Cologne. Giovanni Maria Farina's formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 by Farina opposite the Jülichplatz and to this day remains a secret. His shop at Obenmarspforten opened in 1709 and is the world's oldest fragrance factory.

Another famous scent, the Original Eau de Cologne 4711, is named after its location at Cologne's Glockengasse No. 4711. It was developed by Wilhelm Mülhens and produced in Cologne since at least 1799, and is therefore probably one of the oldest fragrances still produced in the world. On 12 December 2006, the perfumes and cosmetics company Mäurer & Wirtz took over 4711 from Procter & Gamble and has expanded it to a whole brand since then.

In 1806, Jean Marie Joseph Farina, a great-grandnephew of Giovanni Maria Farina, opened a perfumery business in Paris that was later sold to Roger & Gallet. That company now owns the rights to Eau de Cologne extra vieille, in contrast to the Original Eau de Cologne. Eau de Cologne was once believed to protect against bubonic plague: by drinking the cologne, the citrus oil scent would exude through the pores, repelling fleas. Many flea shampoos for dogs are based on citrus oils today.

In modern times, eau de Cologne or "cologne" has become a generic term. The term "cologne" can be applied to perfume for men or women, but in American English, usage typically refers to perfumes marketed toward men. 1885-Molanus-Flasche.JPG|4711 (1885) 4711 sculpture.jpg|4711 PENHALIGON'S Eau de Cologne.jpg| Penhaligon's Troynoy Odekolon.jpg|Troinoj (1889) Eau de Cologne Cordon Rouge COTY fles.JPG|Cordon Rouge, François Coty (1909) Cordon Vert by Coty, 1905-I.jpg|Cordon Vert, François Coty (1905)

Cologne in Turkish culture

After the fame of the cologne became widespread, Farina's cologne was brought to the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdülhamid II. It was common to offer rose water to guests in the Ottoman Empire at that time, but the tradition of offering cologne began after it became popular there. In 1882, the first local cologne was produced in the Ottoman Empire by Ahmet Faruk, popularly called odikolon. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the use of cologne became a widespread culture. Currently, most Turkish hosts offer cologne to their houseguests at each visit.

Literary references

Yevgeny Yevtushenko's poem About Drinking describes the author coming back from a whaling voyage and arriving at a small town where the local store is out of liquor and, as a substitute, they use a case of Eau de Cologne to drink.

Bibliography

References

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References

1. (2019-09-20). "Perfume & Cologne Market 2019-2025 {{!}} Professional Survey By ICRW".
2. (2019-05-12). "Finding Queen Victoria's perfume".
3. Eckstein and Sykes, p 8
4. Fischer
5. Farina [[Fragrance Museum]] information leaflet
6. Monk, Paul M. S. ''Physical Chemistry: Understanding Our Chemical World''. 2004. Wiley.
7. Yalav-Heckeroth, Feride. (29 December 2016). "A Brief History Of Kolonya, Turkey's Fragrance".
8. Yevtushenko, Yevgeny Aleksandrovich. (1991). "The collected poems, 1952-1990". Henry Holt.