Cologne water: what is it, history, reviews

What is the "water from Cologne"? Let us read this name in the French manner. Eau de Cologne sounds like "Eau de cologne". Cologne water, therefore, is a perfume, intended primarily for men. It should contain 70% of alcohols and only two to five percent of aromatic substances. Among all the perfume products, cologne takes the last place in terms of the smell. Above is the toilet water (4-7 percent of aromatic substances), Eau de Parfum (7-12%) and, finally, perfume (12-20%). But why cologne bears the name of the German city? And can any perfumery products, labeled as eau de Cologne, be called Cologne water? We will discuss this in our article. We will also review the interesting Cologne water presented by the company "Yves Rocher".

History of invention

Previously, perfume was produced on the basis of oils. And only since the eighteenth century they began to do with the use of a universal solvent - alcohol. This volatile substance helps the smell to open up. In the year 1749, an Italian by birth, Giovanni Maria Farina, founded a perfumery factory in Cologne. It still functions today, being the world's oldest enterprise for the production of perfume.

Farina has experimented a lot with citrus smells, trying to recreate the scent of a fresh Italian morning. In the end, he invented the formula where the chords of lime, cedar, bergamot, grapefruit and orange merge into a complex and unordinary composition with notes of greenery and flowers. And that the smell was easy, like a morning haze, the perfumer diluted the perfume with alcohol in a ratio of seventy percent. Farin named his offspring in honor of the city in which he settled and already began to be considered the second homeland - Kölnisch Wasser. Cologne water came to the liking of the French. They translated this name and began to call eau de Cologne all light perfume products.

Cologne in Russia

In the country water from Cologne appeared only after the war of 1812. When the Russian troops repulsed Napoleon, they reached Paris. Therefore, the Cologne water became known not in German, but in French pronunciation - "About de Colon." Russia has become the largest market for this perfume product. The Imperial Court of the Romanovs constantly ordered cologne, created according to the formula of Farina. But domestic perfumers did not sit idly by. They developed a new formula for Cologne water, to which they added three components. These were the essential oils of neroli, lemon and bergamot. Therefore, they called the Russian cologne "Triple".

Cologne water as a souvenir

Tourists who come to this city on the Rhine, famous for their highest Gothic cathedral, bring from it as a memo cologne, on the label of which in the beautiful vignette is "4711". What does this product have in common with the child of Farina?

In Cologne, beginning in the nineteenth century, the very enterprising family of the Myllens lived. Its head, Wilhelm, bought out the right to use the brand "Farina", and then resold it to other perfumers. Those began to stamp their colognes, until the court decision was not allowed to do it. Then the descendant of Wilhelm, Ferdinand, founded his own factory at Glockengasse No. 4711. It is something that still exists. The cologne "No. 4711" of this manufactory is the aromatic business card of Cologne. Products are sold in various packages, as in large pot-bellied bottles, and in tiny souvenir bottles.

Description of the fragrance «№ 4711»

This Cologne water has only one thing in common with the creation of Farina - the concentration of essential substances. The cologne, however, is a product of unisex. The top notes in the aromatic composition are citrus: bergamot, orange, lemon. Their sharpness is mitigated by the warm tones of a peach with a spicy shade of basil. In the heart of this fragrance flowers dominate. It is a lily, cyclamen, a Bulgarian rose and jasmine. To the smell has become completely ladies, to the notes of the heart was added a ripe melon. But the base of the composition is male. In it, the Tahitian vetiver, sandalwood, cedar and oak moss are guessed. Sweet notes of patchouli and white musk can be heard in the long fascinating trail.

Experts believe that Farine belong to the laurels of the discoverer of cologne as perfume products with a weak concentration of aromatic substances. But Ferdinand Müllens invented the universal formula for the best Cologne water. This Kölnisch Wasser became the same symbol of the city as its famous cathedral.

"Yves Rocher", Cologne water: reviews

Despite the fact that cologne as a perfume product was born in Germany, its promotion and popularization was mainly done by the French. Many brands in this country offer Cologne water. And often this product is suitable for both men and women. Not surprisingly, such a famous firm as "Yves Rocher", also released a line of fragrances called "Vegetable Freshness". It consists of five products, published in the concentration of "Cologne water". "Yves Rocher" emphasizes that they are all unisex. However, this is disputed.

For example, "Honeysuckle" is too tart and will suit only a woman with a masculine character. But "Verbena", thanks to warm musky notes, more to the ladies face. "Bamboo" and "Green Tea" are really unisex flavors. But about the "Blue Cedar" users can not come to one point of view. On the one hand, the coniferous smell makes the fragrance masculine. But on the other hand, the sweetness of cedar nuts makes it possible to refer the product to cologne for women.