The Birth Of Cologne: A Fragrant Journey Begins

The first cologne was Eau de Cologne, created by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709. Farina was an Italian perfume maker who had moved to Cologne, Germany, where he established his own distillery-herbalist shop. Inspired by his hometown in Italy, Farina created a citrus-based fragrance, which he described in a letter to his brother as reminiscent of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain. Farina named his creation after his new hometown, and the term Eau de Cologne (meaning Water from Cologne) became a generic term for scented formulations with a similar concentration of essential oils, alcohol, and water.

The first cologne was created in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina

The scent was created using essences of flowers diluted with alcohol. It was a light, refreshing fragrance with a citrusy and floral aroma, designed for both men and women. The strength and purity of the scent were unknown to patrons of that time, and it soon became the signature scent of the royal houses of Europe.

In a letter to his brother Jean Baptiste in 1708, Farina wrote:

> "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain."

The original Eau de Cologne was a top seller in Giovanni Maria Farina's luxury shop. A single vial of the precious liquid cost a week's wages for a master craftsman, or over 1,000 euros in today's money. It was so expensive that only the extremely wealthy could afford it.

Over the last three centuries, only 30 people have been privy to the secret recipe, including Johann Maria Farina, a descendant of the perfumer and the company's current managing director. The formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 and remains a secret to this day.

It was originally called 'Eau de Cologne' or 'Water from Cologne'

The first cologne was originally called Eau de Cologne or Water from Cologne. It was created in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian living in the German city of Cologne. The name was chosen to honour his new hometown.

The scent was a mixture of essences of flowers diluted with alcohol. It was designed to be a lighter fragrance with a lower concentration of perfume oils in alcohol and water. This made it a refreshing alternative to the stronger scents produced in France, which had been the centre of perfumery for many years.

The original Eau de Cologne was a top seller in Giovanni Maria Farina's luxury shop. It was used by royalty and the nobility, including Napoleon, Mozart, and Queen Victoria. A single vial of the fragrance cost half the annual salary of a civil servant, or well over 1,000 euros in today's money, making it only accessible to the extremely wealthy.

The success of Eau de Cologne led to countless other businessmen selling their own fragrances under the name of Eau de Cologne. However, the original formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 and remains a secret. The shop opened by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709 is the world's oldest fragrance factory.

It was inspired by an Italian spring morning

The first cologne, Eau de Cologne, was created in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian living in Cologne, Germany. It was inspired by an Italian spring morning, and in a letter to his brother Jean Baptiste, Farina wrote:

> "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain."

The scent is citrusy and floral, with essences of flowers diluted with alcohol. It was intended for both men and women to use, and it became the signature scent of the royal houses of Europe.

The original Eau de Cologne was a top seller in Giovanni Maria Farina's luxury shop, and only 30 people have been privy to the secret recipe over the last three centuries. Napoleon allegedly used a vial of the valuable liquid each day, and a single vial cost a week's wages for a master craftsman.

The success of Eau de Cologne led to countless businessmen selling their own fragrances under the name of Eau de Cologne. However, the original formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 and remains a secret.

It was marketed as a health drink as well as a perfume

The world's first cologne was Eau de Cologne, created by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709. It was a scent made using essences of flowers diluted with alcohol, with a citrusy and floral smell intended for both men and women.

The original Eau de Cologne was soon followed by a popular imitation, 4711, which is still around today. The story goes that in 1792, a Carthusian monk gave the secret recipe for an "aqua mirabilis" or "miracle water" to the merchant Wilhelm Mülhens as a wedding gift. Mülhens then founded a small factory in Cologne's Glockengasse and marketed his miracle water as a health drink, served neat or mixed with wine.

In 1810, Napoleon decreed that all recipes for medications intended for internal use must publicly list their ingredients. Not wanting to disclose his secret recipe, Mülhens began to market his miracle water solely as a fragrance. The brand has since expanded to various other perfumes and products, but the original formula has remained the same for over 200 years.

The original Eau de Cologne was also believed to have medicinal properties. It was thought that by drinking the cologne, the citrus oil scent would exude through the pores, repelling fleas and warding off the bubonic plague.

It was popular with royalty

The original Eau de Cologne, or the first cologne, was created by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709. Farina was an Italian expatriate living in the German city of Cologne, and he named the fragrance after his new home.

Eau de Cologne was popular with royalty, and it was delivered to nearly all royal houses in Europe. It was also very expensive, costing half the annual salary of a civil servant. Napoleon used a vial of the valuable liquid every day, and other famous wearers included Mozart and Queen Victoria, who never appeared in public without it.

The popularity of Eau de Cologne with royalty was due to its unique characteristics as a perfume. At the time, it was a sensation for a fragrance to be so consistently homogeneous, consisting of dozens of monoessences. It was also a light, refreshing alternative to the stronger scents produced in France, which had been the centre of perfumery for many years. Perfume was used as a status symbol, and smelling pleasant was a luxury restricted to royalty and nobility.

The original Eau de Cologne was also believed to have the power to ward off the bubonic plague. By drinking the cologne, the citrus oil scent would exude through the pores, repelling fleas.

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