What was the first cologne

A mixture of citrus oils, including bergamot, orange, grapefruit and orange combined with lavender, jasmine, oleaster and tobacco, the levels of which are all adjusted by hand and nose. Here is a brief history of eau de cologne. The head nose of the Farina company is an eighth generation member of the Farina family still working at the shop on Obenmarspforten, now the oldest fragrance factory in the world. Other merchants copied the product and also called it eau de Cologne. Both have their own premises tourists can visit.

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The first bottle of eau de Cologne was created by Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian expatriate living in the eastern German city of Cologne. On July 13, , Farina opened a luxury goods shop where the fragrance was sold. In a letter to his brother dated in , Farina wrote, "I have discovered a scent that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain.

Over the course of 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. An eau de Cologne differs from a so-called eau de toilette in that it has a smaller concentration of essential oils, which give the solution its scent. Napoleon allegedly used one vial of the valuable liquid each day.

In addition to political conflicts, the original eau de Cologne has also had to deal with stiff competition from a popular imitation: In the 18th century, the Muehlens, a merchant family from Cologne, produced a citrus-based scent similar to the original eau de Cologne, calling it by the house number of the factory on Glockengasse in downtown Cologne. While is known around the world - and boasts an over year history - it's not the original. In , the Muehlens family sold its company to the German Wella corporation.

It was then acquired by Procter and Gamble in and returned to German hands in , when the company was bought by Maeurer und Wirtz, best known for its perfume brand Tabac Original. While Farina's eau de Cologne may be the true original, has always been the more commercially successful scent. The fragrance opens with a clean, fresh, youthful appeal of English and French lavender, topped with herbaceous peppermint, rosemary and bergamot, gradually giving way to a subtle base of warm oak moss.

Cuba is a great tobacco cologne. The initial burst of the top notes of bergamot, lime, peppermint and rum is layered with a melange of spicy and floral middle notes of clove, bay and rose. Woody base notes of tobacco, frankincense, cedarwood and vetiver round off this striking fragrance.

Explore our Eau de Cologne collection or our full fragrance collection. Located in North America or would like to pay in Euros? Please visit our US site here and our EU site here. What is eau de cologne?

Is cologne perfume? What is cologne used for? History of cologne and perfume What was the original purpose of perfume? Where did cologne originate? History of perfume bottles Since the creation of fragrance, perfume bottles have been designed to contain precious scents.

Cuba Eau de Cologne Cuba is a great tobacco cologne.