Eau de Cologne: From Miracle Remedy to the Emperor’s Perfume

Medicinal Origins: The Hungary Water

The Eau de la Reine de Hongrie, dating from 1370, is one of the earliest alcoholic preparations that championed its medicinal virtues. In those times, such potions were taken orally to ward off miasmas. Conditions of hygiene were far from exemplary, and consequently this type of product served as a sort of miracle water — a fragrant elixir blessed with an agreeable scent.

This distillate, or alcoholate, was based on rosemary, sage and marjoram, combined with cedar and lemon balm.

The Hungary Water was a precious remedy that was both ingested and applied to the body through vigorous friction, for internal and external purification alike.

The Renaissance and the Court of Versailles

The art of perfumery flourished during the Renaissance, 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 scented towels rather than take a bath.

He was determined to promote French perfumery, and it was during his reign that glove-makers received authorisation to call themselves perfumers. Under the reign of Louis XV (1710–1774), the Court of Versailles would be dubbed the Perfumed Court, and Eau de Cologne would make its appearance.

The Birth of Eau de Cologne

This is a story that begins three centuries ago in Santa Maria Maggiore, in Lombardy, north of Milan. A young Italian named Paolo Feminis invented in 1695 the recipe for Aqua Mirabilis, perhaps inspired by the hesperidic accord of the nuns at the convent of Santa Maria Novella and their Acqua di Regina. He is said to have passed his recipe on to his nephew Jean Antoine Farina, who had established himself in Cologne in 1709.

However, another version recounted by Roger & Gallet tells that Giovanni Paolo Feminis invented the formula without any inspiration from the Acqua di Regina. Yet another account suggests he was inspired by a recipe entrusted to him by an English officer returning from India, and that he passed his formula to his son-in-law Jean Antoine Farina in 1734. In short, the history of this Eau de Cologne is complex and shrouded in mystery — the legend continues to unfold.

Today, the original Eau de Cologne is still produced by the eighth generation of Farina’s descendants in Cologne. It is said that he stored his Eau de Cologne in cedarwood casks.

Worldwide Success and Imitations

A hundred years after the creation of Eau de Cologne, this composition found itself in competition with countless imitations, which the family succeeded in having prohibited after lengthy lawsuits. The legal proceedings nonetheless lasted nearly eighty years, and the consequence was the generalisation of the term Eau de Cologne.

The success was extraordinary, and other firms ventured into its manufacture. Another celebrated Eau de Cologne, dating from 1792, is still sold today: N°4711 by Muelhens, named after the street number in Cologne where it was produced in the eighteenth century.

Eau de Cologne as Medicine

Eau de Cologne was first and foremost a medicine — a sort of miracle remedy. Originally, the beneficial character of Eau de Cologne was such that a small leaflet was enclosed with each bottle sold, detailing the uses and effects of this miraculous water.

• Young persons could swallow 20 to 30 perfumed drops of this Eau de Cologne, mixed with water or spirits of wine.
• Older persons could take 50 to 60 drops to slow an excessively rapid heartbeat.
• It was also indicated that Eau de Cologne cured headaches when one inhaled the fragrance for a few minutes.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Passion

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), a fervent devotee of Eau de Cologne, would slip a very long, slender bottle into his boots before setting off on campaign. It is said that he consumed an average of 43 litres of Eau de Cologne per month. Extremely sensitive to scents, he relished its vapours for perfuming his apartments and even his horse.

The Emperor consumed it without restraint; it is claimed he drank a few drops before every battle to summon his energy. Later, he was moved to publish an ordinance requiring the disclosure of formulas for all medicines taken internally. As this ordinance threatened the secrecy of the formula, Eau de Cologne was thenceforth prescribed for external use only, and became the product we know today.

Guerlain’s Eau de Cologne Impériale

Born in 1798 in Abbeville, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain began as a merchant’s clerk at Maison Briard, which manufactured and sold perfumes. He was soon engaged by Maison Dissey et Piver, where he absorbed the fundamental principles of fragrance creation. He established himself in Paris in 1828, at 42 rue de Rivoli.

While most products were initially imported from England, he swiftly turned his hand to creating Eaux de Cologne and thermal preparations.

The Empress Eugénie’s Remedy

Empress Eugénie suffered from dreadful migraines and asked Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain to create a bespoke Eau de Cologne for her — one brimming with freshness yet deeply soothing. This he achieved with consummate mastery, employing a generous dose of petit grain, the essential oil of the orange tree leaf, combined with néroli and orange blossom, celebrated for their calming properties.

She used this Eau de Cologne Impériale for several years as her personal fragrance.

Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain sought permission to market it, which she granted. On the occasion of this great olfactory triumph, he received from Napoleon III the title of Official Supplier to the Imperial Court. It is sold in the bee bottle, a magnificent flacon still available today in their boutiques and points of sale around the world.

The 69 bees are a symbol of the Empire; 69 was the number corresponding to the count of provinces at that time.

For Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain, this marked the beginning of a renown that would engender five generations of perfumers. Initially, he attempted to sell his perfumes in the grand department stores of the era, but receiving a cold reception, he resolved to create his own perfumeries. He also crafted many bespoke creations and produced exclusively Eaux de Cologne — the eau de toilette had not yet come into existence.

From Classic Cologne to Modern Fresh Waters

The traditional structure of Eau de Cologne is built upon tonic top notes: bergamot, lemon, orange, néroli, petit grain, mandarin, grapefruit, and sometimes aromatic herbs such as verbena and orange blossom.

Eau de Cologne, at 4 to 6% concentration, is now enhanced with synthetic notes for improved longevity. True Eaux de Cologne such as Eau de Cologne Impériale are composed of 99% natural ingredients, which is precisely why this product has very little lasting power. In the same register, one finds Eau du Coq and Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat by Guerlain.

The Advent of Fresh Waters

From the second half of the twentieth century onwards, Eaux de Cologne inspired the creation of Eaux Fraîches. These possess light base notes with chypre accents (oakmoss, patchouli) and woody facets (vetiver, cedar), along with floral notes.

The addition of the celebrated hedione by Firmenich helped sustain the fresh notes. These Eaux Fraîches thus became, through their more multifaceted construction, more tenacious and diffusive.

The Modern Cologne

We then witnessed the arrival of ultra-modern Eaux de Cologne — transparent, refreshing, with a musky sillage. CK One by Calvin Klein has the air of an Eau de Cologne enhanced with its tonic accord featuring a very distinctive tea note, borrowed from the Eau de Toilette of the fragrance Thé by Bulgari. This modern Eau de Cologne is for men and women alike, as are all Eaux de Cologne.

We also find, in the same vein, the superb Eau de Cologne by Thierry Mugler, the Eaux de Cologne Dior, La Cologne Chanel and Cologne d’Allure Homme Sport. L’Eau by L’Artisan Parfumeur, Eau d’Orange Verte by Hermès, and the remarkably fresh fragrances from the Aqua Allegoria line by Guerlain are more akin to Eaux Fraîches or Eaux de Toilette possessing the lasting power of Eaux de Parfum.

At Guerlain, Cologne du 68 (its label lists 68 components) was a nod to the prestigious Champs-Élysées address, created in collaboration with Sophie Labbé of IFF.