4711 is a name that most of us know. It’s been around since 1792, but it has been slightly forgotten in the modern age with the current obsession with powerful projecting fragrances. Yet, 4711 still stands, just as jovial and elegant as ever. Let us explore the history of the fabled scent that was the precursor to modern “cologne” style scents.
In late 1792, Wilhelm Muelhens received a wedding gift for the recipe of mysterious “miracle water” that was meant to be both an internal and external medicine, which was primarily thought to be good at disinfecting with a relaxing aura due to the pureness of the ingredients used. Muelhens opened up a manufacturing shop in Cologne, Germany and marketed it as a health drink to be mixed with wine.
The French military occupation began in 1794, and a French commander ordered all of the houses in Cologne to be numbered. The place that the perfume was manufactured in was numbered 4711, and that has stuck ever since. In 1810, Emperor Napoleon ordered that all internal medicines had to have their ingredients listed, and Muelhens didn’t want to give away his secret recipe, so from that point on 4711 became a fragrance.
The bottle design changed a few times from 1820, which featured a cork stopper. The modern iteration of the design was made in 1900, and it hasn’t changed since then.
In 1943, the bombing of Cologne in World War II destroyed the factory that the perfume was manufactured in. In the 1950s, they rebuilt a manufacturing plant and expanded to many new countries as the fragrance became famous around the world.
Today, the range has expanded into aftershave, shower gel, soap, and even various flankers of the original. It still carries the namesake and title of Cologne, from the city in which the fragrance was crafted. The name Eau de Cologne is still widely used, along with “cologne” flankers, and many Americans simply calling a men’s fragrance as a “cologne”. The mark that this scent has made upon history is evident, and I think every fragrance collector needs a bottle of it.
So, what does it smell like? The opening gives you an effervescent and tart blast of freshly sliced lemon and bergamot. They feel so natural and uplifting, as if the juice was running down your hands.
A heart of fresh and aromatic rosemary perks up the composition, with one of the most beautiful neroli notes in perfumery. Bright, semi-soapy, floral, with an edge of pure orange, the neroli is just simply stunning. The bitter edge of petitgrain mingles with the citruses among the breeze of a blooming lavender field.
The fragrance feels Mediterranean in design, as if you were sitting in a sunny villa with a gentle breeze carrying the scents of summer to your doorstep, with the smell of neroli soap gently lingering on your skin. The freshness of freshly squeezed lemonade with a bounty of freshly plucked lavender flowers sits at your feet. The scent of fresh leaves accentuated by the warmth of the sun radiates around you. The fragrance is the refreshing cool shade in the midst of summer’s scorching heat.
A lot of people will discount this scent and say it’s not wearable due to the performance. While I agree that the scent lasts about as long as hairspray in a convertible, but that is not the appeal of this scent. The fragrance is used as a mood booster and a refreshing respite from the summer heat. It is not meant to be an all-day scent. The beauty is within the smell, and the impact it has on the senses, and the history.
The fragrance is super cheap. I have a refillable spray version, so I can just buy up to 800ml to refill it with and spray every hour to my heart’s content. Yes, that wasn’t a typo. This scent comes in a 800ml splash bottle.
I cannot suggest this fragrance enough for the price. I think it’s good to learn about history to have a better appreciation of the present. I use it mostly as a bed time fragrance because it’s comforting to me, and I can literally spray my bed down with a beautiful smell, and not have to worry about the price.
Also, on a side note, Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino was inspired by this. While Tom Ford lasts longer, it is not a piece of history like 4711 is. Even if you have Neroli Portofino, I think you should still give this one a shot.
What do you think of 4711? Are you interested in the history of fragrances? Do you want to see us cover the history of any other scents?
