Part 3: The Great Classics : 4711 Eau de Cologne

NOTE! It is not quite the oldest. Stay tuned for an update but this is certainly one. ofthe oldest perfumes still available.

I felt like chatting a little about this oldie but fun one. 4711 Original Eau de Cologne by @4711 is the oldest fragrance that is still on the market today. Launched in 1792, 4711 is a great example of a cologne type blend. We tend to associate the term cologne with men fragrances when in reality, it really only refers to a type of blend that took its origins in Köln Germany. Cologne is one of the earliest types of modern alcohol based perfumes to appear and become commercially popular. It can be characterized by the predominance of citrus material in the top notes. Having a higher concentration of material in the top of a blend has the advantage of creating a lovely spirited burst of scent as the product leaves the bottles. The volatility of the lighter molecules however make a blend that doesn’t perform quite as well in terms of longevity but that isn’t always a bad thing in my opinion. 4711, although not the longest lasting on the skin, still offers an energizing olfactive boost that transcend any gender classifications. I always keep this one close and use it at home or for layering. I don’t usually love the idea of layering perfumes and mixing up randomly different artists/perfumers visions together but 4711 feels a bit different and more transparent. I find that this one is great for refreshing the top notes of certain greener perfumes. Own a piece of olfactive history for an affordable price! All perfume collections should have this reference fragrance. :) .

@MikaTheAlchemist

Join me!

#4711 #PerfumeHistory #historicperfume

[Sarah-gfed]

Absolutely beautiful! I love it! One of my favourites

[EliasAA]

So many elderly people still wear this in germany

[chrisgullett]

People keep getting this wrong, because they do not understand fragrances. 4711 is the longest selling Eau De Cologne, but it is not the oldest Eau De Cologne, , nor is it the oldest fragrance on the market. It was simply the first Eau De Cologne available for sale to the public. Older Eau De Colognes like Farina were not allowed to be sold to the public at the time, and were made strictly for the royal family. The oldest fragrance still being sold today is Acqua Di S.M. Novella, and it was first sold around 260 years before 4711 was invented. It is not an Eau De Cologne. It is simple, 4711 was the first Eau De Cologne available for the public to buy, but is not even close to being the oldest fragrance. Santa Maria Novells has multiple fragrances that are much older than 4711, and are still being sold.

[suoniasmr]

4711 smells like bathroom cleaning products. The real oldest from Cologne is Farina, that smells amazing, fresh like the spring In Italy.

[robbyroggers]

That’s not 100% true. The first original eau de cologne is from Farina 1709. It is still in Produktion. Johann Maria Farina invented it and is still sold from his descendants in the Family Boutique in Cologne, also on their website.
4711 was one of the most well-known Dupes there were made at the time. Like Creed Aventus is the Original and MontBlanc Explorer, Armaf Club de Nuit intese and others are Dupes. Farina 1709 Original Eau de Cologne is Creed Aventus and 4711 Eau de Cologne is MontBlanc Explorer.
Creed Green Irish Tweed was the Original, Davidoff Cool Water is/was the best selling Dupe. And so on….

[TheAlumic]

It’s not technically the oldest. That would be Farina gegenüber, from cologne as well, they fought very long legal battles even until 2008 I believe. Farina was the first, 4711 became more popular successful and even cheaper. Also Farina was the first perfume manufacturer( or miracle waters/smelling waters as they were called back then) to get a scent that was consistent in smell and quality by sourcing ingredients from different years and places and blending them. I’m from Germany and this only recently came out on a popular German history podcast. If you would like to know more, I could help you out by translating stuff etc.

[alienfootballers]

Guys it straight up smells like fruit loops