EXTRA 20% OFF CLICK HERE

  • Sign In
  • Women's Perfume
  • Men's Cologne
  • Best Sellers
  • All Brands
  • Join The Club
  • Help
  • Cart
  • Join Coupon List
Perfume.com Trusted Since 1995
Free Shipping Options
Free
Shipping
Free returns on all products
Free
Returns
100% authentic fragrances
100%
Authentic
  • Menu
  • Women's Perfume
  • Men's Cologne
  • Best Sellers
  • Gift Sets
  • Brands

    Most Popular Perfume Brands

    • Calvin Klein
    • Yves Saint Laurent
    • Dolce & Gabbana
    • Giorgio Armani
    • Burberry
    • Givenchy
    • Bvlgari
    • Guerlain
    • Christian Dior
    • Hugo Boss

    Alphabetical Brand Index

    • #
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • V
    • W
    • X
    • Y
    • Z
    • All
    View all Brands
  • Join the club
  • Sign In

    Sign in
    • New Customer?
    • Order Status
    • Need Help?

    Or log in with: Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google

  • Help
  • Search
     
    Cart
  • Women's Perfume
  • Men's Cologne
  • Best Sellers
  • Gift Sets
  • Brands
  • Join The Club
  • My Account
  • Help
  • Join Coupon List
  • Cart

Perfume.com Customer Support Center

Help Menu

Our Guarantee

Shipping

My Account

Contact Us

Ordering

  • Track your order
  • Security and Privacy
  • How to Order
  • Coupons
  • Return Policy
  • Sales Tax
  • Payment Options
  • Waiting List
  • Damage Claims
  • Gift Wrapping
  • Cancellations
  • Coupons and Discounts
  • Earn Rewards
  • Klarna
  • Seasonal Tips
  • Pheromones
  • Sexy Scents
  • Fragrance FAQ's
  • Masculine Scents
  • FAQ's
  • Learning Center
  • A Consumer Guide to Fragrance Allergies
  • A Guide to Allergies for Parents and Children
  • A Guide to Perfume Types
  • Allergies Inside and Outside the Home
  • Anosmia No Sense of Smell
  • Antique Perfume Bottles
  • Bend it like David Beckham
  • Essential Oil Safety With Pets - Perfume and Cologne
  • Essential Oils: How to Make Your Own Scented Fragrant Oils
  • Expiration Date Does Perfume Have a Shelf Life
  • Fragrant Flowers, The Rose
  • Fragrant Tea Recipes
  • Growing Fragrant Herbs | Fragrances and Perfumes
  • Guide to Aromatherapy and Fragrance for Stress Relief
  • Guide to Choosing the Right Perfume or Cologne
  • Guide to Common Seasonal, Indoor, and Fragrance Allergies
  • Health Benefits of Essential Oils
  • How Animal Use Smells
  • How do Dogs Use Smell?
  • How Perfume Is Made
  • Michael Jordan Basketball Legend
  • Olfactory Senses The Science Behind Fragrances
  • Parent's Guide to Allergies
  • Perfume and the Egyptian Mummification Process
  • Perfumes Used in the Middle Ages
  • Psychology and Smell
  • Smell Database
  • The Ancient History of Perfume
  • The Exhilarating Fragrances of Flowers
  • The Five Senses by Perfume.com
  • The Fragrance and Aromatherapy Guide
  • The Fragrance of Pheromones
  • The History of Eau de Cologne
  • The History of Perfume
  • The Perfect Perfume Per Person

The History of Eau de Cologne

The History of Eau de Cologne

“Eau de cologne” is a French phrase that means "water from Cologne". When people talk about eau de cologne today, they're referring to a perfume with a concentration of 2-5%. Eau de cologne is a mix of alcohol and essential oils. Sometimes, the word "cologne" is used by itself to refer to men's fragrances.

Johann Maria Farina was the first person to mix eau de cologne in the region of Cologne, Germany in 1709. He was originally from Italy and felt homesick in a new country. He created eau de cologne as a scent to remind himself of home. Farina wore his cologne in a necklace. The first eau de cologne was derived from a combination of various essential oils, such as bergamot, naroli, grapefruit, orange, lemon, and tangerine. Eau de cologne is one of the oldest perfumes in the world. Back then, eau de cologne was sold to royal households. A government employee would have had to spend half of his salary to afford just one bottle of the fragrance. At the time, the ability to standardize a scent and produce it on a large scale was revolutionary.

In general, eau de cologne is a type of perfume. The word perfume comes from the Latin phrase "per fumus" which means through smoke. Many different cultures experimented in the making of perfumes. Perfume making was a common practice under the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Islamic Caliphates. Historically, perfumes were made from incense. This is in contrast to eau de cologne, which has an alcohol base.

The earliest evidence of perfume making was during the Bronze Age, circa 4000 BCE. Archaeologists uncovered an industrial-size factory. Even the Bible, in the book of Exodus, describes the use of perfume as an exclusive fragrance for priests. This perfume was derived from cinnamon, cassia, myrrh, and cane.

The first known individual perfume maker was a Tapputi, a Mesopotamian chemist. She used solvents to extract scents sometime around 1200 BCE. The Hindus of the Indus civilization in greater India also had a documented history of perfume during the period of 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE. They created a fragrance based on essential oils called ittar. Varahamihira wrote about the use of perfumes for members of the royal household and their harems in his book the Brihat-Samhita. Archaeologists later found terracotta jars that were used to store perfumes.

Islamic civilization contributed significantly to the art of perfume making. This is because alchemy and chemistry saw great advances during the peak of the Islamic empires. Muslims used steam distillation to extract fragrances from oils and raw materials. The Middle Eastern Arab and Persian civilizations were located at a trade crossroads between the Far East and Europe. Consequently, they were able to acquire more fragrance materials such as spices, herbs, resins, and scented woods. If a plant used for perfume wasn't native to the region, as jasmine and rose were, the Muslims imported the plant and cultivated it locally. The prophet Muhammad once said that using perfume was compulsory for Muslims if it was available. Using perfume was as important as bathing and brushing one's teeth. Al Kindi wrote a book containing hundreds of perfume recipes. The Persian chemist Ibn Sina was the first person to distill flowers to extract their oils. Following his discovery, rose water became a popular scent. Perfumes made in the Islamic world made their way to the royal courts of Europe through trade.

The French are famous for their perfumes, but they were not the first Europeans to produce them. The Hungarians made a perfume called "Hungary Water" following an order from Hungary's Queen Elizabeth. The chemists of the Italian Renaissance were quite adept at making perfumes. Eventually, France did become the continent's center for perfume production. King Louis XIV and King Louis XV were obsessed with perfumes. They ordered the use of perfume to scent everything, from clothes to furniture. Many courtiers washed their hands and bathed with perfume instead of soap and water. To supplement the demand for perfumes, farmers began growing raw materials in the Grasse region of France. France continues to be a global epicenter for perfume manufacturing until today.

In England, the royal households of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I also promoted the use of perfumes. Queen Elizabeth I, in particular, was averse to bad smells, so she demanded that public places be scented with perfume.

  • All About Eau de Cologne

  • The Seven Main Types of Perfumes

  • Perfume in the Bible

  • Ancient Perfumes

  • The Oldest Perfume Manufacturer in the World

  • Perfume Distillation in Islamic Civilization

  • Tapputi Bellatekarim, the First Chemist

  • Al Kindi, Alchemist and Perfumist

  • Arabian Perfumes

  • The History of Perfumery

  • The Unique Scents of Frankincense and Myrrh

  • The French Perfume Industry

  • The Use of Perfume in Medieval Europe

  • King Louis XIV and the Development of Perfume in France

  • Perfume Production in Ancient India

  • Perfumes in Islamic Spain

  • Hungary Water: The Origins of European Perfume

  • Eau de Cologne vs. Eau de Toilette

  • Perfume and Cosmetics in the Persian Empire

  • Making Your Own Perfume


Join Our Coupon List

Get the best deals on name brand fragrances & more!

  • Alfred Sung
  • Alien Perfume
  • Angel Perfume
  • Dolce & Gabbana Perfume
  • Versace Perfume
  • Boucheron
  • Bulgari
  • Escada
  • Givenchy
  • Hugo Boss Perfume
  • Burberry Perfume
  • Calvin Klein Perfume
  • Chloe Perfume
  • Euphoria Perfume
  • Ed Hardy Perfume
  • Creed Cologne
  • Davidoff
  • DKNY Perfume
  • Giorgio Armani
  • Issey Miyake Perfume

Seasonal Perfumes

  • Spring Perfumes
  • Summer Perfumes
  • Fall Perfumes
  • Winter Perfumes

Seasonal Colognes

  • Spring Colognes
  • Summer Colognes
  • Fall Colognes
  • Winter Colognes

Ways To Shop

  • Women’s Perfume
  • Men’s Cologne
  • Best Sellers
  • Gift Sets
  • Testers

Perfume.com

  • Wholesale Info
  • Help
  • Affiliate Program
  • Privacy Policy
  • Coupons
  • Klarna
  • Blog

Shop by Women's Scents

  • Woody
  • Spicy
  • Floral
  • Fruity

Shop by Men's Scents

  • Woody
  • Spicy
  • Fresh
  • Citrus

Contact Us

  • Contact Information
  • FAQs
  • Call Us at 1-800-645-9251

My Account

  • Track My Order
  • Register
  • Login

Shop by Type

  • After Shave Balm
  • Body Lotion
  • Deodorants
  • Travel Size Minis
  • Shower Gel

More product types  

  • Body Cream
  • Body Powder
  • Pure Perfume
  • Sample Vials
  • Soaps

© 1995-2023 All Rights Reserved
Last Updated 3/25/2023

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram