Reviews of 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser (1792)
by 4711 (orig. by Muelhens)

About as refreshing as a splash of witch hazel after a shave to me. The notes all collide together when first applying and then fade pretty quickly.

As I plan to reorganize my home this weekend, shred papers and mop the floors I'll be talking a bath or two and a splashing some of this on for fun to keep cool since it's been quite hot here in New York lately. I love the fragrance and it's cooling and refreshing and I couldn't care if it created in 1792 or 1192, it smells good to me.

holy god i smell like my aunt!

And what relevancy will any of the many "trendy" brand cluttering the Sephora shelves have in short order?

Clean! All the things people criticize about this, are the things I like. It's fleeting, not that strong, and old-fashioned: lovely! And I also love that all the scented products, like body lotion, actually smell powerfully of the cologne, unlike many other perfume's matching products. All perfume lovers should get to know this treat, even if only for the link it provides to the past. And before the new aromachemical-regulations force them to change it!

There is some debate as to which is the original cologne, 4711 or Jean-Marie Farina (aka Extra Vielle) by Roger & Gallet. Here are my notes of comparison. 4711 is very lemony and refreshing, with a bit of rose and a hint of rosemary to freshen. It has a tiny bit of musk, and no wood that I can detect. Its lemon persists an amazingly long time for a citrus note – I give it credit for that. This is a simple fragrance. (For an amazing lemon-musk, try Eau Sauvage.) JMF is similar but at the same time is darker, deeper and more interesting. It has more depth and complexity, in my opinion. Carnation gives it a bit of clovey spice. It is a bit drier and spicier than 4711, and I like it better.

As cheap as this cologne may be, it’s too vile for me to even seriously consider purchasing. It’s essentially a sharp, muddy (great choice of adjective, foetidus) and dated citrus concoction that has no real relevance in the 21st Century. Its status as the original cologne water, I strongly believe, is the main reason why it’s still in production – it certainly isn’t because it’s a great cologne that transcends time.

However, for the sake of curiosity, I urge you to try it – just don’t expect to like it.

I don't Know much about fragances, but i love it, just LOVE it. It remind me the Roger & Gallet "Jean MArie Farina" (Wich is also one of my favorite fragances)

This is meant to be a refreshing cologne and it does the job quite well. No more promises..

I cannot understand people that criticize this fragrance. Really, what do you expect? It was made in 1792... and I would like to think that fragrances have evolved since then. Yes, it is monochromatic, yes it is not subtle, or diverse, or not complex etc etc. However, it is fresh, pleasant and citrusy/herby. Yes, it does smell like your grandmother, but guess what, it smells like your great-grandmother, too and so on... It is not an old woman/man scent - it is a classic and it is part of the history of perfumes. And for this it gets thumbs up!

I would be suprised if you would offend any one while wearing it. Once belived to help cure a cold, it does wonders for a stress headache due to its bergamot content. I keep mine in my medicine chest.

OK, it’s inexpensive. That’s about all that I can say for 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser. I find the opening accord to be too sharp, not very refined, synthetic, and if I use a lot, (which is almost required) it gets cloying. I usually like the combination of citrus and rosemary, but here it’s quite muddy and without definition. The rose note is all right, but I find it entirely too recessive and short lasting, and I don’t get any of the base notes because the whole fragrance is totally gone within a half hour. No. I don’t want to wear this even if it is inexpensive. For all practical cologne purposes, I’ll stick with CdG’s Vettiveru and Muglar’s Cologne even if they are more expensive.

I was prepared to be disappointed by Echt Kölnisch Wasser due to people's underwhelmed response to this old formula from 1792. Happy I was, when I tried it for the first time. Sure, it doesn't hold onto its citrus very long compared to the new aromachemicals, but it smells unique. First, a splash of lemon and neroli with a breath of rosemary, as much woody as citrusy. Ultra-clean, clear, and refreshing. What follows can only be described as an experience: a fluffy, white, terry-cloth towel steamed with citrus and herbs, wrapped on your face as you sit in a barber's chair. You smell the shaving cream. You smell the actual towel. is the precursor to an entire masculine fragrance genre. The progeny of Echt Kölnisch Wasser became stronger and more complex as they evolved, ending in such beauties as Etro Shaal Nur, and a host other lemon, lavender, and herbal beauties. Here is the papa of them all.

I first came across 4711 when I was about 3 or 4 years old. Back in those days, the kids at my kindergarten were told to bring a handkerchief to school everday. I suppose it was being used to wipe our dirty hands and dripings. Anyway, my grandmother sprinkled 4711 or another local made floral water / cologne onto my handky to make it smell nicer. Ever since then I have developed an intimate relationship and feelings towards 4711. It is a fleeting scent and probably only last for 30 minutes on my skin. In recent months, I have been reintroduced to it again by a basenoter. She said 4711 is the best remedy when you have a hangover (for external use only). I swear by it and it does have a slight up-lifting effect.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Catholic Church on a Friday night when the Germans serve lemons and vinegared cole slaw with the fish fry. No fishy smell, but the acid and citrus with slight sweetness and herbs so puts me in this particular situation that I can't even bring myself to wear what (only to me) has such a foody association. No one else will make this connection, I'm sure, but there you have it.

This was my first fragrance, when I was a little girl. I used to dab it oh, so delicately behind my ears and pretend to be all grown up. Lovely, clean fresh fragrance, I can still smell it now just by thinking about it. I had no idea it had originated so very long ago!

This was one of the first scents I owned- as a little one my mother for some reason would receive a bottle every Christmas (it seemed to me!)but it gave her a headache so I was always given the pretty little coin-shaped bottles. I still have my first bottle, and although I never wear it as an adult, 4711 is very special to me.

I absolutely adore the clean, fresh, crisp, cool and refreshing smell of all of these sort of Eau de Colognes.

BUT - thats only at the topnotes when all of teh citrus-herbal notes are present, loud and clear.

Very quickly, like most EdCs out there, this one loses it sparkling vibrance, as of that which one feel after taking a sip of sparkling mineral water, from a chilled, unopened bottle after a hot day, and becomes nothing more than a very weak indeed solutiong of lemon, orange and bergamot rind, presented in a tall glass of glacial water.

Whats more, at the drydown, if thats what it can be called, that weak watered-down citrusiness mutates into a "poopy" smell, if you dont pervail with your nose held upon your skin to "smell the truth"...Nice, but after 5 minutes, not worth it...sorry...

But apparently, the original Farina-gegenuber KOLNISH WASSER maintains its initial crispness somewhat longer - althoug, I have not yet been able to sample it, although I would love!

Its fleeting, its sharp, its dated, its the fragrance of my 93 year old German grandmother shortly before she passed. But thats not all bad. It was pretty good while it lasted (on her anyway).
Oma, being a classy lady, preferred the Farina original when she lived in Germany, but when she couldn't easily find that in the US, she switched to 4711 as the next best thing.
I know its technically unisex, but I believe just barely so. I do know masculine men who use it, but to me the associations are too feminine.

This reminds me of being ill, primarily because when I had a temperature, my mother would soak a hankie in this and put it on my fevered brow. I don't really like it, but you can't deny it's a classic. Everyone has had a dab of this at some point in their lives.

Ah, the memories this synthetic, fever reducing, alcohol-blasting coolant bings back!

Being 9 years old in Cuba and splashing some 4711 in the inside folds of the handkerchief which I carried in the breast pocket of my jacket, on the way to Mass.

I wanted to use Bay Rum, like my dad. But granny thought it was too macho and precocious for a child. So I got stuck with 4711.

Despite all this, there just might be a God . . .

4711 is one of my absolute, all-time favorites. Come warm weather, this is my default scent. A perfect combination of bergamont, other citrus, and rose/floral with hust a touch of woody/spice. It smells to me like sparkles in a bottle. My daughter loves it, too.

I can't believe serious perfume lovers like this. To Germans it rightfully embodies the epitome of cheaply synthetic drugstore granny cologne. It's agressively sharp, short-lived and tacky and does not hold a stick to a genuine, natural-ingredient Eau de Cologne by Roger et Gallet, Berdoues, or, to stay in Cologne, the original Kölnisch Wasser by Farina. Btw. if you forget about the 4711 myths for a moment - its originator was a speculator and conman who sold it as a cheap imitation of the original Farina cologne under the same name. After decade-long court battles the company had to give up the name Farina and switched to 4711 in the 1880s. The story about the monk's gift of 4711 at Muehlen's wedding and the French officer writing the house number 4711 on the wall are PR-poppycock. To all connaisseurs of perfume I can only say: next time you're in Cologne, avoid the 4711 tourist trap and check out Farina, who are still in business (since 1709)

Not bad, even if a bit too sharp and penetrating at top. On the other hand it's only too weak - regardless of weather, it is usually gone within a mere 30 minutes, leaving you no chance to smell any base or drydown.

A fresh lemony scent with quite a bit of history. I mainly use it when working out...the body heat seems to renergise 4711's sillage and longevity, which arent great. However for its price, it is great value - by a large 10 Oz. flacon (which can be had for around 15 bucks) and splash liberally when doing housework, working out, etc :D

This scent is class and panacea in a bottle. My mother and her mother both wear this fragrance and i love that they love it. Pefumery is the artistic side of chemistry, it is all about proportions and imagination and this perfume water is the perfect exemplar. A precise measure of citrus, rose, woods and musk; it is a masterpiece of art and chemistry.

I note that other reviewers use the word "happy" to describe how they feel when using 4711, and I agree. It's extremely inexpensive--especially compared to Guerlain Imperiale--and is the sort of fragrance one can splash on liberally after a shave. True, it doesn't last long, but the first splash is a sparkling delight. A true classic; I wouldn't be without it, ever.

A gurantee of qualty as old/timeless and as decisive like Napoleon, one of its most famous wearers, himself. Other famous clients included Beethoven, Wagner, Goethe and Liberace. This truly timeless scent is still fascinating. Simply, yet elegantly tailored, the few basic ingredients show what an immense potential plain ingredients like citrus fruits, lavender and Neroli can reveal if used properly and in right proportions. This scent was, i think, the first masculine fragrance ever i almost involuntarily connected(like Proust's memories of scents) with tasteful elegance and luxury. It's simple and yet so perfect in its century old formula. Like a literary or artistic masterpiece it exceeds time and space due to the genius of its soothing and stylish freshness. Extremely versatile, suitable for all genders, ages, seasons or dress-codes due to its light, inconspicous stylishness. So discreet that it may be almost worn by those who are completely intolerant to fragrance yet want something so light that they might still smell good without being incommodated by their scent.
A perfect gift for any age group, any occasion, this historical document adds a touch of eternally fashionable elegance to the most common moments of everyday life.
Its easy recognizable yet innimitable notes are as crisp and sharp as in 1792- the magic and the high quality
remain unaltered in the face of time. While other scents failed, this veteran, this old gentleman is here to stay.

The scent that rekindled my interest in fragrances and led me in a roundabout way to Basenotes. I picked up a large bottle of 4711 for $1.00 at a variety store going-out-of-business sale, attracted to it first by knowing enough German to translate Echte Kolnisch Wasser as "The Original Cologne Water." At the price, what could I lose? I do love citrus fragrances, especially lemon, and that for me is what predominates in 4711. It certainly is, as others have said, light, refreshing although not particularly long-lasting. When I first put it on, it makes me feel more bright and alert and just generally happy. I think it well deserves its place as a classic because of its history alone, but it is an altogether pleasant scent well-fitted for day-time casual use. I have since purchased my second bottle, and I will almost certainly keep it as a regularly used favorite.

For a hot day, when everything else fails, i use this one and it makes me feel much better, happier and cleaner. The lemos is fresh and not really bitter. The middle notes round all the others out and the base notes are just as fresh. Too bad ti doesn´t last longer.Better splash it on yourself.

A great piece of history, but it ends right about there. This is too short lived and too weak to be used as a fragrance on the body. It will last a good 5 minutes even if you slosh it on with an 8 ounce glass.

Horrible! I'd never use this!

I love this fragrance and use it often when I want to feel instantly cool, clean, and fresh.
My grandmother had a bottle with a little roller ball applicator in the top. I had to good fortune to purchase mine at the 4711 premises.

I have seen that bottle and smelled that fragrance for over fifty years. My Grandmother had a large bottle on her dressing table - which only goes to prove that this fragrance is suitable for anyone regardless of sex or age. It's so refreshing and cooling.