Yes, the Eau de Cologne is making a comeback! The days of fruity floral aquatic synth bombs are over!
"...and suddenly the oldest thing that our grandparents wore has become the new ultra-cool must-have."
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...me-834247.html
Cologne is the little black dress of perfumes. It's a basic, it's a classic, it will suit you forever and every girl (and boy, for colognes are unisex) should have at least one in a fragrance collection.
This scent is a refreshing antidote to the simpering, cloying and cynically commercial fruity florals now clogging up perfume counters. With its zesty, citric top notes, it is as refreshingly crisp as a newly laundered white shirt, making it an ideal splash or coolant in summer. Its dilute concentration makes it as subtle, translucent and evanescent as chiffon to wear.
But take note: you wear a cologne, it does not wear you. And the long history of eaux de Cologne it is one of the most antediluvian of perfume genres makes it, like the little black dress, unlikely to go out of style. Fragrance, like fashion, is currently revisiting the classics, and the cologne, with its fresh, bright nature, is one of perfumery's most enduring products.
The word cologne in perfumery can denote one of two things. The first is broad, relating to the concentration of actual perfume used in a particular formula. An eau de Cologne contains between 3 and 5 per cent pure perfume, whereas eau de toilette usually contains 12 to 14 per cent. But the word refers to more than just strength; like the terms oriental and chypre, it describes the type and personality of a perfume and indicates that specific ingredients, usually citrus, will be used.
"Cologne defines a form of perfume that is always predicated on the feeling of freshness," says Francis Kurkdjian, the "nose" who created Gaultier's new Fleur du Male cologne. "Historically and traditionally, the colognes are structures which rest on freshness."
The core ingredients are hesperidic citrus notes notes of bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit and tangerine. According to Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Gnrale, which has produced the new Cologne Grand Sicle: "These will be combined with at least one product of the orange tree (neroli or petitgrain, for example), various aromatic (rosemary, basil, etc) or floral (jasmine, iris) or spicy essences (coriander), and the woody notes of cedar and musks."
The resurgence in colognes has been something of a Noughties phenomenon. Acqua di Parma, a cologne dating from 1916, became a modern cult when it was revived in the 1990s; it was subsequently bought by LVMH in 2003. A cluster of newer colognes have followed in its wake. Comme des Garons released Series 4: Cologne in 2002; it comprised three gigantic bottles of scent, each a cologne variant, inspired by those huge bottles of fragrance normally found in Spanish supermarkets and farmacia.
Also in 2002 came Thierry Mugler's tingling, acerbic cologne. And, in 2004, the nose Jean-Claude Ellena produced a mellower, sweet, rindy conflation of citrus notes, called Cologne Bigarade, for Editions de Parfums Frdric Malle. In February 2007, Chanel's sharp, dry Les Exclusifs Eau de Cologne followed.
Cologne enthusiasts will have noticed the crisp, refreshing properties of Prada's Infusion d'Iris, launched last summer, which has that freshly laundered linen smell, engendered by orange blossom and mandarin top notes.
But it's summer 2008 that's set to see the real renaissance of the genre, with several cologne or cologne-like citrus fragrances to be launched. Miller Harris's Le Petit Grain; Dior's Escale à Portofino; Lorenzo Villaresi's Acqua di Colonia; Caron's Les Plus Belles Lavandes; Comme des Garons Series 8: Energy C; Missoni's Arancia an array of zestful, lemony-orangey fragrances are about to arrive at the counters.
"Since the early Nineties, there's been a trend for very fresh fragrances pioneered by New West, l'Eau d'Issey and Escape," says the perfume expert and founder of Harrods Haute Parfumerie, Roja Dove. "What's more, the market is currently saturated with new launches which are bland. Young women have never smelt colognes before and suddenly the oldest thing that our grandparents wore has become the new ultra-cool must-have."
In a world obsessed by the provenance of the ingredients in beauty products, the cologne provides a natural alternative to the deluge of synthetics in perfumery. As Dove points out, classic colognes are 100 per cent natural, so they suit a modern lifestyle that's moving away from the chemical and the synthetic.
Parfumerie Gnrale's Cologne Grande Sicle isn't just 100 per cent natural, it is 99.4 per cent certified organic. "I like to think the return of the cologne is a sign of the prevailing need for authenticity, simplicity and naturalness," says Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Gnrale. "It's a guarantee of quality, a kind of return to basics, a 'break' for our olfactory senses."
The genealogy of cologne can be traced back to the 10th and 11th centuries, when the Persian doctor and philosopher Avicenna was one of the first people to document the art of distillation as a means of producing essential oils and alcohol. By the 14th century, Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary was bathing in and imbibing a cure-all concoction of herbs steeped in alcohol, known as Hungary Water: an early antecedent of eau de Cologne. And by the 18th century came Aqua Mirabilis a concoction of lemon, orange, bergamot, rosemary, bitter orange and neroli created by Jean Paul Feminis of Milan. In 1693, Feminis settled in Cologne in Germany, and the scent became known as eau de Cologne.
Many of the venerable eaux de Cologne are still around today. The 4711 brand, a light conflation of lemon, orange, bergamot, neroli, rosemary and lavender, as recognisable as Coca-Cola, is still one of the first perfumes teenagers discover in Boots. It was invented by a Carthusian monk in Cologne in 1792; he gave it to a young couple as a wedding gift.
Roger & Gallet's Extra Vieille, created by Jean Marie Farina in 1806 and believed to have been used by Napoleon, "has a wonderful intrinsic honesty", says Roja Dove. Guerlain's acerbic Eau Imperiale, another landmark scent, arrived in 1853. So did Acqua di Genova (available from Dove's Haute Parfumerie and Les Senteurs), a delicious, high-summery splash of an ancient cologne, created by the famous distiller Stafano Frecceri and still handmade, with notes of lemon, bergamot and sweet orange giving way to a heart of rose and neroli and base of woods and citrus concentrates.
Traditionally, colognes had many uses: they were sprinkled on bed linen, poured into bathwater, diluted and drunk as a cure-all, dropped on to handkerchiefs during fetid summer weather. "To me, colognes are as much grooming products as they are perfumes," says Frdric Malle. "One wears them to smell clean and sharp, often as a final touch to his or her morning routine. I believe that one can wear massive doses of colognes without ever smelling too strong. That's why colognes should be splashed, rather than sprayed, which is the best way to make them last."
As Malle attests, the mood-brightening astringency of a cologne can become something of a summer addiction. Thankfully, their lemony lightness means that you can, in fact, never wear too much.
What are some of your favorite EDC fragrances?
I myself am partial to juices like Chanel pour monsieur, Creed bois de Cedrat, Guerlain Eau Imperiale, AdP Colonia, amongst others
"...and suddenly the oldest thing that our grandparents wore has become the new ultra-cool must-have."
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...me-834247.html
Cologne is the little black dress of perfumes. It's a basic, it's a classic, it will suit you forever and every girl (and boy, for colognes are unisex) should have at least one in a fragrance collection.
This scent is a refreshing antidote to the simpering, cloying and cynically commercial fruity florals now clogging up perfume counters. With its zesty, citric top notes, it is as refreshingly crisp as a newly laundered white shirt, making it an ideal splash or coolant in summer. Its dilute concentration makes it as subtle, translucent and evanescent as chiffon to wear.
But take note: you wear a cologne, it does not wear you. And the long history of eaux de Cologne it is one of the most antediluvian of perfume genres makes it, like the little black dress, unlikely to go out of style. Fragrance, like fashion, is currently revisiting the classics, and the cologne, with its fresh, bright nature, is one of perfumery's most enduring products.
The word cologne in perfumery can denote one of two things. The first is broad, relating to the concentration of actual perfume used in a particular formula. An eau de Cologne contains between 3 and 5 per cent pure perfume, whereas eau de toilette usually contains 12 to 14 per cent. But the word refers to more than just strength; like the terms oriental and chypre, it describes the type and personality of a perfume and indicates that specific ingredients, usually citrus, will be used.
"Cologne defines a form of perfume that is always predicated on the feeling of freshness," says Francis Kurkdjian, the "nose" who created Gaultier's new Fleur du Male cologne. "Historically and traditionally, the colognes are structures which rest on freshness."
The core ingredients are hesperidic citrus notes notes of bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit and tangerine. According to Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Gnrale, which has produced the new Cologne Grand Sicle: "These will be combined with at least one product of the orange tree (neroli or petitgrain, for example), various aromatic (rosemary, basil, etc) or floral (jasmine, iris) or spicy essences (coriander), and the woody notes of cedar and musks."
The resurgence in colognes has been something of a Noughties phenomenon. Acqua di Parma, a cologne dating from 1916, became a modern cult when it was revived in the 1990s; it was subsequently bought by LVMH in 2003. A cluster of newer colognes have followed in its wake. Comme des Garons released Series 4: Cologne in 2002; it comprised three gigantic bottles of scent, each a cologne variant, inspired by those huge bottles of fragrance normally found in Spanish supermarkets and farmacia.
Also in 2002 came Thierry Mugler's tingling, acerbic cologne. And, in 2004, the nose Jean-Claude Ellena produced a mellower, sweet, rindy conflation of citrus notes, called Cologne Bigarade, for Editions de Parfums Frdric Malle. In February 2007, Chanel's sharp, dry Les Exclusifs Eau de Cologne followed.
Cologne enthusiasts will have noticed the crisp, refreshing properties of Prada's Infusion d'Iris, launched last summer, which has that freshly laundered linen smell, engendered by orange blossom and mandarin top notes.
But it's summer 2008 that's set to see the real renaissance of the genre, with several cologne or cologne-like citrus fragrances to be launched. Miller Harris's Le Petit Grain; Dior's Escale à Portofino; Lorenzo Villaresi's Acqua di Colonia; Caron's Les Plus Belles Lavandes; Comme des Garons Series 8: Energy C; Missoni's Arancia an array of zestful, lemony-orangey fragrances are about to arrive at the counters.
"Since the early Nineties, there's been a trend for very fresh fragrances pioneered by New West, l'Eau d'Issey and Escape," says the perfume expert and founder of Harrods Haute Parfumerie, Roja Dove. "What's more, the market is currently saturated with new launches which are bland. Young women have never smelt colognes before and suddenly the oldest thing that our grandparents wore has become the new ultra-cool must-have."
In a world obsessed by the provenance of the ingredients in beauty products, the cologne provides a natural alternative to the deluge of synthetics in perfumery. As Dove points out, classic colognes are 100 per cent natural, so they suit a modern lifestyle that's moving away from the chemical and the synthetic.
Parfumerie Gnrale's Cologne Grande Sicle isn't just 100 per cent natural, it is 99.4 per cent certified organic. "I like to think the return of the cologne is a sign of the prevailing need for authenticity, simplicity and naturalness," says Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Gnrale. "It's a guarantee of quality, a kind of return to basics, a 'break' for our olfactory senses."
The genealogy of cologne can be traced back to the 10th and 11th centuries, when the Persian doctor and philosopher Avicenna was one of the first people to document the art of distillation as a means of producing essential oils and alcohol. By the 14th century, Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary was bathing in and imbibing a cure-all concoction of herbs steeped in alcohol, known as Hungary Water: an early antecedent of eau de Cologne. And by the 18th century came Aqua Mirabilis a concoction of lemon, orange, bergamot, rosemary, bitter orange and neroli created by Jean Paul Feminis of Milan. In 1693, Feminis settled in Cologne in Germany, and the scent became known as eau de Cologne.
Many of the venerable eaux de Cologne are still around today. The 4711 brand, a light conflation of lemon, orange, bergamot, neroli, rosemary and lavender, as recognisable as Coca-Cola, is still one of the first perfumes teenagers discover in Boots. It was invented by a Carthusian monk in Cologne in 1792; he gave it to a young couple as a wedding gift.
Roger & Gallet's Extra Vieille, created by Jean Marie Farina in 1806 and believed to have been used by Napoleon, "has a wonderful intrinsic honesty", says Roja Dove. Guerlain's acerbic Eau Imperiale, another landmark scent, arrived in 1853. So did Acqua di Genova (available from Dove's Haute Parfumerie and Les Senteurs), a delicious, high-summery splash of an ancient cologne, created by the famous distiller Stafano Frecceri and still handmade, with notes of lemon, bergamot and sweet orange giving way to a heart of rose and neroli and base of woods and citrus concentrates.
Traditionally, colognes had many uses: they were sprinkled on bed linen, poured into bathwater, diluted and drunk as a cure-all, dropped on to handkerchiefs during fetid summer weather. "To me, colognes are as much grooming products as they are perfumes," says Frdric Malle. "One wears them to smell clean and sharp, often as a final touch to his or her morning routine. I believe that one can wear massive doses of colognes without ever smelling too strong. That's why colognes should be splashed, rather than sprayed, which is the best way to make them last."
As Malle attests, the mood-brightening astringency of a cologne can become something of a summer addiction. Thankfully, their lemony lightness means that you can, in fact, never wear too much.
What are some of your favorite EDC fragrances?
I myself am partial to juices like Chanel pour monsieur, Creed bois de Cedrat, Guerlain Eau Imperiale, AdP Colonia, amongst others
