4711

Founded: 1792, Cologne, Germany
Founder: Wilhelm Mülhens
Perfumers: Elise Benat, Geza Schön, Vincent Schaller
Famous fragrances: 4711 Original Eau de Cologne, Acqua Colonia Blood Orange & Basil, Acqua Colonia Lime & Nutmeg, Acqua Colonia Green Tea & Bergamot, Acqua Colonia Red Apple & Chili

The story of 4711 began at the end of the eighteenth century in Cologne, when the merchant Wilhelm Mülhens received a wedding gift from a friend, a Carthusian monk: a secret recipe for a healing water. At first the liquid was called Aqua Mirabilis — “miraculous water” — and was considered a medicine: it was drunk neat or added to wine in the belief that it was good for the health. It was on this formula that the Mülhens family business was founded in 1792.

In 1810, when Napoleon's administration required all medical recipes to be disclosed, Mülhens, to keep the formula secret, presented his product as a perfume for external use — a refreshing body water rather than a drink. The recognisable “Molanus” bottle appeared at the same time. And the name “4711” is the number of the house on Glockengasse in Cologne where the Mülhens factory stood: to set its products apart from competitors, the building's number became one of the most recognisable numbers in world perfumery.

The Mülhens family left its mark far beyond perfumery: the founder's grandson Ferdinand Mülhens built the Hotel Petersberg, which later became a guest house of the German government, as well as the country's oldest rack railway, up the Drachenfels. Peter Paul Mülhens founded a stud farm and established the “4711 Prize” horse race at Cologne's racecourse.

The heart of the brand today is still the 4711 House of Fragrance on Glockengasse, which welcomes around 100,000 visitors from all over the world every year: there is a fountain of scented water, tours on the history of the house and workshops where anyone can create their own cologne.

The classic Echt Kölnisch Wasser keeps the seven main ingredients of the 1792 recipe unchanged. Alongside it are the Floral Collection, built on magnolia, rose, jasmine and lilac; the young and energetic 4711 Remix series; the premium, nature-inspired Acqua Colonia; its richer version, Acqua Colonia Intense; and Collection Absolue — the line with the highest concentration of perfume oils, in Eau de Parfum format.

4711 is a brand that turned a house number into a world-famous name, and a family recipe into a symbol of an entire city on the Rhine.