Original
Very little else at this price has been in production this long, and that is the sensible place to begin with 4711 Original Eau de Cologne 100ml.
A 100ml bottle of eau de cologne is not bought the way a 100ml bottle of eau de parfum is bought. The concentration is low, so you use far more of it per application, and the value of the thing lies in being able to splash it without doing arithmetic in your head. If you have ever found yourself rationing an expensive fragrance, this is the opposite proposition.
What you get for it is a composition of seven materials that has not needed changing. Bergamot opens it with a perfumed, slightly bitter rind quality, lemon sharpens that into something properly cold, and orange sweetens the corners. Underneath, lavender provides the clean soapy backbone, and rosemary adds a resinous green bite that stops the whole thing turning bland. Neroli and petitgrain finish. Neroli is soft and sweetly floral, petitgrain dry and bitter and leafy rather than fruity, and the contrast between them is the reason the dry down still smells of something after the citrus has gone.
Expect roughly two hours before it fades close to the skin, which is simply what the format does. Use it generously in the morning, keep the bottle where you will see it, and reapply after lunch if you feel like it. It suits hot weather particularly, it is as wearable by women as by men, and it makes an unusually easy present for someone whose taste you do not know.
The number is a street address. During the French occupation of Cologne in 1794 the Muelhens premises were given the number 4711, and that figure, not the recipe inside, is where the brand's name comes from.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
Similar Notes
The Scent Vault
Join thousands earning on every order
Earn points as you shop, redeem for money off, and unlock member perks.
Find out more
The Scent Vault Gift Cards
Give the gift of choice
One card, every scent. Let them pick the fragrance that is truly them. Send it instantly by email, or schedule it for a future date with a message of your own.
Shop gift cards
