a little history on the creation of "eau de cologne"
the word "cologne" is french for köln, the german city. however, the origins of "eau de cologne" are actually rooted in italy. in 1692, gian paolo feminis, a barber from santa maria maggiore, travelled to germany and, while there, created a perfume water which he called "aqua admirabilis" ("admirable water"). this was made from oils of bergamot, lavender, neroli, and rosemary diluted into grape spirits. feminis composed the fragrance, wanting it to have the odor of an italian spring morning after the rain. another account of its origin claims it was a gift from a monk for having saved his life.
 
when it was released in cologne in 1709, it created such a demand that gian paolo recruited the help of his nephew, giovanni maria farina (aka. johann maria farina, and jean-marie farina). in 1732, giovanni took over the business and marketed the product as, in addition to a fragrance, a consumable cure-all for a variety of ailments ranging from stomach aches to bleeding gums. word of this "admirable water" spread during the "seven-years' war", after which, the french, austrian, russian, and british soldiers took bottles back to their respective homelands, thus creating a global market.
 
the french were the ones who dubbed it "eau de cologne", and it became the particular favorite of the comtesse du barry, (a mistress of louis xv who also "consumed" it). because of this endorsement, the farinas opened a shop in paris in 1806, resulting in an ensueing popularity which consequently engendered a proliferation of variations and imitations.
 
in 1840, the farinas eventually sold the formula, (and the paris business), to léonce collas, who in turn sold it in 1862 to armand roger and charles gallet. today, roger et gallet own the legal rights to the parisian eau de cologne, which is sold as "jean marie farina extra vieille".
 
farina's original formula is still produced in cologne ...and has been since 1709 by farina gegenüber. the shop at obenmarspforten, opened in 1709, is today the world's oldest fragrance company.
 
however, one of farina's german descendants also sold [a] formula to perfumer wilhelm mülhens, who has marketed this traditional fragrance under the name "4711" since 1792 ...the world's oldest continuously-produced fragrance. an alternate account claims that mülhens acquired the formula as a wedding present from a carthusian monk.
 
note: there is much confilicting data regarding the particulars surrounding the creation and evolution of "eau de cologne", so all of the above is subject to correction.