PERFUME VS COLOGNE: let’s clear it up.
One of the most frequently asked questions during the perfume making workshops is: “Can you also make cologne?” Imagine my confusion at first when, freshly arrived from Paris and clueless about English vocabulary regarding fragrances, I thought someone was asking me if they could reproduce the original formula of the Eau de Cologne fragrance that was created in Germany back in 1709.
Obviously, that was NOT the ask and, after a few minutes of panic and discussion with my guest, I came to the realization that the English language has a word for feminine fragrances and a word for masculine fragrances. Hmm. Interesting. So, why is that? And why name it cologne? Where does it come from and what is really a Cologne or Eau de Cologne?
Let’s unwrap this mystery together, shall we?
A GOOD OLD CAPITALISTIC MARKETING STRATEGY
I should have known! After all, it is the United States of America. Oh yes, the only difference between a men’s cologne and a women’s perfume (apart from the scents that go in it, of course) IS THE NAME because the making process is exactly the same for all fragrances!
Historically, women have been wearing perfume for much longer than men, which is why perfumes have always been associated more with feminine scents. When the perfume industry started to boom back in the 70s, it was better and easier for marketers to come up with a different, more “masculine” name for men’s perfume instead of calling it “perfume for men.” Hence, we have the birth of “cologne.”
But, in French, we only have one word for both fragrances: parfum! Looks like for once, the French language is being a good student when it comes to gender neutral vocabulary. So, no worries - you can indeed come to the workshop and make a cologne!
BUT THEN, WHAT IS EAU DE COLOGNE ?
Ah! Excellent question – yes, I am aware that I write the questions myself. It can be two things:
The first ever masculine fragrance created was named Eau de Cologne and it was made in… Cologne, Germany (surprise!). It is a very light and herbal fragrance with notes of bergamot and lavender. And so, that’s the first thing that we could be referring to when talking about Eau de Cologne.
However, sometimes, on some perfume bottles you will see that it says “Eau de Cologne.” So, does it mean that it contains the formula from the 1709 German fragrance? Well… no. From this German fragrance, the generic term of “Eau de Cologne” was born and now designates a very light fragrance that was mostly sold as an aftershave for men. The concentration of essences in these bottles is usually between 2-5%, making it the second lowest in the perfumery category, right after the “Eau Fraiche.” To compare, the fragrances we create during the BOUQUET Parfums workshop usually contain around 20% of essences, classifying it under the “Parfum” category, indicating its high concentration of essences. So, if you purchase a bottle that says “Eau de Cologne” under the name, expect a very light, fresh, and often citrusy scent.
There you have it! Now you know that perfumes and colognes are actually the same thing when we use it to differentiate men’s and women’s fragrances. However they are different from “parfums” or “eau fraiche” when it comes to categorization for the essences’ concentration in the bottle. Or again, unless you’re talking about the original Eau de Cologne fragrance made in Germany over 300 years ago - but let’s be honest, it doesn’t come up too often in conversation.
