Colognes
Colognes.net hopes to eventually have a list of all the major colognes (and many of the lesser-known colognes) on the market today. Of course, this site will discuss cologne-for-men as well as perfumes for women, though our site will definitely focus on everything you need to know about cologne. We may even discuss claims by others of the medical applications and aromatherapy benefits of colognes, but we'll mainly focus on the best use for colognes: enhancing and/or covering up the body's scents.
We're going to try to give information about cologne, lists of the most popular colognes on the toiletry market and even some of our own opinions about what the best cologne you can buy. We might even include tips for wearing cologne, because men need to know how to apply cologne in the right amounts and the right places. Cologne is like a well-tailored suit; even if you wear the finest product, you will fail to impress, if you don't wear it properly.
So we Colognes.net will act as a cologne guide for men out there wanting to smell nice for the ladies. Before we get to that, though, let's cover the cologne background and basics of cologne.
What is Cologne?
Cologne is a toiletry worn by both men and women these days, though is generally considered perfume for men in most Western countries (outside Germany). The term comes from the German city of Cologne from the term "Eau de Cologne", and generally refers to scented toiletries with a concentration of 2-3% to 8% essential oils, but usually less than 5% essential oils.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oil are simply the oils of a plant that carry the "essence" or odor of the plant. These oils are what give a cologne its fragrance.
What's the Difference in Cologne and Perfume?
Generally speaking, perfume have a higher percentage of essential oils than cologne. That means perfume is going to have a stronger odor than cologne, typically. Perfumes for women often are more flowery or fruity to smell, while men's colognes tend towards the musky scents. These are all generalizations, though, because the cologne industry is a many-faceted subject with countless aroma options for both men and women. In the end, perfume and cologne have the same history: as toiletries to cover up the body's natural odors.
History of Cologne
Cologne is the international word meaning "perfume for males". Perfume is thought to have existed at least 4,000 years. Archaeologists have found the ruins of an ancient "perfume factory" on Cyprus dating back that far, complete with the tools to make up to 60 different types of perfume. The Egyptians refined the use of perfumes, while the Romans and Persians were the ancient world's best producers of perfume.
Sometime around the year 1000 A.D., a Persian doctor invented the process of making perfumes from distillation, which is how we still make perfumes and colognes today. Perfume made it way to Europe in the 1300's under the term "Hungarian Water", because the Queen of Hungary ordered the first European perfumes created. Renaissance-era Italians perfected the creation of scented waters, and Catherine de'Medici brought perfumery with her from Florence to France - along with what we now call French cuisine. France quickly became the center of European perfume-making, and southern France was considered ideal for growing the ingredients needed for perfumes.
An Italian perfume-maker (named Farina) living in Cologne, Germany created "Eau de Cologne" in 1709. Farina sent this odour to most of the royal houses of Europe, and by the end of the 18th century, there was a cottage industry of perfume makers creating their own version of Eau de Cologne. By the 19th century, "cologne" was the generic term for male perfume. To this day, the Farina cologne company guards Farina's 1709 formula, and sells the original cologne under the name "Farina".
Terms of Service
Colognes.net wishes to provide accurate information in our articles, but much of this information is our opinion only and the authors of this site disclaim responsibility for use of this information. Visitors to this site who disagree with this policy should leave the site and not cite our information.
Privacy Policy
The management of Colognes.net keeps the email address information of anyone who contacts us private. This cologne site does have advertisers and we are not responsible for the privacy policies of our advertisers.
On to the Colognes
With that out of the way, let's say that we're excited to start a website that collects facts and tips about colognes. Hopefully, you'll bookmark our cologne site and return as Colognes.net grows in volume and sophistication.