Germans Retake 4711

In December 2006, the small company bought one of Germany's oldest perfume brands, 4711 "Original Eau de Cologne." Its previous owner, US conglomerate Procter and Gamble, was selling the rights to 4711 and three other perfume brands for "strategic reasons."

After regulatory authorities gave the go-ahead, the deal was closed on Jan. 31. Procter and Gamble will continue to distribute the products in the name of Mäurer und Wirtz until the end of April. And on May 1, the brand will be back in German hands for good.

"4711 is the classic among scents in Germany", says Mäurer und Wirtz CEO Bert Lehnen. "We are pleased that with our acquisition, this important German traditional brand will remain in German -- why, even in the Rhineland's hands."

Mäurer und Wirtz, a company best known for its perfume brand Tabac Original, also acquired the famous 4711 shop in the deal. The quaint, four-story white house at Glockengasse No. 4711 has become a popular tourist attraction in the city of Cologne.

Although it is a perfume shop and museum today, the house on Glockengasse used to be the factory where 4711 was produced. Today, production has been moved to a modern perfume factory in Cologne, which still belongs to Procter and Gamble.

The "Original" eau de cologne?

The history of eau de cologne stretches back almost 300 years -- and it is not the first time the brand has changed hands. The first bottle of eau de cologne was created in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian expatriate living in Cologne. Farina said he wanted it to smell like an Italian spring morning after a rain.

An eau de cologne differs from a so-called eau de toilette in that it has a smaller concentration of essential oils, which give the solution its scent. Ironically, 4711 is not actually an eau de cologne, because it contains over 5 percent essential oils -- a mixture of citrus oils, lavender, rosemary and other ingredients.

In fact, the "Original Eau de Cologne" bears little resemblance to Farina's original creation. That is why two brands of eau de cologne are available in Cologne today: 4711 "Original Eau de Cologne" at Glockengasse No. 4711, and the original Farina formula at "Farina gegenüber."

The split occurred during the 18th century when the Mühlens, a merchant family from Cologne, bought the license and company rights and produced a new scent under the Farina name. But because of shady dealings in the acquisition, a new name was needed. The Mühlens chose "4711," the house number given to the factory at Glockengasse during the French occupation of the Rhineland. (Napoleon, it is said, was particularly fond of Farina's perfume.)

Two centuries later in 1994, the Mühlens family sold its company to the German Wella corporation. And when Procter and Gamble acquired Wella in 2003, the Italian-made fragrance had passed from German to American ownership.

Big in Japan

Back in German hands, 4711 has come full circle. Mäurer und Wirtz hopes to expand its profits with the famous local brand, which is marketed in 75 countries today and is especially popular with the older generation of Germans. The fragrance also sells well in Japan, where men perfume their hair with it.

Indeed, 4711 has been the great survivor of the brands made in the city. Around 100 new scents enter the market each year, according to the German perfume maker, and very few ever make it into the second year. So while Farina's eau de cologne may be the true original, 4711 has always been the more commercially successful scent.