Farina House and Roger & Gallet: two centuries of refined fragance

In 1708, Giovanni Maria Farina, an italian perfum maker, wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Eau de Cologne, in honour of his new hometown, Cologne.

The founding of Farina House dates back to 1709. Farina’s list of customers expanded at a great pace and, his perfume, which delighted the upper nobility, soon became a royal and imperial favourite. The company is still run by the founder’s descendants, who are the 8th generation of family members. The company has held Royal Warrants as purveyors of perfume to the German, French, Italian and British Royal Families.

In 1806, Jean Marie Joseph Farina, a grand-grand-nephew of Giovanni Maria Farina, opened a perfumery business in Paris that was later sold to Roger & Gallet. That company now owns the rights to Eau de Cologne extra vieille in contrast to the Original Eau de Cologne from Cologne.

Nowadays you can find a high-class range of Roger & Gallet products, including perfums, soaps, shower gels and body lotions. As well as the mythical Jean Marie Farina, there are many scent lines, among them: Bois d'Orange,  Gingembre, Rose, Thé Vert, Lotus Bleu, and my favourite and always among my toiletries: Vanille. Who can resist to take delight in the perfum used by the Queen Victoria, the Emperor Napoleon, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Beethoven, Goethe, Diane of Wales, Marlene Dietrich...and an endless list of royal houses members, politicians, artists and superb celebrities?

Museum Farina House in Cologne: http://www.farina.eu/

Official Farina website: http://www.farina1709.com/ Here you will find as well as the original Farina 1709 Eau the Cologne Original, amazing vintage posters to purchase.

Roger & Gallet: http://www.roger-gallet.com/