4711

4711 is a traditional German Eau de Cologne by Mäurer & Wirtz. Because it has been produced in Cologne since at least 1799, it is allowed to use the geographical indication Original Eau de Cologne. The brand has been expanded to various other perfumes and products besides the original Echt Kölnisch Wasser, which has used the same formula for more than 200 years.

The 4711-flagship store in the Cologne Glockengasse is a popular tourist attraction.

History

In the early 18th century, Johann Maria Farina (1685–1766), an Italian living in Cologne, Germany, created a fragrance. He named it Eau de Cologne ("water from Cologne") after his new home. Over the next century, the fragrance became increasingly popular.

According to legend, on 8 October 1792, a Carthusian monk made a wedding gift for the merchant Wilhelm Mülhens (1762-1841): the secret recipe of a so-called "aqua mirabilis", a "miracle water" for internal and external use. Mülhens then founded a small factory at Cologne's "Glockengasse" and established the first "Eau de Cologne" as a remedy.

Mäurer & Wirtz

Mäurer & Wirtz is a German manufacturer of personal care products and perfumes. Since 1990 the company has been an independent subsidiary of Dalli Group.

The company is managed by the fifth generation of the Wirtz family, joint CEO Hermann Wirtz.

The headquarters and production site is in Stolberg near the city of Aachen with 400 employees. The company sells a range of consumer products using the sales divisions Cosmeurop Perfumes, Théany Cosmetics, NewYorker Cosmetics, s.Oliver Cosmetics and comma Cosmetics. Besides its own brands, such as Betty Barclay and 4711, the company produces licensed brands, such as s.Oliver and Otto Kern.

The main markets are Germany, Benelux, Austria, Switzerland and exports to 135 countries. The company's products are distributed and sold through perfumery and drugstore retailers, department stores, drug stores and selected supermarkets.

History

The history of the family business goes back to Michael Mäurer and his stepson Andreas August Wirtz, who established a soapworks in 1845 in Stolberg. Initially, only soft soaps, curd soaps and fine soaps were sold in a grocery store for the local market. Over time, the products were established in the Rhineland and later also in neighboring countries (mainly France and Benelux). In 1884 the production of washing powder began and then around the turn of the century the company's first trademarks were registered. Mäurer & Wirtz now produces detergents, soap products, perfumes and cosmetics. Since 1992, products under the Betty Barclay brand have also been produced under license. In 2007, the company took over the brands 4711, Tosca, Sir Irisch Moos and Extase from Procter & Gamble, and in 2011 the Baldessarini fragrance line, and Windsor were acquired.