Original
Anyone who gets through the small bottles quickly should be looking at 4711 Original Eau de Cologne 150ml instead, because the way this is worn makes the size question a practical one rather than a matter of commitment. Cologne is a low oil concentration. That is the format, not a shortcoming, and it means the product is applied in quantity and reapplied without a second thought. A 20ml bottle disappears in weeks under that regime. At 150ml you stop noticing how much you use, which is how the thing is supposed to be enjoyed, and it still fits in a bathroom cabinet without taking over a shelf.
The scent is the long standing one, seven materials and nothing extraneous. Orange and lemon come first, bright and a little sour, with bergamot threading its perfumed bitterness between them. Lavender arrives almost at once, clean and softly herbal, and rosemary sharpens it with a green, resinous edge. The last act belongs to neroli and petitgrain, the flower and the foliage of the bitter orange tree, one sweet and honeyed and one dry and faintly grassy, and together they give the skin something to hold onto after the citrus has lifted away. Realistic expectations help: two hours of clear presence, a soft trace afterwards, less in high heat and rather more on a cool day. None of that is a defect, and none of it should put anyone off. It is the same bargain colognes have always offered, which is a great deal of pleasure in the first half hour and open permission to repeat it whenever the mood takes you.
The number on the label began as a house number in Cologne, assigned under French occupation in 1794, and it was a trademark by 1875. The company's own account of its origins goes back further, to a recipe received in October 1792.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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