Various Eau de Cologne Recipes c1900

All recipes taken from: American Journal Soap and Manufacturing Chemist, c1900. Most of them are earlier formulas that the journal culled from old books.


Superior Eau de Cologne c1900

• 3,000 ozs Spirit 
• 10 oz Neroli oil bigarade 
• 5 oz Rosemary oil  
• 15 oz Lemon oil 
• 5 oz Bergamot oil  
• 15 oz Pomegranate skin oil 

Princes Eau de Cologne 

• 3,000 ozs Spirit 
• 3 oz Rosemary oil 
• 10 oz Mitcham lavender oil 
• 50 oz Bergamot oil
• 50 oz Lemon oil
• 10 oz Bigarade neroli oil

Eau de Cologne #1. 

• 3,000 ozs Spirit 
• 6 oz Petit-grain oil 
• 2 oz Bigarade neroli oil
• 2 oz Lavender oil
• 5 oz Rosemary oil
• 12 oz Bergamot oil
• 12 oz Lemon oil
• 2 oz Geranium oil

Eau de Cologne #2.

• Spirit 3,000 ozs 
• 30 oz Bergamot oil  
• 30 oz Lemon oil 
•  2 oz Lavender oil
• 10 oz Petit grain oil 
• 5 oz White Thyme oil 
• 2 1/2 oz Bigarade Neroli oil 

Eau de Cologne with Artificial Perfumes 

• 3,000 oz Spirit 
• 15 oz Mitcham Lavender oil 
• 12 oz Schimmel's Neroli 
• 22 oz Heine's Orange Blossom 
• 5 oz Geranium oil 
• 30 oz Lemon oil 
• 15 oz Bergamot oil 

Blumen Eau 

• 3,000 oz Basis Spirit
• 40 oz Bergamot oil 
• 30 oz Lemon oil 
• 10 oz Schimmel's Neroli 
• 5 oz Lavender oil 
• 2 oz Petit grain oil
• 5 oz White thyme oil 

To every 1,000 ozs of this add the ingredients the several varieties, A - F inclusive as below:



A. Rose Water 

• Rosewood oil 10 oz 
• Rose geranium oil 10 oz 
• Heine's Pose blossom 2 oz 

B. Elder flower 

• Terpinoel 25 ozs 
• Schimmel's Jasmine 8 oz 

C. Lily of the Valley 

• Linaloe oil 20 ozs 
• Schimmel's Jasmine 8 oz 
• Lily Blossom oil Heiko to 1 oz 

D. Mignonette 

• Schimmel's Mignonette Geranium 10 oz 
• Mignonette oil, Heiko 2 oz 

E. Vinegar especially for southern climates export 

• Acetic acid 30 oz 
• Acetic ether 20 oz 
• Water 100 oz 

F. Ice Water Menthol 

• 20 ozs or according to requirements.

A cheap form of Eau de Cologne may be made the following recipe:

After standing a month it be mixed with china clay and white of egg and filtered

• 90 per cent spirit 1,000 ozs 
• Bergamot oil 6 oz 
• Lemon oil 15 oz 
• Rosemary oil 1 oz 
• Lavender oil 2 1/2 oz 
• Water 1,000 oz 

Eau de Cologne (La Deuxieme Qualite)

• 6 gallons Spirit (from corn)
• 2 oz Otto of orange peel
• 2 oz Otto of lemon peel
• 2 oz Otto of neroli, Petitgain
• 2 oz Otto of neroli, Petale
• 2 oz Otto of rosemary
• 2 oz Otto of bergamot peel

Mix with agitation; then allow it to stand for a few days perfectly quiet, before bottling.

A great many forms for the manufacture of Eau de Cologne have been published, the authors of some of the recipes evidently having no knowledge, in a practical sense, of what they were putting by theory on paper; other venturers, to show their lore, have searched out all the aromatics of Lindley's Botany, and would persuade us to use absinthe, hyssop, anise, juniper, marjoram, caraway, fennel, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, serpolet, angelica, cloves, lavender, camphor, balm, peppermint, galanga, lemon thyme,etc



Durokereau's Eau de Cologne
To 7 quarts French tasteless alcohol, add:

• 11 drachms essence of Portugal
• 13 drachms essence of bergamot
• 1 ounce essence of lemon
• 10 drachms essence of neroli
• 1 ounce essence of rosemary
• 1 ounce essence of lavender
• 14 drachms rose water
• 13 drachms jasmin water
• 15 drachms orange-flower water

Mix the whole together, let it stand 24 hours, and distill over a water-bath.



Piesse's Best Quality Cologne
Mix with agitation:

• 3 ounces attar of neroli petals;
• 1 ounce attar of neroli bigarade
• 2 ounces attar of rosemary
• 5 ounces attar of orange zest
• 5 ounces attar of citron zest
• 2 ounces attar of bergamot
•  6 gallons 95 per cent, grape spirit

Let it stand perfectly quiet for a few days. Although very fine eau de Cologne is often made by merely mixing the ingredients, it is better first to mix all the citrine attars with spirit, then distill the mixture, and afterwards add the rosemary and nerolies. This method is adopted by the most popular house in Cologne.


Goufife's Eau de Cologne

• 1/2 ounce each essence of lemon
• 1/2 ounce each essence of  bergamot
• 1/2 ounce each essence of and citron
• 4 ounce essence of rosemary
• 1/8 ounce essence of neroli

 Infuse for 8 days in 1 quart 95 per cent, alcohol. Filter, and bottle for use.


Cologne Essence

Oil of bergamot 2 drs., essence of lemon 1/2 dr., essence of cedrat 1/2 dr., true oil of rosemary 15 drops, rectified spirit (or spirit of balm) 1 1/2 oz.

Essence of Cologne; Cologne-Essence ; Concentrated Eau de Cologne. 

This is prepared from the same odorous ingredients as " Eau de Cologne," but taking 7 or 8 times the quantity, and using alcohol or the strongest rectified spirit, without which a permanent solution of the whole of them cannot be formed. Used as a condensed and convenient substitute for ordinary "Eau de Cologne " by travelers, being less bulky. It is also kept in stock by druggists and perfumers, to enable them to prepare that article extemporaneously, by simply diluting it with 8 times its bulk of spirit of the appropriate strength.

Ordinary Cologne

Take 10 qts alcohol at 85° and mix with the following:

• 2 oz essence of lemon
• 10 drams essence of rosemary
• 5 drams essence of lavender
• 1 1/4 drams essence of neroli
• 1 1/4 drams tincture of benzoin
• 1/2 dram essence of thyme
• 1/2 dram essence of clove
• 1/4 dram essence of peppermint
• 2 lbs. rosewater

Cologne Water: 

• Oil Neroli 2 drachms 
• Oil Orange peel 1/2 ounce
• Oil Citron 1 drachm
• Oil Bergamot  2 drachms 
• Oil Lavendar 1/2 drachm 
• Oil Rosemary 1/2 drachm 
• Oil Cinnamon 1 scruple 
• Cardamoms powdered 2 drachms 
• Balsam of Peru 2 drachms 
• Rectified spirits 7 pounds 

Macerate 10 days then distil 6 pounds with a gentle heat. 

Cologne (Eau de Cologne):

Truly good, first-class Eau de Cologne can only be made with real wine spirit. Ordinary spirit can be used for inferior species. The softest, very refreshing colognes are obtained in such a way that the essential oils, except for rosemary and "Neroli" oils, are dissolved in the spirit, distilled and other oils are added to the obtained distillate.

1. - Eau de Cologne superieure: 70 gr. bergamot oil, 170 gr. lemon oil, 100 gr. "Neroli petale" oil, 35 gr. "Neroli bigarade" oil, 70 gr. rosemary oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

2. - 8 gr. bergamot oil, 4 gr. lemon oil, 20 drops of "Neroli biga rade" oil, 6 drops of "Origanum" oil, 20 drops of rosemary oil, 30 gr. orange blossom water, 380 cm3. rectified wine spirit.

3.- 130 gr. bergamot oil, 130 gr. lemon oil, 20 gr. "Neroli-petale" oil, 130 gr. orange oil (from the skins), 70 gr. "Petigrain" oil, 70 gr. rosemary oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

4. - From the gr. bergamot oil, 3.5 gr. lemon oil, 20 drops of "Neroli" oil, 6 drops of "Origanum" oil, 20 drops of rosemary oil, 0.5 l of the best wine spirit, 30 gr. water from orange blossoms.

5.- 50 gr. bergamot oil, 100 gr. lemon oil / 10 gr. lavender oil, 15 gr. "Neroli" oil, 5 gr. rosemary, 30 1. alcohol.

6.- 60 gr. bergamot oil, 30 gr. lemon oil, 15 gr. lavender oil, 8 gr. Melissa oil, 8 gr. "Neroli" oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

7.- 100 gr. bergamot oil, 15 gr. lemon oil, 8 gr. lavender oil, 15 gr. Melissa oil, 8 gr. "Neroli" oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

8.- 200 gr. bergamot oil, 100 gr. lemon oil, 100 gr. lavender oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

9.- 500 gr. bergamot oil, 500 gr. lemon oil, 160 gr. lavender oil, 20 gr. "Neroli" oil, 40 gr. rosemary oil, 30 liters of alcohol.

10.- 65 gr. bergamot oil, 15 gr. cabbage oil, 130 gr. lemon oil, 160 gr. lavender oil, 65 gr. "Neroli" oil, 130 gr. Portuguese oil, 15 gr. "Petitgrain" oil, 1l. orange blossom water, 30 liters of alcohol.

All Flower Water c1779

Source: The Toilet of Flora. c1779

Pour into a large vessel:

• 5 quarts of strong Spirit of Wine, and infuse in it the following Flowers, as they come in season: 

• 1/4 pound Violets
• 1/4 pound Hyacinths
• 1/4 pound Wall Flowers 
• 2 ounces single Jonquils
• 2 ounces double Jonquils
• 1/4 pound of Lilies of the Valley 
• 1/4 pound Spanish Jasmine 
• 1/2 ounce of Rosemary Flowers 
• 1 ounce of Elder Flowers 
• 2 ounces of Wild Roses, bruised
• 2 ounces of Damask, bruised
• 2 ounces of White Roses, bruised; 
• 3 ounces of Orange Flowers 
• 1/4 pound of Clove-July-flowers,
• 1/4 pound Syringo Blossoms (seringa = mock orange blossom) 
• 1/4 pound Tuberoses
• 1/4 pound Tops of Mint in Flower
• 30 drops of Quintessence of Musk-seed

The latter, however, need not be added till the time of distillation, which must not be till three days after the last Flowers have been in- fused. Perform the operation in a water bath, and having carefully luted the head and receiver, which mutt be placed in a tub of cold water, to preserve the scent, draw off about three quarts and a pint with a moderate fire, then change the receiver, fix on another, and draw off another pint, which, though of an inferior quality, is well worth preserving.