Fragrance house

4711

4711 traces its name to the number assigned to the Glockengasse premises during the French occupation in 1794; the name was registered as a trademark in 1875. After Napoleon required medicinal formulas to be disclosed in 1810, Mülhens marketed the formerly internal-use “miracle water” as a fragrance, helping establish 4711’s identity as an eau de cologne. The brand adopted Peter Heinrich Molanus’s hexagonal bottle in 1820, a design that became a durable part of its visual identity, while Ferdinand Mülhens expanded industrial production from 1874 and broadened the business into other fragrances and personal-care products. Wella’s acquisition by Procter & Gamble in 2003 brought the Mülhens and 4711 business under P&G ownership; in December 2006, P&G announced the sale of 4711 and the Glockengasse heritage house to Mäurer & Wirtz. Today, 4711 is presented as a brand of Mäurer & Wirtz, an independent subsidiary of the Dalli Group. Its signature fragrance, 4711 Original Eau de Cologne, is associated with Cologne’s signature scent and an international identity spanning more than two centuries; Mäurer & Wirtz launched the Acqua Colonia sub-brand in 2009.