Florida Water

Last updated
Florida Water trade card Florida Water, Murray & Lanman, c. 1870-1900, from the Digital Commonwealth - 1 commonwealth 5h73z4396.jpg
Florida Water trade card

Florida Water is an American version of Eau de Cologne, or Cologne Water. It has the same citrus basis as Cologne Water, but shifts the emphasis to sweet orange (rather than the lemon and neroli of the original Cologne Water), and adds spicy notes including lavender and clove. [1] The name refers to the fabled Fountain of Youth, [2] which is said to be located in Florida, as well as the "flowery" nature of the scent.

Contents

In the Americas

Accord to current trademark holders, Lanman & Kemp Barclay, [3] Florida Water was introduced by the New York City perfumer (and founder of the original company) Robert I. Murray, in 1808. In 1835 Murray was joined by David Trumbull Lanman and the firm became Murray & Lanman, then David T. Lanman and Co., and in 1861 became Lanman & Kemp. The company states that their product, now sold under the Murray & Lanman brand, still uses the original 1808 formula, and that the current label is also a slightly modified version of the 1808 original.

Florida Water was regarded as a unisex cologne, suitable for men and women alike. Victorian etiquette manuals warn young ladies against the "offensive" impression made by a strong perfume, but Florida Water and Eau de Cologne were recommended as appropriate for all, along with sachets for scenting the linen and fresh flowers in the corsage. [4] Large quantities were also used by barbershops as cologne and aftershave. In the 1880s and 1890s Murray & Lanman Florida Water was advertised as "The Richest of all Perfumes" and "The most Popular Perfume in the World". [5]

Like other colognes of the era, Florida Water was valued for its refreshing and tonic nature as well as its scent, and could be used as a skin toner or as what we would now call a "body splash". It was also used as a toilet water (eau de toilette), by adding it to the bath or wash-water.

Usages in religious or spiritual practices

Florida water is used as a cleansing liquid in certain religious or spiritual practices, most notably hoodoo. It may be used in a similar fashion to that practice's equivalent of holy water. It is also used in many practices such as Santeria, Espiritismo and more religious or spiritual practices, due to the floral scent that is believed to scare away negative spirits or bad energies.

In East Asia

Florida Water ( 花露水 ) has also been manufactured in Hong Kong since the turn of the 20th century, the most famous of which is the hundred-year-old Kwong Sang Hong "Two Girls" Brand of Hong Kong. Once a common household item throughout Hong Kong, particularly as a refreshing topical application on skins during summer months, "Two Girls" Florida Water remains moderately popular as a “retro” toiletry product in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, complete with elaborate, nostalgic packaging designs. [6]

China

After the Chinese Communist Party took over mainland China in 1949, private cosmetic companies were all nationalized, brand names such as "Liu Shen" (六神), "Maxam" (美加净) and "Butterfly" (蝴蝶) were then created and made popular. [7]

The formulations in these products are quite different from Murray & Lanman and Two Girls, having morphed into a summertime skincare product containing menthol (or borneol) and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Such products are most commonly used for reliving itchiness caused by insect bites and miliaria. Further developments include formulations with added insect repellents.

Related Research Articles

Eau de Cologne, or simply cologne, is a perfume originating from Cologne, Germany. Originally mixed by Johann Maria Farina in 1709, it has since come to be a generic term for scented formulations in typical concentration of 2–5% and also more depending upon its type of essential oils or a blend of extracts, alcohol, and water. In a base of dilute ethanol (70–90%), eau de cologne contains a mixture of citrus oils, including oils of lemon, orange, tangerine, clementine, bergamot, lime, grapefruit, blood orange, bitter orange, and neroli. It can also contain oils of lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, petitgrain, jasmine, olive, oleaster, and tobacco.

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Perfumes can be defined as substances that emit and diffuse a pleasant and fragrant odor. They consist of manmade mixtures of aromatic chemicals and essential oils. The 1939 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, Leopold Ružička stated in 1945 that "right from the earliest days of scientific chemistry up to the present time, perfumes have substantially contributed to the development of organic chemistry as regards methods, systematic classification, and theory."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Spice</span> American brand of male grooming products

Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products encompassing aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4711</span> German cologne

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftershave</span> Liquid applied to the shaved area of the face after shaving

Aftershave is a product applied to skin after shaving. Traditionally it is an alcohol-based liquid (splash), but it can be a lotion, gel, or even a paste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetaphil</span> Skin care product line

Cetaphil or is a line of skin care products from the Swiss company Galderma, including cleansers, bar soap, cream, lotion, and moisturizers. It was developed in 1947, in Texas, by an American pharmacist. Cetaphil products are available worldwide in more than 70 countries, commonly sold at grocery stores and pharmacies throughout the United States, Canada, India and Nepal. They are also available in pharmacies in Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, some European, Latin American and Caribbean countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of perfume</span>

The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, "per fumus," meaning through smoke. The word perfumery refers to the art of making perfumes. Perfume was refined by the Romans, the Persians and the Arabs. Although perfume and perfumery also existed in East Asia, much of its fragrances were incense based. The basic ingredients and methods of making perfumes are described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penhaligon's</span> British perfume house

Penhaligon's is a British perfume house. It was founded in the late 1860s by William Henry Penhaligon, a Cornish barber who moved to London and who became Court Barber and Perfumer to Queen Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hungary water</span>

Hungary water was one of the first alcohol-based perfumes in Europe, primarily made with rosemary. The oldest surviving recipes call for distilling fresh rosemary and thyme with brandy, while later formulations contain wine, lavender, mint, sage, marjoram, costus, orange blossom and lemon.

The Demeter Fragrance Library is a Great Neck, New York company that sells over 200 different fragrances based on "everyday" scents, such as baby powder, dirt, gin & tonic, play-doh and tomato.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eau de toilette</span> Lightly scented perfume

Eau de toilette is a lightly scented perfume. It is also referred to as aromatic waters and has a high alcohol content. It is usually applied directly to the skin after bathing or shaving. It is traditionally composed of alcohol and various volatile oils. Traditionally these products were named after a principal ingredient; some being geranium water, lavender water, lilac water, violet water, spirit of myrcia and 'eau de Bretfeld'. Because of this, eau de toilette was sometimes referred to as "toilet water".

Solid perfumes or cream perfumes are perfumes in solid state rather than the liquid mix of alcohol (ethanol) and water used in eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, etc. Normally the substance that gives the cream its base comes from a type of wax that is initially melted. Once melted, a scent or several scents may be added.

Caswell-Massey, founded in 1752, is the first fragrance and personal care product company in America. Originally, Caswell Massey started as an apothecary shop in Newport, Rhode Island, by a Scottish-born doctor named William Hunter. The main product categories include fine-fragrance, soap, bath & body products, men's shaving products and toiletries and other assorted apothecary-style personal care accessories. Its products were preferred favorites of notable historical figures such as John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Cole Porter, Alla Nazimova, John Denver, and The Rolling Stones.

Lacoste Essential is the name of a men's cologne produced by high-end apparel company Lacoste. The original Lacoste Essential for men contains aquatics citrus, tomato leaves, cassis, black pepper, rose, patchouli, sandalwood and “wood accord.” The popular fragrance is recognized by its distinctly shaped glass container, bearing a brushed aluminum atomizer and the trademark Lacoste crocodile emblem engraved into the glass, as well as the liquid's warm yellow-green tint.

Jo Loves is a British niche perfume brand founded by perfumer Jo Malone in 2011, following her 2006 departure from Jo Malone London. She had founded that brand in 1994, and subsequently sold it to Estée Lauder Companies in 1999.

François Demachy is a French perfumer. He trained at Charabot. He was succeeded as Dior’s House Perfumer by Francis Kurkdjian, but he remained a perfumer under the LVMH umbrella brands.

Kolonya is a type of perfume. It is a famous product of Turkey, its country of origin. Kolonya is commonly used as a cologne, perfume, or as hand sanitizer. It is sometimes used as surrogate alcohol by poor alcoholics and teenagers, usually resulting in fatal poisonings or blindness. Since 2018 Kolonya contains a bitterant agent. Cheap Kolonya or off brands contains methyl alcohol which is absorbable by skin causing Methanol toxicity, safe Kolonya is denatured with isopropyl alcohol instead of methanol.

Atelier Cologne is a niche perfume line owned by L'Oréal. Founded in 2009 by Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel, Atelier Cologne is best known for unisex citrus scents like Orange Sanguine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diptyque</span>

Diptyque is a luxury French fragrance brand founded in 1961 at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The company produces eau de parfum, eau de toilette, scented candles, and perfume oil diffusers. The original boutique still operates at the same location in Paris, and the brand has boutiques in London, Tokyo, New York City, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Basel, Doha, Dubai, Milan, Beverly Hills, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose, Seoul and Chicago. The name comes from Ancient Greek (δίπτυχος) meaning a two-panel image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Officine Universelle Buly</span> French beauty and cosmetics brand

Officine Universelle Buly 1803 is a French beauty brand, which was first founded by Jean-Vincent Bully in 1803 on rue Saint-Honore in Paris, and then dusted by the French couple, Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac-Touhami in 2014. It is headquartered in Paris, France, and has had more than 25 stores around the globe and counting, the brand sells perfumes, scented candles, soaps, plant oils, and other beauty products for body, face and hair, as well as accessories.

References

  1. American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record - 1902, page 280
  2. The History of Florida Water - floridawater.com, Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co.
  3. Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co., Inc. - History section
  4. The Woman's Book, Vol 2, various authors - 1894, page 354
  5. Murray & Lanman trade cards, various dates
  6. For example, see the Hong Kong-based Two Girls website
  7. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1013201