Johann Maria Farina

Who was Johann Maria Farina?

Giovanni Maria Farina was an Italian perfume designer and maker, born on 8 December 1685, in the town of Santa Maria Maggiore. He died on 25 November 1766 in Cologne, Germany.

Farina settled down in Cologne, Germany in the year 1709 where he founded Farina gegenüber, the world’s oldest perfume factory still existing List of oldest companies. His subtle fragrance Eau de Cologne became rapidly famous worldwide and in the 18th century this perfume was an indispensable accessory at all royal courts. In Farina’s days, the name Eau de Cologne would not have been mistaken for less modern fragances. The perfume maker chose to call his perfume after his new home town so as to honour it. Indeed, at the time when Farina first moved to Cologne, there were very strict laws regarding foreign settlers. Farina was granted citizenship and, in order to show off his gratitude, he named his very first creation Eau de Cologne. This perfume, being a real sensation at the time, contributed to Cologne’s global fame.

Being the very first perfume of its kind on the market, the word "Cologne" quickly became a household name.