Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Farina in Cologne
- 4711
- Eau de Cologne Impériale
- Acqua di Parma Colonia
- Eau Sauvage
- Eau de Guerlain
- Neroli Portofino
- Super-citrus
- Bergapten-free peel
- Cologne revival
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
What is Citrus?
Bergamot, lemon, yuzu peel — the bright opening of cologne, watched by IFRA for phototoxicity.
EDP vs EDT — what changes?
Concentration is oil in alcohol, not a quality score. EDT (about 5–15%) shows more top; EDP (about 15–20%) shows more heart and base. Houses vary; this is not a lab assay.
How should I wear Citrus?
One or two sprays on skin or cloth — sternum or hair, not a cloud in a lift. Let it turn an hour before you add more.
Which season fits?
Hot weather, morning. The family is happier as cologne and EDT than as a heavy EDP.
Does skin chemistry change it?
Yes. Warm, moist skin amplifies sweet and spice; dry or cool skin can turn the same juice woody, soapy or short. Test on your skin, not only a blotter.
What about IFRA and oakmoss?
Some citrus oils are phototoxic. IFRA limits leave-on doses. Do not treat cologne as sunscreen, and do not use this page as a safety sheet.
Citrus did not arrive as one bottle. The timeline below keeps Grasse, Guerlain, Chanel, Nahéma and IFRA as proper names, not metaphors.
Read the years as a map of trade and reformulation, not as a ranking of beauty.
Timeline
- Farina in Cologne
Giovanni Maria Farina sells Aqua Mirabilis — the eau de Cologne template.
- 4711
The Mülhens number-address cologne; still a German civic smell.
- Eau de Cologne Impériale
Guerlain for Empress Eugénie; bees on the bottle, bergamot in the juice.
- Acqua di Parma Colonia
Italian cologne as a menswear and hotel ritual.
- Eau Sauvage
Roudnitska + hedione: citrus becomes modern, not grandmotherly.
- Eau de Guerlain
Jean-Paul Guerlain’s bergamot-moss citrus for heat.
- Neroli Portofino
Tom Ford’s resort neroli; cologne as boutique luxury.
- Super-citrus
Grapefruit-synth and molecular hesperides in niche.
- Bergapten-free peel
Bergapten-free bergamot becomes standard to limit phototoxicity.
- Cologne revival
Many houses restage 8–10% eaux as “the original freshness”.
The eras
- Civic cologne — A toilet water, a city export, a health claim.
- Imperial and hotel — Guerlain bees, barbershop lemon, Italian colonia.
- Modern eaux — Eau Sauvage teaches citrus a floral-hedione heart.
- Sport fresh — Grapefruit and dihydromyrcenol steal cologne’s job.
- Luxury cologne — Portofino-type neroli and artisanal bergamot extraits (still short).
Milestones
- Farina 1709 — Named the genre and the city smell of Cologne.
- Eau Sauvage 1966 — Citrus with a modern heart, not only peel.
- Bergapten-free oils — Made sun-safe bergamot the industrial default.
Citrus keeps moving; the other six chapters say what one date cannot.
Origins & milestonesNotes & accordsCraft & methodCulture & meaningIcons & legendsHow to wearMarket & bottles