Muelhens

Muelhens is the former parent company behind the brands 4711 and Tosca. The 4711 business was sold to Mäurer & Wirtz in 2006. To tell the story of the brand 4711 one has to go back to the end of the 18th century. Johann Maria Farina composed a light and fresh fragrance that he called Eau de Cologne. The name of the fragrance was inspired by Cologne, where he resided at that point. The fragrance became a bestseller and all rights and licenses were eventually bought by Wilhelm Mülhens. Mühlhens sold rights and licenses to more than 20 individuals, a move that was judged illegal and was voided in court. Mülhens then entered into a business relationship with another individual going by the name Farina (but unrelated to the fragrance's creator) and a company bearing the name Farina was set up. When almost 80 years later a court ruled that further use of the company naame Farina was illegal, Mülhens' grandson, Ferdinand Mülhens, renamed the company. The new company name was 4711 and referred to the old house number of the business address in Cologne. The full company name was Eau de Cologne & Parfümerie Fabrik Glockengasse No. 4711 gegenüber der Pferdepost von Ferd. Mülhens in Köln am Rhein until in 1990 it was renamed again. The company name from 1990 on has been Mülhens GmbH & Co. KG. In 1994 the brand was bought by the cosmetics giant Wella who went on to sell the same products under the same brand name that had been used since 1990. Procter & Gamble bought the company Wella and all its subsidiaries in 2003. In 2006 they announced the successful sales of the 4711 brand to Mäurer & Wirtz of Aachen. The original 4711 Eau de Cologne was made available to the public in 1792 and went on to become an iconic fragrance. The words Eau de Cologne have become synonymous with any light and refreshing fragrance and generally lower concentrated perfumed toilet waters that people rather use to refresh their senses instead of leaving perfumed trails. A perfume for ladies was under the name of Tosca was launched in 1921. The fragrance was composed of aldehydes, animalic notes and floral accords. This fragrance has been many women's wardrobe staple for decades. In 1979 a fragrance called My Melody Dreams was introduced to the market. This scent aimed at young girls and teenagers and has been a past favorite of many of today's adult women. Mäurer & Wirtz, who bought the Mülhens business from Procter & Gamble in 2006 expanded the product portfolio of the 4711 brand by several 4711 edition fragrances. Designer Muelhens has 13 perfumes in our fragrance base. Muelhens is an old perfume house. The earliest edition was created in 1938 and the newest is from 1999.