Absolutely Magazine: May Issue: Summer Colognes by Lawrence Roullier White

Whether weeding or wedding, carnival or Bestival, wherever we are in the great outdoors you can bet that horrible pesky pests will be there too. Not only do we have to be careful at dusk, when biting bugs are at their blood sucking worse, daytime dank undergrowth can be equally dangerous, making a little gentle pruning a perilous activity. The jury is still out on what exactly attracts midges and mosquitoes, but movement and carbon monoxide in breath are known to be high on their radar, once spotted the chemistry of your skin will determine if you are a likely target or not. The American Mosquito Control Association has determined that this predilection to get bitten is 85% genetic. There are, however, things we can do to protect ourselves; one of these is by avoiding sweet perfumes. Switch to eaux de Cologne in the summer, not only are these fresh and refreshing fragrances much easier to wear in the heat, many contain the very natural ingredients that mosquitoes hate; lavender, rosemary, lemon and other citrus notes.

Madrid based Alvarez Gòmez has been mixing their own particular Mediterranean blend of marvellousness for over one hundred years; Spanish lemon, French lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, lavender with a sparkle of sunny bergamot. My top tip is to keep your Cologne in the fridge for optimum cooling effect.

Despite their names Colognes actually originated in Italy, where they had a very humble yet noble beginning. Distilled by monks from plants in the monastery gardens, they were tonic potions that were originally imbibed by the unwell. Gradually the passion for drinking these fragrant herbal blends turned into a fashion for wearing them. Farina 1709 is the oldest Cologne still in production; it is full of zesty, fruit citrus notes, with a twist of floral at the centre and a heavenly herbal base. Wonderful in any weather Farina 1709 comes into its own outside in summer. 

Hungary Water – although many companies have used the name – is actually a generic term for a cologne type fragrance made popular by Queen Elizabeth of Poland (1305 – 1380). Derived from a monastic recipe typically Hungary Water contains rosemary, lavender, mint, sage, marjoram, orange blossom and lemon. Crabtree and Evelyn recently released a version of this scent, although you might want to go back to source with Budapest based Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary Mist. It is indelicate to say so, but mosquitoes like the uric acid in perspiration so a facial spritz which this subtly orange blossom scented toner spay will help keep them at bay. 

Originally made by Carthusian monks on the amazing island of Capri and making use of native flora, the Carthusia range of fragrances enjoy and loyal and celebrated fan base, including a certain Mr Clooney, a gentleman who knows more than a little about sartorial elegance and cuts quite a fragrant dash with his preferred Mediterraneo. Just launched is Carthusia’s collection of summertime Colognes; Acqua di Carthusia Aloe has cooling top notes of aloe vera and luscious lavender, whilst Acqua di Carthusia Bergamot is the Capri sun in a bottle.

Paris based duo Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel have pushed the genre envelope with their Atelier Cologne range of self-labelled ‘Cologne Absolue’ – simple fresh scent in parfum strength. Orange Sanguine just shouts ‘summer’ and that is one noise I love to hear. The last word, however, has to go to Roullier White’s Unstung Hero; a deliciously lemon tea scented eau de Cologne with a naturally occurring amino acid which renders the wearer invisible to flying, biting insects without any hideous chemicals.