Eau de Cologne Naturelle 70°

Eau de Cologne

Bien-Être 1962

Bien-Etre Eau de Cologne Naturelle 70* has almost the same five-note harmony as the classic 4711 here at Parfumo, only that - the perhaps most common note shift in the traditional Cologne area - Neroli has been substituted by the more pleasing, cheerful Petitgrain. In another fragrance note specification I found for Bien-Etre Naturelle 70, lavender is missing and musk is mentioned, which seems plausible.

Since everyone knows how 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser smells, it will be used here as a reference: Bien Etre is similar, clearly - but also a good deal more independent: It is much less harsh and metallic; milder, softer, definitely sweeter, and not only because of the green tint of the liquid, which is certainly caused by synthetic substances, but also a bit greener; I think I perceive a hint of eucalyptus, if that is not an illusion.

Unlike the traditional 4711 and many other similar products of this kind, I would not recommend this little water to be splashed on your face after three hours of sleep with bad dreams as an olfactory double espresso, nor as a freshness shot in extreme heat. Bien-Etre is indeed a bit softer and thermally warmer than most "white" and "yellow" colognes.

That would cover everything about the scent impression, but not about the (iconic in France) product. The book "Cologne" published by Jean-Claude Ellena (which I reviewed on the blog) dedicates a whole chapter to this cologne. It was released in 1962 - the company was founded by an ingenious pharmacist - and was so successful right from the start that it became the best-selling fragrance in France with 2.5 million bottles annually (including liter and half-liter bottles for pouring!).

Elsewhere, I have often written that colognes were not only used as fragrance water in the past but also as a hygiene product, especially when there was no running water available. For example, on long train journeys in sleeping cars, for morning washing, or during breaks on the highway in summer, before air conditioning in cars became common. Or indeed, when there was still no running water in homes to wipe children down with Cologne-soaked cloths. And that was still largely the case in France in the 60s.

Thus, Bien-Etre was and is, and here I quote from the book again, a product that is eminently associated with the idea of French family life; it is even referred to as an "icon of French pop culture." The question of whether Bien-Etre or the competing brand Mont St Michel was used for family hygiene was akin to asking whether one traveled with parents in a Peugeot or a Renault.

Whether the formula has changed, and whether the company is still the old one or just the brand has been revived, I cannot say; in any case, Naturelle 70* (the formerly existing sister product 85*, with a correspondingly higher alcohol content, has disappeared) is still available today in many online shops, along with various newer flankers, if the term fits for such a "non-perfume."

Although... "non-perfume"... One might get the impression that such little waters were also used to introduce the little ones to the world of colognes... or perhaps even to perfumes in general!

In the repeatedly cited Cologne book, there is also a historical advertisement poster depicted, similar to the one shown here on Parfumo, but perhaps posted about 5 years later, at the end of the 60s, beginning of the 70s. It shows a young French mother, very moderately sexy with a terry cloth wrapped around her chest, already with short hair in the style of the time, looking modern (but surely voting for Georges Pompidou and not the unserious socialists), as she pours Bien-Etre from the liter bottle into the hands of her little blonde son, perhaps 6 years old. He is delighted, and below it reads:

The freshness moment of the morning toilet - That is Bien-Etre!

We too, like the grown-ups!

We love the fresh moment of the morning toilet! Because it is Bien-Etre [or: Because it is well-being]! And that a good rub with Bien-Etre after the morning wash (and even during the day!) provides a pleasant and wonderful feeling of freshness does not need to be told to us by mom again.

And do not look for the reason why the Cologne Bien-Etre appeals to the whole family: It is the freshest and most natural cologne ever. Your well-being is priceless. Especially when it only costs a few centimes per day.

(First visit to the Colognisten Café)