Wilhelm Mülhens
Wilhelm Mülhens was a German perfumer and businessman who was the founder of the Mülhens company, known for the fragrance 4711.
Early life
Mühlens was born in Troisdorf, the sixth of eleven children of Jakob Mülhens and his wife Anna, née Volberg. His life prior to 1796 is not well known.Work
In 1803 Carlo Farina, who was not part of the famous cologne-producing family, fraudulently sold Mülhens that family's naming rights.In 1805 Mülhens was first recorded as a cologne manufacturer, later sold under the product name 4711 from 1881. After the Napoleonic wars his company also exported the cologne abroad, including Paris and Stralsund.