Eau de Quinine
Geo F Trumper (1898)

TRUMPER – EAU DE QUININE (1898)

In 1898 the British Empire was enjoying its peak years. One scourge however, in its tropical locations (India, Hong Kong), was malaria, spread by the sting of the dreaded mosquito. When it was discovered that quinine (first isolated in 1820), made from the bark of the cinchona tree, successfully treated and cured those who contracted the disease, it was only a short step to make that substance available in liquid form. Thus “tonic water” was born.
For the record the properties of the cinchona to relieve malarial symptoms were first discovered in the 1630s, but bark infusions were the only way to extract it before 1820.

The more one imbibed tonic water, the more one's sweat repelled the mosquito and the healthier the British subject became. Add gin and bitters and one could also employ alcohol as a deterrent.

Marketing a scent that brought quinine onto the skin itself was a clever idea. Crown Perfumery created the first Eau de Quinine in 1890 and Trumper followed in 1898 with the second. The Trumper site lists rosemary, bergamot, herbs and bitters (which also contains cinchona bark in its make-up) as the ingredients of its own Eau de Quinine. Bitters also contain cascarilla, cassia, gentian and orange peel. It was added first to wine, then whiskey and gin.

There are 15 Basenotes reviews to date, which variously describe it as a “baby” powder floral, with citrus and a greenish rose note, also perhaps containing juniper, cedar and iris. One reviewer is reminded of Guerlain's Habit Rouge.

My impression is of a very dry and pleasantly medicinal note which begins with bergamot and develops as a tart, green rose. On my skin it is very subdued, almost ethereal. My nose does not detect the baby powder floral reaction of a number of reviewers. Perhaps there is juniper here and the dry note could very well be iris.

My spouse detects a soft, powdery rose with bitter herbals (basil, rosemary, pepper?) in the background. His impression is of weak projection and the feeling that one is smelling soap fresh from bathing rather than a splash cologne.

I am left wondering whether this was originally intended as a pleasant smelling mosquito repellant rather than an actual eau de cologne.

To sum up, Eau de Quinine is a most unusual, light, pleasantly dry, slightly rosey scent. The lightest of all the Trumper scents created in the 19th century.

Nothing here to suggest the astringency of aromatics or tonic water, as suggested by the name. Rather, this is a powdery floral, and not a bad one, with hours 1-3 showcasing some rather good performance. But if you're going to call something Eau de Quinine, don't be surprised if I end up craving something different.

Less of a gin and tonic and more of a trip to the barber's with a liberal dose of powder. That said, this 120 year old fragrance reflects the tastes of English gentlemen of the last century and as such is a fascinating thing to study and--occasionally--wear. The powder gives way to a light citrus and even a slight rose accord. The bitter, medicinal quinine is lurking in the background, giving this a clean, antiseptic smell. This isn't the smell of Victorian dandies like Hamman Bouquet, for example, or even Trumper's own Curzon, et al. There is no overtly masculine sensuality about this one. No, this is a clean and sober barrister of a scent, a Jermyn Street irregular. Time capsule in a bottle.

Gin and TonicWhen I tried this in their London shop in Curzon Street the thought 'Gin and Tonic' flashed through my mind - more gin and tonic - good! A green note with a flowery component develops in the drydown, and I like that. Later on there is not much exciting development on my skin, but the silage and projection are all right. I get about four hours out of it.

This opens with a light fresh powdery almost floral rosemary accord. It also reminds me of smelling hand cream. Its pleasant but it does not standout to my nose as something I would desire.

An odd duck, and a bit weak...I recommend approaching it like an eau de cologne. It starts out like a rather soapy EdC, or maybe an EdC with a dash of "barbershop" powder and spice added. Soon the medicinal quinine appears, and I recognize it because it reminds me of the juniper herbalness of Bombay Sapphire Infusion, the infamous gin-based scent. Both of these share a grassy dryness, but the EdQ adds a trace of sweet, greenish rose. It gradually gets soapier and sweeter, losing the herbal elements but never going too far. The base leaves more of the underlying powderiness exposed, but again it's too restrained to bother me, and this final transparent base lasts quite a while like the base of their EdC. It's a little more feminine by comparison, but not at all out of place for a man. I would easily wear this, but I'd probably have to inundate myself to discover more hidden aspects of the scent.