Perfume critic, Marie-Helene Wagner, recently published a raving review of the Pope’s cologne. Pope’s cologne is created using the private formula of Pope Pius IX (1792-1878), who was the longest reigning pope in the history of the Catholic Church. The recipe mysteriously ended up in the hands of Fred Hass (a general physician from San Francisco, CA) some twelve years ago. Hass took it upon himself to recreate the 19th century perfume.

Below is an excerpt of the review:

“The Pope’s Cologne will probably mostly reveal his aesthetic taste. Judging from the cologne itself, it shows a man of refined taste who obviously valued subtlety, elegance, and even the rare. The scent has an ancient charm about it, especially when the floral notes start being felt, that is quite remarkable. It is a perfume recipe made in a time when flowers in masculine colognes were felt to be perfectly natural hence an absolute lack of showiness and complete sense of maturity … read more »