FLORIDA WATER

and

KANANGA WATER

Florida Water is a 19th century formula for a commercially-prepared toilet water (see below for a definition of toilet water) that blends an array of floral essential oils in a water-alcohol base. The name refers to the fabled Fountain of Youth said to have been located in Florida.

A similar toilet water is Kananga Water, which is built upon a foundation of essential oil of Cananga odorata, also known as Ylang Ylang (which may be closer to its pronunciation in its native growth region of Indonesia and adjacent areas). Commercial kananga plantations were established in Jamaica in the 19th century by the British.

Both Florida Water and Kananga Water are widely used in rituals of home protection and spiritual cleaning, to scent bowls of water set out for the spirits of the dead, as a basis for making an ink-dyed scrying water, and for other ritual and cosmetic purposes among people of African-diaspora descent in the United States and the Caribbean. A third 19th century commercial perfume with magical associations is Hoyt's Cologne, which is used among African-American hoodoo practitioners to draw gambling luck.

The specific blends of essential oils found in Florida Water and Kananga Water used to vary from maker to maker so there is no "one and only" way to make up these mixtures. Typical commercial formulas for both products can be found in any standard formulary in your local public library -- such as "Henley's Formulas," or "Fortunes in Formulas" by Hiscox and Sloane. (See below.) These days i know of only two commercial sources for Florida Water, Lanman and Kemp and Two Girls (a toiletry company in China) and two commercial perfumeries supplying Kananga Water, the Vandi Perfume Co. and Lanman and Kemp.

I used to make my own Florida Water and Kananga Water from recipes in commercial formularies, but i find that the Lanman and Kemp products are perfectly satisfactory and the labels are very familiar to users, so i now sell that brand in my shop and online.

Murray and Lanman Florida Water Cologne (actually now manufactured and distributed by Lanman and Kemp) has an old-fashioned Victorian-era style label -- very floral and rococo in slightly out-of-register pinks, reds, blues, and gold. It depicts a hodge-podge of isolated figures on a white background -- the Fountain of Youth, a woman with a bird perched on her hand, a troubadour with a lute, two parrots, two wreaths of flowers, flowers in a basket, ornamental leaves, etc. The bottles still have an old-fashioned long-necked shape, are embossed at the shoulder with "Murray & Lanman Florida Water -- New York," and are wrapped and sealed with silver foil on which is imprinted a spiral black-and-white trade mark notice in Victorian display lettering with a spread eagle in a stamp plus a handwritten signature ("Lanman and Kemp").

Lanman and Kemp also manufacture Florida Water Soap. This high-quality beauty bar has the same familiar floral aroma as the cologne and is wrapped in paper featuring the same lovely graphics as the famous bottle. Florida Water Soap can be used for physical as well as ritual cleansing of the skin.

Another brand of Florida Water -- Two Girls, from China -- also has a cool-looking label, featuring two girl children in Chinese costumes in a floral landscape, but i have never been able to get a wholesale line on it, and so i sell the Lanman and Kemp variety in my shop.

Murray and Lanman Kananga Water Cologne (now made by Lanman and Kemp) is similar in quality to Vandi Kananga Water, but the label is more attractive, so that is the brand i carry in my shop. It is another Victorian-rococo confection of floral motifs and scroll-work, centered on an image of a bunch of flowers and a waterfall. The container is less ornate, however, being a simple long-necked plastic bottle without embossing on the shoulder or foil wrapping on the neck.

"Florida Water" and the associated graphic label are registered trademarks of Lanman and Kemp. It is against the law to manufacture and market a product of that name or bearing that image. However, formulas for a variety of products once marketed as Florida Water have been published since the 19th century, and i get many requests for formula information from would-be mages who want to save a few cents and make their own. For the record, i think that making Florida Water or Kananga Water at home is somewhat of a fool's errand, because the Lanman and Kemp products, available from any good occult supply store, are of impeccable quality and reasonably priced. However, the following technical information is presented for the use of readers who wish to try their hands at perfumery. It is expected that before you begin such a task you familiarize yourself with the terminology, systems of measurement, and methods used in a laboratory. Please do not email me with requests for help in locating essential oils or lab equipment; i will not reply.

TOILET WATERS

From "The Ancient Book of Formulas" by Lewis de Claremont comes this basic information on how to distinguish perfumes, colognes, and toilet waters based on their relative percentages of essential oils, alcohol, and water:

All perfumes contain alcohol to varying degrees. Most
important perfumes contain 2 to 3 ounces of oils per pint
of alcohol. Most domestic [cheaper] perfumes [and Colognes]
contain 1 to 3 ounces of oils per pint of alcohol.

However the amounts of essential oil or concentration is
determined solely by taste and price.

Toilet waters are just weak perfumes, generally containing 1
to 6 ounces of essential oil per gallon of alcohol. However
10% to 25% water is usually added according to the amount of
essential oils contained therein.

ALCOHOL USED IN PERFUMERY

From Hiscox and Sloane's "Fortunes in Formulas" comes this basic information on the proper type of alcohol to use in perfumery:

   The alcohol used should be that obtained from the
 distillation of wine, provided a first-class article
 is desired. It is possible, of course, to make a good
 Cologne with very highly rectified and deodorized corn
 or potato spirits, but the product never equals that
 made from wine spirits. Possibly the reason for this
 lies in the fact that the latter always contains a
 varying amount of oenanthic ether.

COLOURING

It is traditional to dye Florida Water a pale aqua-green and Kananga Water a pale orange. These dyes are not necessary to the formulas, but if you intend to show the results of your experiments to others, their use will greatly enhance viewer recognition.

INCORPORATING GRAIN MUSK AND CIVET IN LIQUID PERFUMES

The formulas for Kananga perfumes below contain grain musk and/or civet. Hiscox and Sloane's "Fortunes in Formulas" provides the following basic information on the proper formulation of such ingredients in liquid perfumes:

   When grain musk is used as an ingredient in liquid
 perfumes, first rub down with pumice stone, then digest
 in hot water for 2 or 3 hours; finally add to alcohol.
 The addition of 2 or 3 minims of acetic acid will improve
 the odor and also prevent accumulation of NH3. Civet
 should be thoroughly rubbed down with some coarse powder
 and added directly to alcohol.

FLORIDA WATER #1

   oil of bergamot 3 fluid ounces
 oil of lavender 1 fluid ounce
 oil of lemon 1 fluid ounce
 oil of cloves 1 1/4 fluid drachms
 oil of cinnamon 2 1/2 fluid drachms
 oil of neroli 1/2 fluid drachms
 essence of jasmine 6 fluid ounces
 essence of musk 2 fluid ounces
 alcohol 8 pints
 rose water 1 pint

 Mix and, if cloudy, filter through
 magnesium carbonate.

-- From "Fortunes in Formulas For Home, Farm, and Workshop"
edited by Garner D. Hiscox, M.E. and
Prof. T. O'Conner Sloane, A.B., A.M., Em., Ph.D.
(The Norman B. Henley Publishing Company, 1937)

FLORIDA WATER #2

   oil of bergamot 3 fluid ounces
 oil of lemon 1 fluid ounce
 oil of ylang ylang 1 fluid ounce
 oil of lavender 1/2 fluid ounce
 oil of cinnamon 20 drops
 oil of cloves 12 drops
 oil of neroli 10 drops
 alcohol 1 gallon
 rose water 1 pint
   (or distilled water plus light rose scent)

-- From my own personal notes, circa 1973, source
not attributed but apparently adapted from an old
formulary to use what i had on hand at the time.

YLANG YLANG PERFUME (Basis for KANANGA WATER #1)

   oil of ylang ylang 10 minims
 oil of neroli 5 minims
 oil of rose 5 minims
 oil of bergamot 3 minims
 alcohol 10 oz.

 One grain of musk may be added
  
 Dilute with distilled water to make a toilet water.

-- From "Manual of Formulas, Recipes, Methods, and Secret Processes"
edited by Raymond B. Wailes, B.S.
(Popular Science Publishing Co., New York, 1932)

BOUQUET CANANG (Basis for KANANGA WATER #2)

   ylang ylang oil 45 minims
 rose oil 15 minims
 cassie oil 5 minims
 almond oil 1/2 minims
 tincture of orris rhizome 1 fluid ounce
 tincture of storax 3 fluid drachms
 grain musk 3 grains
 civet 1 grain
 tonka beans 3 (chopped)
 alcohol (90%) 9 fluid ounces

 Mix, and digest one month, then filter. The
 above is a very delicious perfume.

 N.B. Cassie oil, also called cassie otto, is
 derived from the flowers of Acacia farnesiana,
 a.k.a. Mimosa farnesiana, L. (N.O. Leguminosae,
 sub-order Mimoseae). It must not be confounded
 with cassia otto, the essential oil obtained
 from Cinnamomum cassia.

-- From "Fortunes in Formulas For Home, Farm, and Workshop"
edited by Garner D. Hiscox, M.E. and
Prof. T. O'Conner Sloane, A.B., A.M., Eum., ph.D.
(The Norman B. Henley Publishing Company, 1937)

EXTRAIT D'YLANG-YLANG (Basis for KANANGA WATER #3)

   Essence d'ylang-ylang  24 grammes
 Isoeugenol  4 grammes
 Methyl-isoeugenol  2 grammes
 Alcohol a 90 [degree symbol] pour 1 litre

-- From "The Ancient Book of Formulas"
by Lewis de Claremont
(Oracle Products Corporation, New York, 1940)

Note: Bouquet Canang, Kananga Perfume, and Extrait d'Ylang-Ylang are strong perfumes and as such may be diluted with 10% to 25% distilled water as outlined above to make them into Kananga Water.