Description
Florida Water is a versatile cologne that originated in the 19th century and is widely used by people of African and Hispanic descent in the United States and the Caribbean.
The cologne contains oil of bergamot, oil of cinnamon, and oil of lemon in a water-alcohol base.1
Kananga Water also contains oil of bergamot. Both Florida Water and Kananga Water are used in rituals of home protection and spiritual cleansing, in scenting bowls of water set out for the spirit of the dead, and as a basis for making ink-dyed water.
These colognes also are used in the bath to refresh the body and applied to the skin after a shower to tone muscles and soothe nerves.
They also can be applied to the skin as an astringent, deodorant, or aftershave, and to the forehead as a headache reliever. The colognes can be purchased at most convenience stores in the Hispanic section of Harlem, New York, near our dermatology clinic
