In the 14th century, as the Black Death ravaged Europe, killing an estimated 25 million people, an unlikely hero emerged: perfume.
Specifically, a concoction called “Hungary Water” (or Aqua Hungarica) – Europe’s first alcohol-based perfume – which was originally created in 1370 for Elizabeth of Hungary as a beauty treatment. What makes this historically significant isn’t just its pleasant scent, but rather its unexpected effectiveness against one of history’s deadliest pandemics.
The Origins of Hungary Water
The creation of Hungary Water is shrouded in both historical fact and romantic legend. According to the most credible accounts, it was first distilled for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary (sometimes identified as Elizabeth of Poland), who suffered from various ailments in her later years. A hermit monk allegedly presented the queen with the formula, claiming it would restore her youth and beauty. Whether this exact exchange occurred remains debatable, but historical records confirm that by the late 14th century, the aromatic water had become popular among European nobility.
The original formula consisted primarily of rosemary flowers distilled in brandy or high-proof grape spirits, often complemented by thyme and, occasionally, lavender. This marked a significant departure from the oil-based perfumes common in the ancient world and early medieval period. Hungary Water represented Europe’s first documented alcohol-based perfume, creating an entirely new category of fragrance that would dominate Western perfumery for centuries thereafter.
What made this innovation particularly significant was the timing. The formula emerged just as Europe was experiencing recurring waves of plague, creating an inadvertent intersection between cosmetic innovation and a public health crisis. The perfume was initially valued for its pleasant aroma and supposed rejuvenating properties, with users reporting that regular application made their skin feel refreshed, and their spirits lifted – claims that modern aromatherapy research partially validates, particularly regarding rosemary’s stimulating effects on circulation and cognition.
The Accidental Medical Discovery
Hungary Water was a distilled blend of rosemary and thyme oils dissolved in high-proof alcohol. Its creators had no idea they had stumbled upon something revolutionary: the first effective hand sanitizer in European history.
Here’s where the science gets fascinating: The perfume’s high alcohol content (around 70-75%) was remarkably effective at killing the bacteria Yersinia pestis that caused the plague. While medieval physicians had no concept of germ theory, they observed that perfume-makers, herbalists, and those who regularly used Hungary Water had dramatically lower infection rates.
The phenomenon was particularly noticeable among perfumers and apothecaries who worked daily with these substances. In cities like Florence and Paris, where detailed mortality records were kept during plague outbreaks, the survival rates among these professionals stood in stark contrast to the general population. One Florentine record from 1348 noted that while an estimated 60% of the city’s population perished, only three of the city’s seventeen registered perfumers died during the same period.
This statistical anomaly did not go unnoticed. By the mid-15th century, physicians began documenting the apparent protective qualities of certain professions. The French physician Guy de Chauliac, who survived the Black Death while treating patients, specifically mentioned that “those who work with aromatics and strong waters seem less susceptible to the pestilence,” though he attributed this protection to the perfumes’ ability to combat “miasma” rather than understanding the actual antimicrobial mechanism.
How a Beauty Product Became Medical Science
Perfumers initially noticed they were mysteriously spared from the plague. Court physicians began prescribing Hungary Water not just as a fragrance but as a medical treatment – to be rubbed on hands, applied to face coverings, and sprinkled on clothing. The alcohol killed bacteria, while the essential oils (particularly thymol from thyme) provided additional antimicrobial properties.
This accidental discovery predated Louis Pasteur’s germ theory by nearly 500 years.
The transition from cosmetics to medicine was gradual but unmistakable. By the 16th century, modified versions of Hungary Water appeared in medical compendiums throughout Europe. The renowned Swiss physician Paracelsus created his own variation, adding additional herbs and recommending it specifically for “protection against contagions.” Queen Elizabeth I of England reportedly ordered barrels of Hungary Water during London’s 1563 plague outbreak, distributing it to courtiers and instructing them to apply it liberally several times daily.
Modern chemical analysis reveals why these practices were genuinely effective. The alcohol concentration in Hungary water was sufficient to denature proteins in bacterial cell membranes, while compounds in rosemary (particularly carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid) and thyme (thymol) have demonstrated significant antimicrobial properties in contemporary laboratory studies. A 2018 analysis published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that recreated medieval Hungary Water formulations inhibited the growth of multiple bacterial strains, including some with structural similarities to Yersinia pestis.
The Forgotten Link to Modern Epidemiology
What’s truly surprising is how Hungary Water connects medieval perfumery to modern medical practices. The famous image of plague doctors wearing bird-like masks wasn’t just theatrical – those masks were stuffed with herbs and often soaked in alcohol-based perfumes like Hungary Water, creating a primitive but somewhat effective filtration system.
This represents one of history’s most important accidental medical discoveries, alongside penicillin and X-rays. Yet unlike those more famous examples, Hungary Water’s life-saving properties remained largely undocumented in medical literature because its effectiveness was attributed to superstition rather than science.
The iconic plague doctor costume, first developed by Charles de Lorme in the 17th century, incorporated these empirical observations about aromatic protection. The mask’s beak contained dried herbs, often soaked in Hungary Water or similar aromatic preparations. While primarily intended to protect against “bad air” (miasma), this inadvertently created a primitive form of respiratory protection. The alcohol would have killed some airborne pathogens, while the physical barrier provided rudimentary filtration.
Perhaps most remarkably, Hungary Water established a precedent for alcohol-based sanitation that would eventually be formalized in medical practice. When Ignaz Semmelweis introduced handwashing with chlorinated lime solution in Vienna’s maternity wards in 1847, dramatically reducing mortality rates, he was building on centuries of empirical observations about the protective qualities of certain substances – observations that began with medieval perfumers.
Legacy and Modern Implications
The story of Hungary Water illustrates how traditional knowledge and empirical observation sometimes anticipate scientific understanding by centuries. Throughout the Renaissance and Early Modern period, Hungary Water remained a staple in European medicine cabinets, gradually evolving into various “toilet waters” and eventually cologne. Its medical applications were gradually forgotten as a more sophisticated understanding of disease emerged.
Yet the core principle – using alcohol as a disinfectant – remains fundamental to modern infection control. When hand sanitizers became ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic, few users realized they were participating in a medical tradition with medieval origins. The WHO’s recommended hand sanitizer formula (75% isopropyl alcohol with glycerin and hydrogen peroxide) functions on essentially the same principle as Hungary Water, albeit with standardized ingredients and without the pleasant herbal aromas.
The next time you use hand sanitizer, consider that you’re participating in a medical tradition that began not in a laboratory, but in a medieval perfumer’s workshop – where beauty treatments accidentally became one of humanity’s first effective defenses against pandemic disease.