“Florida Water: Alchemy of Flowers, Spirits, and Eternal Youth”

The Mystical Legacy of Murray & Lanman’s Florida Water

Few potions carry the same veil of mystery, fragrance, and spiritual reputation as Murray & Lanman’s Florida Water. Known today as a staple of altars, rituals, and occult practices across the world, its origins are far more humble—and far more enchanting—than many realize.

Origins: From New York, Not Peru

Florida Water was first created in New York City in 1808 by perfumers Robert I. Murray and David Trumbull Lanman. Despite popular belief, it is not originally from Peru. Its name—Florida—was inspired by the legend of the Fountain of Youth, the mythical spring sought by Spanish explorer Ponce de León in the early 1500s. “Florida,” meaning “flowery” in Spanish, carried both the sense of blooming vitality and the mystique of eternal youth.

The cologne quickly gained popularity not only as a fragrance but as a ritual tool. In the 1800s, bottles of Florida Water found their way to Cuba, where it was adopted into Afro-Caribbean practices. From there, its influence spread throughout Peru and South America, where it became essential in shamanic ceremonies, folk healing, and esoteric rites.

The Fragrance of Flowers and Spirit

Florida Water was—and remains—marketed as “the most popular perfume in the world.” Its ingredients read like an alchemical bouquet: citrus notes of lemon and bergamot, layered with floral tones of lavender, clove, neroli, and cinnamon, softened by a hint of musk and spice. The result is bright, cleansing, invigorating, and distinctly floral with a refreshing bite.

This fragrance is more than perfume—it is a symbolic distillation of purity, vitality, and renewal. To inhale it is to summon a sense of clarity, to wash away heaviness, and to reconnect with a timeless tradition of spiritual cleansing.

Spiritual & Mystical Uses

Over the centuries, Florida Water transcended the vanity table and stepped onto the altar. It has become indispensable in practices ranging from aspiratism (spiritualist healing traditions), to Voodoo, to Santería, to Peruvian shamanism.

Some of its ritual uses include:

Cleansing the Aura: Sprinkled or sprayed over the body to wash away stagnant energy.

Purifying Sacred Space: Used to wipe down ritual tools, altars, and even the floors of temples and homes.

Offering to Spirits & Ancestors: A few drops placed in a glass of water is believed to attract benevolent spirits while warding off negative ones.

Ritual Baths: Mixed with herbs and water to cleanse both body and soul before ceremonies.

Protection: Dabbed on the forehead, back of the neck, wrists or hands to shield against malice or psychic attack.

Cooling & Calming: In hot climates and intense rituals, it is applied to soothe and refresh both body and spirit.

A Living Elixir

Though more than 200 years have passed since Murray and Lanman first bottled Florida Water in New York, its magic has only grown stronger. From Victorian parlours to Cuban botánicas, from Peruvian markets to modern witch’s altars, the same floral-spiced fragrance connects us to the dream of eternal youth, the purity of flowing waters, and the unseen currents of spirit.

To uncork a bottle is to breathe in not just perfume, but a centuries-old river of myth, ritual, and renewal.

A Perfume of Flowers and Spirit

Described as “the most popular perfume in the world,” Florida Water’s scent is a fragrant spell:

Bright citrus notes of lemon and bergamot

Soft floral tones of lavender and neroli

Spicy whispers of clove and cinnamon

Anchored by a subtle musk

The aroma is fresh, uplifting, and clarifying—like bottled sunlight mingled with the coolness of spring water. To wear it is to feel washed in brightness; to smell it is to sense both floral tenderness and spiritual sharpness.

Ritual Uses Across Traditions

Florida Water quickly transcended its use as mere perfume, becoming a sacred tool in rituals of cleansing, blessing, and spirit-work.

In Spiritualism (Espiritismo): It is sprinkled or sprayed around the aura to clear stagnant energies and invite spirit guidance.

In Voodoo & Santería: Practitioners use it to anoint ritual tools, cleanse altars, dress candles, and offer refreshment to ancestors.

In Peruvian Shamanism: Curanderos perform limpias (cleansings) by spraying Florida Water across the body or blowing it in prayerful mists to remove heavy energies (hucha).

In Folk Healing: Added to ritual baths, it purifies body and spirit; dabbed on the temples, it refreshes and cools; placed in a bowl of water on the altar, it calls protective spirits to guard the home.

Across all these traditions, Florida Water is a universal cleanser, protector, and spiritual perfume—a floral river connecting body and soul.

The Eternal Elixir

Though more than two centuries have passed since its creation, Florida Water continues to flow through the mystical traditions of the world. It is the fragrance of cleansing, the potion of renewal, the whisper of the Fountain of Youth still carried in every drop.

🌿 Florida Water at Aura Sukha, Santa Catalina

At Aura Sukha, your herbal apothecary and mystical shop in Santa Catalina, we honour this timeless elixir with our own handcrafted Florida Water—a natural, artisanal, old cuban recipe blend created in small batches under the full moon. Unlike the original, which we also sell, ours still carries the same energy but is free of synthetic chemicals, phthalates, and parabens, crafted only with pure botanicals, herbs, and essential oils.

A bottle of Aura Sukha’s Florida Water carries both the ancestral tradition and a modern commitment to purity and magic—perfect for ritual, cleansing, or simply surrounding yourself in floral-spiced light.

✨ Visit us at Aura Sukha in Santa Catalina to experience the magic of Florida Water, reimagined for the modern mystic.