Buying and selling vintage perfumes: a brief guide.

Buying and selling vintage perfumes: what must be known and what must be done.

Please note: this is not a guide for professional sellers or buyers. It is intended for collectors and enthusiasts seeking to navigate the vintage perfume market. 

Buying and selling perfumes is not inherently difficult, but it does require due diligence. Transactions involving contemporary fragrances (those that are readily available) are generally straightforward. By contrast, the vintage perfume market is considerably more complex and shaped by additional variables, including condition, rarity, collectibility, and storage history. A clear understanding of these factors is essential to avoid unpleasant surprises or potential complications.

A great plague: the fake vintage perfumes.

Let us begin with a conceptual observation and then move on to practical examples. If a major perfume brand retails at, say, €100 (or $100), while its vintage version can be found online for €300 (or $300), which do you think a counterfeiter is more likely to replicate to perfection: the current release or the vintage one? Exactly, you’ve guessed correctly. When the price of a vintage version consistently exceeds that of the modern release, it is only a matter of time before counterfeiters step in.

Fake or legit fragrances?

Let us now turn to the practical dimension. Over the course of a single month, I found myself -unwillingly- at the center of three separate episodes that profoundly affected me and gave me much to reflect on.

Case one: a friend sent me a large set of photographs of a rare Guerlain perfume being offered for sale online. He was skeptical and did not trust the listing; the asking price was extremely high, and before committing a substantial sum, he asked for my expert opinion. The question was straightforward: is that antique Guerlain perfume authentic?

Collecting perfumes: why?

From time to time, a few people ask me why anyone would collect perfume nowadays. But I think the real question they're asking is different: does it actually make sense to collect perfumes today? People collect all sorts of things -trading cards, stickers, vintage video games- so why should collecting perfume be any stranger?

When I hear questions like these, I try to take a step back and look at the world of perfumery with some detachment: what are perfumes today compared to those of the past? And is there any real reason they might become collectible items -or even, as some suggest- an investment?

How it all started.

They’ve pointed out to me that no one has ever introduced this blog or explained the reasons why it was created. Well, maybe it’s time to do that?

Foreword: 

I come from a family with a longstanding passion -on a professional level as well- for perfumery. My great-grandfather opened his first perfume shop in Italy in 1919, shortly after the end of World War I. In addition to selling major international brands—I recall seeing old receipts from Bourjois, Guerlain, Coty, and others—he also crafted his own fragrances, a practice he pursued for many years. Although the business eventually came to an end, our family’s deep affinity for perfume endured. In this sense, I can say that I have been surrounded by fragrances all my life.

'New' scented entries on the Web.

 

Gone are the days when the renowned writer Luca Turin affirmed that "perfumed blogs had become a kind of literature", and “…new blogs emerge every day, and it seems that everyone has something to say on the matter.” 

Alas, most of the blogs of the past have now ceased to exist. 

Anyway, we browsed the web and came across "new" blogs, websites, and videos that we particularly liked. We selected three of them in particular.

1. -A cornerstone of the field, which hardly requires any description. This website had disappeared for a time and has now reappeared. Truly priceless—an irreplaceable point of reference: Grace Hummel's ("Cleopatra's Boudoir") Guerlain's perfumes from Past to Present. (https://guerlainperfumesblog.blogspot.com/)

2. -An absolutely splendid YouTube channel, run by a genuine enthusiast. As we were watching it, we found ourselves thinking: this is precisely everything a true vintage aficionado ought to be. We warmly recommend it, episode after episode: Stephen's Eau de Treasure. As we were watching it, we all found ourselves thinking: this is everything we have never managed to achieve. Stephen, on the other hand, has succeeded. His main strength is an irrepressible sense of enthusiasm, which is probably the most important quality for a perfume lover. Those who watch his videos have the feeling of being part of the experience, of taking part in it themselves. For this reason, we *strongly* recommend watching his videos: Eau de Treasure. (https://www.youtube.com/@eaudetreasure/videos)

3. -A blog that stands out from the usual: it is not strictly vintage-themed, but when you read it, you immediately realize you are engaging with the writings and reflections of someone truly knowledgeable. Some observations are truly subtle and insightful: The Scented Devil. Interesting to know, he also maintains a YouTube video channel featuring many witty and engaging videos. His strong point is that he is highly perceptive and never banal.   (https://www.youtube.com/user/Zealot42147)

‘New entries’ is meant ironically: these are sites that have existed for a long time, but may not yet have received the attention they deserve, which is why we recommend them. And we encourage all enthusiasts to start new ones. There is tremendous interest in the great fragrances of the past, and it is important that high-quality websites and video channels exist that address them with competence and professionalism.

For all these reasons, these three sites have the distinction of being permanently included in the blogroll on the left column.

Vintage CARTIER fragrances: a guide.

A complete guide to Cartier  perfumes—from vintage classics to modern creations—covering historical periods, boxes, batch codes, bottles, labels, and all the details you need to identify Cartier fragrances.

(In this post, we will examine vintage Cartier fragrances, produced since 1981. All pictures provided by friends from all over the world: if any image is copyrighted, please let us know and we will remove it immediately.

Text: raw handwritten notes, dated early 2016)

(.....) Saunders gives me a few contacts:

- about Cartier perfumes: M.Mortier (Saunders says Mortier speaks Italian too, having worked in perfumes distribution in Milan. Perfect. It will be an easier conversation with phone calls). He can provide a lot of informations about vintage Cartier fragrances. 

-Mr. xxxxxxx, for Kenzo, Issey Miyake, Shiseido, other brands? Saunders doesn't remember it. He speaks Japanese and English.

-M. xxxxxxx, a guy who knows a lot about Yves Saint Laurent perfumes and could tell interesting stories. He speaks italian very well so there won't be too many difficulties. Perfect. 

Ok, let's go and start with Cartier perfumes...

A letter to our Friends.

 

Dear Friends,

In June 2025, "Raiders of the Lost Scent" reached an unusual milestone.

This site officially reached the three million page views. This is a truly gratifying result. While there are countless blogs, websites and video channels that boast far higher traffic numbers, this is a figure that brings us great satisfaction, because "Raiders" is a "homemade" blog. in the truest sense of the word. And the most interesting thing is that the more time passes, the more the numbers increase.

The only driving force behind this blog was the passion of its founder, who, like many other perfume enthusiasts, was faced with the constant evolution and change of perfumes; therefore, he thought of compiling guides on "how to recognize old perfumes", confident in the fact that "the older, the better".

A lot of time has passed and now we are trying to keep the spirit of the blog alive, trying to publish the vast amount of unpublished articles and to give life to the remaining raw-notes (really, really many). That's right: there is still a huge amount of material to publish. Just to mention a few: 

- Other vintage brands comprehensive guides; 
- Questions and Answers with perfume houses ex-employees;
- "A closer look to vintage fragrances" serie: i.e, discussions about a vintage scent, commented by fragrance experts; 

- Reformulation lists;
...and much other stuff.

This is a real time-consuming work: "repairing" posts, fixing photos, updating infos, making what has already been written more presentable, and obviously posting new articles.

This is why we ask you for a little help, knowing that we can offer you nothing more than work and good-will to continue keeping this blog alive and open. And, above all, maintain this site free-of-charge.

If you think "Raiders" has helped you over the years,
If you think your knowledge of vintage perfumes has improved,
If discovering the meaning of old batch-codes has helped you,
If you were able to benefit from these informations,

We ask you for a little help.
If you can offer a small contribution, solely for the time spent keeping up with the blog, then please "offer us a coffee", or donate via PayPal.

We thank you. 

The "Raiders" team.

Feel free to write comments or suggestions!

---------

Some of the comments received over the years and discussions on forums (all names used under permission)

- "Raiders of the Lost Scent": I fell in love with this blog just reading its name! (A.Kosik)

- I love "Raiders of the Lost Scent" because it gives me the feeling that they aren't doing "paid advertising" to anyone. Plus, they never tried to sell me anything. It's like it gives a sense of intellectual honesty. (J. Meyer)

- ...."Raiders" blog can be a bit weird and tough to navigate sometimes. Nothing is obvious right away; you have to go through it line by line, and it can feel clunky. But I can assure you, I eventually got my fragrances cataloged, even though I didn't know anything about them beforehand. (P. Van der Tamm)

- "Raiders of the Lost Scent" feels completely old-fashioned. It doesn't have video channels or real social media connections; it seems like a site from another era. But still, I can always find my answers there". (D. Knorr)

- "When I need to look up a new fragrance, I just go to any of the many check sites; they're fantastic. But if I'm trying to find out about something from way back—30, 40, 50 years ago—I use RotlS, hands down." (F. Clemens)

- Well. I thing that in terms of authority (and in its very small and specific sector) the "Raiders" blog is second to none. (D. Errington)

- "The most amazing thing is how much information you can get for free. Nobody has ever asked me for a single cent." (W. Bernard)

- "...it's a difficult site to follow, but thanks to Raiders I managed to avoid being scammed while buying fragrances!" (M. Butler)

- "...I managed to sell a couple of scents at a $$$ price because by reading on RotLS I understood what year they were produced and therefore demonstrated that they were old-formula vintage fragrances..." (Ebay seller) 

- ...thanks to this blog I better understood the history of reformulations and also, in most cases, how to distinguish the old from the new. (C. Mènard)

- "Just a fact: no one had ever published this infos about, say, Jean Patou perfumes before. Nobody, except for those in the industry, had any idea what all those apparently random numbers meant. And we're talking about the most precious perfumes (Joy, 1000) that have ever been created". (E. Johnston)

- The best thing about "Raiders of the Lost Scent" (IMHO) is that it feels like it was written by people who really know their stuff. (R.Costain)

- I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but if I mention in my ads that my perfumes are a match for what "Raiders" wrote, they sell right away. It's like a seal of approval." (A.Brown)

"Raiders of the Lost Scent" is...

Batch-codes

Year-of-production, 

all-you-need-to-know

about vintage perfumes in the following pages:

-GUERLAIN perfumes ( here )

-YVES SAINT LAURENT perfumes ( here )

-CHRISTIAN DIOR  perfumes  ( here )

-GIORGIO ARMANI Perfumes ( here )

-VAN CLEEF et ARPELS perfumes ( here )

-CHANEL perfumes ( here )

-BVLGARI perfumes ( here )

-HERMES perfumes ( here )

-VERSACE perfumes ( here )

-GIVENCHY perfumes ( here )

-GUY LAROCHE perfumes (here) 

-CACHAREL perfumes ( here )

-ROCHAS perfumes (here) 

-JEAN PATOU perfumes (here)

-LANCOME perfumes (here)

-CARON perfumes (here)

-RALPH LAUREN perfumes (here)

-JEAN PAUL GAULTIER perfumes (here)

-SERGE LUTENS perfumes (here)

-GUCCI perfumes (here)

-THIERRY MUGLER perfumes (here) 

Plus:

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, visual guide (here)

Fahrenheit by Christian Dior, visual guide  (here)

Azzaro pour Homme by Azzaro, visual guide (here)

Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche, visual guide (here)

Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, visual guide (here)

Samsara by Guerlain, visual guide (here) 

and others..