Dating Gucci perfumes can be a very difficult task due to the extremely intricate history of the House of Gucci across the decades.
Similarly to what was done with Jean Patou perfumes (read here the marvellous story-interview), we received some help from signor Ernesto, an old employee at Gucci in Florence, now retired, who helped us to solve many controversial aspects.
Dating Gucci perfumes can drive you mad, because you have to decipher the same numbers across different periods. One of the most famous examples is the batch code "0163": it could mean year 2003 (Wella-type batch codes, check the last number) or year 2010 (Procter & Gamble-type ones, check the first number).
So, in an attempt to date all Gucci perfumes, we have to proceed in a rather unusual way: period by period and scent by scent. But, as signor Ernesto told us: "in many cases, you can rely on the clues on the boxes — addresses, distributors, labels — more than the batch codes."
Follow us on this long and somewhat complex journey.
Alba, Laura, & Roberta.
Read the clues carefully
- Barcodes on the box: since 1990.
- Green Dot: since 1992.
- Allergens list (or "long list of ingredients"): since 2004–2005.
Producer
- From 1972 to 1993: "Scannon, Les Parfums Gucci".
- From 1993 to 2010: "Scannon".
- From 2010 to 2015: "P&G Prestige".
- Since 2015: "Coty".
Addresses on the box
- "Scannon, Rue de Castiglione": years 1997–2002.
- "Scannon, Rue François 1er": years 2003–2008.
- "Scannon, Rue de Miromesnil": 2008–2011 (and beyond).
- "P&G Prestige" label: gradually appeared since 2008.
- "Coty" label: since 2015.
Remember: many perfumes after 2010 continued to use old Scannon/Wella boxes instead of P&G ones. In these cases, you have to rely on the batch code.
Distributor (used until 2003)
- From 1972 to 1993: "Distributed by Scannon Ltd" (USA), "Scannon SA" (Europe), "International Perfumes", or no distributor listed.
- 1987–2003: "Distributed by Colonia SpA" (Italy).
- 1993–1996: "Distributed by Stern Fragrances" (USA).
- 1996–2003: "Distributed by Intercosmetics" (USA).
Batch code style
- From 1994 to 2006: Wella-style (same as Rochas — see here).
- From 2006 to 2015: Procter & Gamble style (4-digit batch code; the first digit indicates the year).
During transition periods, it is common to find old boxes with new batch codes, or vice versa.
A short timetable: dates and fragrances
1972: Gucci signs a 10-year agreement with the Scannon fragrance group.
- 1972: "Gucci" / "Parfum 1" (discontinued 1992)
- 1976: Gucci pour Homme (discontinued 1990)
1982: Renewed agreement with Scannon, including relaunch and repackaging of previous perfumes.
- 1982: Eau de Gucci Concentrée (discontinued 1992)
- 1985: Gucci No. 3 (discontinued 1999)
1980s: Years of complex moves. Mennen acquires the Scannon Fragrance Group. Colonia Inc. (later Muelhens Inc.) buys Scannon — and all Gucci perfumes — from Mennen.
- 1988: Gucci Nobile (discontinued 2003)
- 1991: Gucci L'Arte (discontinued 1993)
1993: The Investcorp group acquires 100% of the Gucci brand and begins a drastic cost-cutting operation.
1994: Wella acquires Muelhens (including Scannon and all Gucci perfumes). Wella will produce all Gucci perfumes under the Scannon label from 1994 to 2004.
- 1993: Eau de Gucci (relaunched and reformulated from the 1982 version; discontinued 2002)
1994: Tom Ford appointed as Gucci Creative Director until 2004. He oversees all Gucci perfumes from 1997 ("Envy") to 2004 ("Envy Me").
- 1995: Gucci Accenti (discontinued 2003)
- 1997: Envy (discontinued 2011)
- 1998: Envy for Men (discontinued 2011)
1999: PPR (Pinault-Printemps-Redoute) acquires 42% of Gucci. Gucci perfumes are still produced by Wella under the Scannon label.
- 1999: Rush (still in production as of 2017)
- 2000: Rush for Men (discontinued 2011)
- 2001: Rush 2 (discontinued 2011)
- 2002: Gucci Eau de Parfum (discontinued 2011)
2004: PPR acquires 99% of Gucci. Gucci perfumes are sold to Procter & Gamble.
- 2003: Gucci Eau de Parfum 2 (still in production as of 2017)
- 2003: Gucci pour Homme (discontinued 2011)
- 2003: Gucci Rush Summer (limited edition, discontinued)
- 2004: Envy Me (still in production as of 2017)
- 2006: Envy Me 2 (discontinued 2011)
Note: during 2006, the batch code system shifts from Wella to P&G.
2006 onwards — P&G era:
- 2007: Gucci pour Homme 2 (still in production as of 2017)
- 2007: Gucci by Gucci
- 2008: Gucci by Gucci pour Homme
- 2009: Gucci Flora
- 2010: Gucci Guilty
- 2010: Gucci by Gucci Sport
- and many others…
Since 2008: all new fragrances (Gucci by Gucci, Gucci Flora, Gucci Guilty, etc.) were launched with the new P&G label. However, many older perfumes continued to use the old Scannon SA boxes (with the Rue de Miromesnil address) well into 2011, 2012, 2013 and beyond.
2015: Procter & Gamble sells all Gucci perfumes to Coty.
The early days
Gucci (1972) — "Parfum 1", for women
Discontinued in 1992. Available as Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Cologne, and Eau Fraîche. The fragrance appears under different names depending on the period: "Gucci" (early bottles), "Gucci Parfum 1", and "Gucci Parfum N°1" (late bottles).
The image below shows an Eau de Parfum from 1979.
Gucci pour Homme (1976) — "the first one"
Discontinued in 1990. Produced in two distinct series:
- 1st series — rectangular bottle: 1976–1981.
- 2nd series — rounded "belt" bottle: 1982–1990.
!E9s2fD)!+BRPwPwQ8O!~~60_57.JPG)
"...in 1982 we launched Eau de Gucci for women and relaunched all previous perfumes (Parfum 1 and Gucci pour Homme) with new packaging and new bottles...."
Eau de Gucci (1982) — "Eau de Gucci Concentrée" / "Concentrated", for women
Launched in 1982, discontinued in 1993. Relaunched in 1993 as "Eau de Gucci" — same name but a tweaked scent.
Gucci No. 3 (1985) — for women
Discontinued in 1999.
Gucci Nobile (1988)
Discontinued in 2003.
The bad days... The beginning of the Nineties was the worst period in Gucci's history. Financial problems and family feuds shook the house, and bankruptcy loomed just around the corner.
Gucci L'Arte (1991)
Launched in 1991 without the involvement of the Gucci family, it was a major commercial failure and was almost immediately discontinued. This is the last Gucci perfume to carry the wording "Scannon Les Parfums Gucci" on the box. Available in different bottles for EdT and EdP, splash and spray.
Eau de Gucci (1993)
A reworking of the 1982 scent, without the word Concentrée. Available as EdT only. Discontinued in 2003.
On the box or bottle you will find either "Distributed by Stern Fragrances" (1993–1996) or "Distributed by Intercosmetics" (1996–2003).
Gucci Accenti (1995)
Launched in 1995, discontinued in 2003. Available as EdT and Perfume.
On the box or bottle you will find either "Distributed by Stern Fragrances" (1993–1996) or "Distributed by Intercosmetics" (1996–2003).
Days of Glory. Thanks to Tom Ford, during 1994–2004 Gucci became a major force in the world of fashion. Gucci perfumes were produced by Wella using its own batch code system. The first scent produced under Tom Ford's supervision was "Envy" (for women, 1997), followed by "Envy for Men" (1998), and others. All these perfumes share a strong, distinctive personality.
Key identification clues for the Tom Ford era (1997–2011)
Address on the box:
- "Scannon, Rue de Castiglione": 1997–2002
- "Scannon, Rue François 1er": 2003–2008
- "Scannon, Rue de Miromesnil": 2008–2011
- "Prestige & Beauté" label: since 2010–2011
Batch codes:
- 1994–2006: Wella-style (same as Rochas — the last digit is the year).
- 2006–2015: Procter & Gamble style (4 digits; the first digit is the year).
Gucci Envy (1997)
Available as EdT, EdP, and Parfum. Distributed by Intercosmetics until 2003. Discontinued in 2011.
Gucci Envy for Men (1998)
Reformulated in 2004, then again in 2008. Discontinued in 2011.
Gucci Rush (1999)
Currently in production as of 2017.
Gucci Rush for Men (2000)
Discontinued in 2011.
Gucci Rush 2 (2001)
Reformulated in 2008. Discontinued in 2011.
------------------------------------------
GUCCI Eau de Parfum (2002)
never reformulated, discontinued in 2011.
address Rue de Castiglione, short list of ingredients
Address Rue Francois 1er
Address Rue de Miromesnil
--------------------------------
GUCCI Eau de Parfum 2 (2003)
currently in production (2017)
Batch P&G style,
2082 = year 2012
--------------------------------
GUCCI POUR HOMME (2003)
never reformulated, discontinued in 2011.
batch 01N5 = November 2005
with short ingredient list,
batchcode: Wella-type
batch 0163 = year 2003, June.
side-by-side (from a Gucci boutique)
old box with short list of ingredients,
batch 7110 = year 2007.
-----------------------------------
GUCCI ENVY ME (2004)
reformulated in 2008, currently in production (2017)
Address Rue Francois 1er
address Rue de Miromesnil
----------------------------------
"....in the middle of 2006 the production lines shifted from Wella to Procter&Gamble. In this year you can see the change of the batchcodes....."
-----------------------------------------
GUCCI ENVY ME 2 (2006)
discontinued in 2011
Address Rue Francois 1er
---------------------------------
GUCCI POUR HOMME 2 (2007)
reformulated in 2010, Still in production (2017).
 |
| Gucci pour Homme 2, first bottle produced, address Rue Francois 1er |
 |
| Gucci pour Homme 2, year 2016, with the very outdated address Rue de Miromesnil |
 |
| Gucci pour Homme 2, with the outdated address "Rue de Miromesnil", batch 5332 = year 2015 |
 |
| Gucci pour Homme II, year 2017 Coty Label ("Rue du Quatre Septembre"). |
-------------------------------------------
 |
| Nel label P&G, batchcode 8081 = year 2008 |
------------------------------
After 2010
 |
| Gucci by Gucci Sport, launched in 2010, label P&G, batch 0188 = year 2010 |
 |
| Typical Gucci boxes produced between 2011 and 2016 with the Prestige Beaute Label |
Share this article: WHATSAPP TELEGRAM PINTEREST FACEBOOK REDDIT
This is excellent. Details are fantastic. Super helpful.
ReplyDelete