Vintage CARTIER fragrances: a guide.

Raiders of the Lost Scent - Cartier vintage fragrances 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 perfume distribution in Milan — an easier conversation). He can provide a lot of information about vintage Cartier fragrances.

Mr. xxxxxxx, for Kenzo, Issey Miyake, Shiseido and other brands. He speaks Japanese and English. M. xxxxxxx, a man who knows a lot about Yves Saint Laurent perfumes and could tell interesting stories. He speaks Italian very well. Perfect.

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

Here is monsieur Mortier. He is friendly, and very surprised that I want to write an article about Cartier perfumes — how to recognize them, how to assign a date, how to decode batch codes, anecdotes, etc. He is very helpful.

Mortier has wonderful memories of his early years with Cartier; there was a lot of enthusiasm in those times. He stopped working in perfume distribution in 2003 and afterwards devoted himself to cosmetics only. He talks at the speed of a machine gun, explaining different facts simultaneously — anecdotes, history — it is hard to keep up. I will try to summarize by putting together the various pieces.

Cartier parfums: the beginning.

Here is the story, according to Mortier: Cartier perfumes began — quite oddly — thanks to another French jeweller: Van Cleef et Arpels (VCA). In 1976 VCA was the first jeweller to launch a perfume: "First", a big seller. Cartier watched with curiosity, thinking perfumes could be a source of income and prestige. Only after Van Cleef et Arpels released its second perfume, "VCA Pour Homme", in 1978, did it become clear that the time had come.

It is necessary to take a step back: in the early 1970s Cartier launched an iconic item — a golden cigarette lighter. It was an immense success. It was immediately decided that future Cartier perfumes would have the shape of a lighter, sold in very refined jewel boxes lined with leather and velvet: perfumes dressed as jewels.

A curious fact: the cigarette lighter was launched with the slogan "Must de Cartier" — the English word, not French. "Must de Cartier" sounded great: a "must", something you have to own. The lighter was a Must, and the perfumes would be too.

The most ingenious idea was to apply the logic of refillable cigarette lighters to perfume bottles. In practice, bottles could be removed from their cases when empty and replaced with new full ones.

Another curious fact: Cartier wanted to launch three fragrances simultaneously — a male scent (Santos de Cartier, inspired by a famous wristwatch) and two different female perfumes: a "Daytime" fragrance and an "Evening" one. This seemed original, but in the end the two female perfumes created many problems.

Year 1981: first perfumes.

The development of the perfumes, especially the "Evening" fragrance, took almost two years, from 1979 to 1981. During 1981, the "Evening" fragrance was launched with much fanfare as Must de Cartier Parfum. In the same days, the "Daytime" fragrance was quietly released, absurdly, as Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette.

This caused perplexity among buyers, who had always been accustomed to considering an Eau de Toilette as a softer variant of a Parfum — but this was a completely different scent. So "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" was doomed from its first day. It would have been much better with two different names.

Raiders of the Lost Scent - Vintage Cartier fragrances

The solution was, if possible, even more unusual: twelve years later, in 1993, "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" (the "Daytime" fragrance that had never had much success) was renamed Must de Cartier II and relaunched in three variations: Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, and Eau Fraîche. Some time later, a softer version of "Must de Cartier Parfum" was finally released under the same old name: "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette".

So briefly:

From 1981 to 1993: "Must de Cartier Parfum" and "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" — two different and unrelated fragrances.
From 1993: the old "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" changed its name to "Must de Cartier II", sold as EdT, EdP, and Eau Fraîche.
The old "Must de Cartier Parfum" remains the same.
After that, a new "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" was released as the softer version of the Parfum.

Keep in mind: there are two "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" with the same name, released at different times, but they are different fragrances. Very odd — but you can identify all of them with boxes, bottles, and batch codes.

Batch codes from year 1981 to 2000.

Mortier says this is an irritating and complicated issue. From 1981 to 2000, you can find two different batch codes: a long one (6–7 digits) and/or a short one (just 2 or 3 numbers). You can know the year of manufacture only if you have the long batch code. If you find only the short code (usually printed on the bottles) then it is impossible to know the year.

Mortier warns that many people make mistakes and give completely incorrect interpretations of the batch code.

Your only hope is to have the box, because the box always carries the complete batch code with the necessary data. Otherwise, you have to go by guesswork.

Unfortunately, on the bottles you will almost always find the short batch code, which is completely useless. This is exactly what causes errors of interpretation: people look at the 2–3 digit batch codes on the bottle and think those are the years of production. Big mistake.

In very few cases, if you are lucky (very lucky!), you will find the long batch code printed on the bottle too — in that case you can determine the year. Remember: this issue only affects bottles from 1981 to 2000. After year 2000 the batch code was simplified.

Mortier says to look for long batch codes: the important numbers are the first three. The first is the year, the second and third are the month (01 = January, 02 = February, ... 12 = December). Sometimes you will find a letter before the numbers — simply ignore it.

Examples:
303XXXX = 1983 (or 1993), March.
512XXXX = 1985 (or 1995), December.
707XXXX = 1987 (or 1997), July.

Raiders of the Lost Scent - vintage Cartier fragrances guide — Long batch code on the box: 210xxx = year 1982, October. Don't consider the second row.

Obviously, you have to use other clues to confirm the correct year (type of box, barcodes, Green Dots, release year). Remember: barcodes appear roughly in 1990–1991, and Green Dots roughly in 1992–1993. Just a few examples:

Raiders of the Lost Scent - Vintage Cartier Perfumes — The short batch code on the bottle: "02". In this case, it is useless.

Raiders of the Lost Scent - vintage Cartier fragrances: a guide — The short batch code ("35") printed on the bottle: unfortunately, it is useless.

Another problem...

Mortier says sometimes it is very difficult to see long batch codes. You have to check boxes and bottles under a bulb light because in many cases black ink was used, almost invisible on dark bottles. Remember: when a "removable" bottle is fitted inside its case, you must first remove the bottle to see the code printed on the glass.

An useful tip about batch codes on Panthère: Mortier says the batch code is hard to find — you have to remove the bottle from the case, then carefully lift the rubber ring. The batch code is written on the glass underneath.

Batch codes since year 2001.

During 2001, batch codes changed to a short, traditional 4-digit style. The first number is the year:

2ABC = 2002
5DEF = 2005
8IAF = 2008

Much easier. Examples:

Very important clue: the boxes.

Mortier says: by looking at the type of box, you can roughly guess the production date. There are four main different cardboard boxes:

Jewel-type cardboard boxes (since 1981)
"Sidebands" boxes (introduced 1992, discontinued 2000)
"C" boxes (introduced 2000, discontinued 2011)
"Squared logo" boxes (since 2011)

1 — "Jewel-type boxes"

In most cases there are two boxes: outer and inner. The inner boxes are jewel boxes made of leather and velvet. The outer boxes are cardboard. You have to check the outer (cardboard) boxes. They were used from launch (1981) then gradually less and less, disappearing completely at the end of the Nineties.

Must Parfum: night blue. Must Eau de Toilette: bright red. Santos: white. Panthère: red. Must II: red. The inner jewel boxes, made with leather and velvet, were used at least until the 2000s.

"Must de Cartier Parfum" (the Evening fragrance), outer cardboard box.

During 1987 Panthère was released with an outer (cardboard) box of its own. Sold as Parfum, Parfum de Toilette, and Eau de Toilette.

2 — "Sidebands" boxes (1992–2000)

During 1992, with the launch of "Pasha", the outer boxes acquired "sidebands", usually in silver and/or gold. "Sidebands" outer boxes ended in 2000.

Typical "Sidebands" box.
it was used from 1992 to 2000

3 - "C" boxes (2000-2011)

During year 2000, with the launch of "Must de Cartier pour Homme", the "Sidebands" boxes disappeared. Now boxes have a big, large "C" in the front side, the boxes are in various colors.

In details:

From 2000 to 2003-4: in grey/silver color.

The first scent to use grey/silver color was "Must de Cartier pour Homme", followed by all the others.

From 2003-4 to 2011: red color (less used: white, blue)

First scent to use red color was Le Baiser du Dragon, followed by all the others.

During year 2011 all the "C" boxes were discontinued and replaced by "squared logo" boxes.

First "C" grey/silver box, used between 2000-2004
Must de Cartier pour Homme

Typical Grey/Silver box with the big C
it was used from 2000 to 2004

Must de Cartier EdT,
this box was used between 2000-2004

During 2003/2004 with the appearance of the mandatory long list of "ingredients"/allergens, many boxes (not all boxes!) turn RED, always with the big "C" on the front side;

A minor clue: starting in 2007, the address began to appear on the red boxes: "Cartier, rue Boissy d'Anglas".

First scent with RED "C" box:
Le Baiser du Dragon

Typical Red box with the big C.
it was used from 2003-2004 to 2011

Since 2007, on all boxes:
address "rue Boissy d'Anglas"

Last "C" box: Cartier de Lune,
color Night Blue, year 2011

4- "Squared logo" boxes (since 2011)

A GREAT and REALLY useful clue: the fonts.

Mortier says: if you are in desperation, if you have no clues to use, simply take a look at the "fonts". The "rounded" characters were used from 1981 until 1995.

So, if you find a bottle with "rounded" names (i.e: Must, Must II, Pasha, Santos, Panthere) you can assume it’s "before year 1996". This quick clue is really useful in case you want to know if a perfume is really "vintage", at a glance.

(Please note: it happened that bottles with the old fonts were put in boxes with the new fonts, and vice versa.)

Example:

"Pasha" written in old, rounded fonts.

"Pasha", in capital letters. (after 1995)

I ask Mortier more infos about every single perfume, he doesn't remember it now, he has to check his personal bottles, he asks me to call again in a couple of weeks providing more info.

Here's a second call: Cartier perfume-by-perfume.

TIMELINE of Cartier perfumes.

1981: Must de Cartier Parfum

1981: Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette

1981: Santos de Cartier

1987: Panthère

1992: Pasha

1993: Must II de Cartier

1995: So Pretty

1998: Dèclaration

2000: Must de Cartier pour Homme

2001: Eau de Cartier

2003: Le Baiser du Dragon

Must de Cartier Parfum, the original ("Evening fragrance", 1981)

("...it was most famous perfume by Cartier, an unmistakable, luxurious oriental scent. Sold in the same shape of the famous golden cigarette lighter, with removable bottle inside a gold case.

Few people know it, this perfume is a variation of Guerlain's Shalimar, with the addition of a generous dose of galbanum that gives it its characteristic tone. Even fewer people know that this perfume was the starting point for two other famous scents in the following years: Obsession by Calvin Klein, and Dune by Christian Dior.

I tell you with great regret that it has been reformulated several times and today's version is very different. Still in production.")

Parfum clearly resembles
the golden cigarette lighter

The small Parfum Ligne Voyage (15 ml)

Refillable/removable bottle

Must de Cartier Parfum in the Sidebands box
and standalone bottle (1992-2000)

Must de Cartier Parfum with Sidebands box (1992-2000)
sold as refillable/ removable bottle

Must de Cartier Parfum, removable bottle,
in the grey/silver "C" box, during years 2000-2004

Very rare: Must de Cartier Parfum, "C" red box,
(years 2004-2011), in a Jewel box with "sliding" doors

A rare Cristal flacon Edition

Must De Cartier Eau de Toilette ("Daytime fragrance", 1981-1993)

(then it was relaunched in 1993 as "Must II de Cartier")

("...even today, I don't know how to classify it. It was the "Daytime perfume," a green, very pleasant scent, completely different from the "Parfum". Sold as removable bottle inside a red/silver case.

With a different name, it would probably have been a success. An attempt was made to revive its fortunes in 1993 by renaming it "Must II" and selling it in three different formulations, but nothing to do, it was unsuccessful. It was definitively withdrawn from circulation in 2003, if I remember correctly.)

Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette (1981-1993)
note the silver/red case.

Inside its Jewel box

The Jewel inner box

Ligne voyage, 15 ml

Must de Cartier "Coffret"

"Must II de Cartier" (1993-2003)

(it's the old Daytime fragrance, i.e. "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette") discontinued in 2003.

sold as 1- Eau de Parfum, 2- Eau de Toilette, 3- Eau Fraiche.

Must II Eau de Parfum, jewel boxes

Must II Eau de Toilette, Sidebands box (1992-2000)
removable bottle only

Must II de Cartier, Eau de Parfum,
Sidebands outer box (1992-2000), Jewel inner box

Must II de Cartier, Eau de Toilette,
standalone bottle with jewel box

Must II de Cartier, Eau de Toilette,
sold as removable bottle

Must II de Cartier Eau Fraiche,
sidebands box (1992-2000)

Must II, Eau Fraiche, in jewel outer box.

Must II, "C" box,
years 2000-2003, then discontinued

Santos de Cartier (1981)

"...it was my favorite Cartier scent. A strong and bold masculine without compromise. Some have said that Cartier wanted to make a more refined and elegant version of Caron's Yatagan, at the time the "dirtiest" male perfume in the world. Not true. Actually, Santos was intended as a tribute to a great male scent: Monsieur de Givenchy.

Although heavily reformulated, Santos remains a magnificent fragrance today. Still in production. There was two flankers, Santos Concentree and Santos Eau de Sport, and obviously the after-shave". "

Santos EdT , Jewel boxes, removable bottles in silver case
(1981-1992)

"Santos", jewel inner box

Santos EdT Concentree

Santos Eau de Sport

Santos, removable bottle

Santos, small "ligne voyage"

"Sidebands" outer box and jewel inner box,
(years 1992-2000)

"Sidebands" box (1992-2000) and standalone bottle

Santos Eau de Sport, "Sidebands" box (1992-2000)
(picture from Ebay)

Grey/Silver "C" outer box and jewel inner box,
(years 2000-2004)

Grey/silver "C" box (2000-2004) and standalone bottle

Santos Concentree, grey/silver "C" box
years 2000-2004

Santos Concentree in the "C" red box
(years 2004-2011)

Santos EdT, in square logo box, since 2011

Panthère de Cartier (1987) discontinued in 2012

"Marvelous, marvelous...Perhaps the most beautiful bottle, an unforgettable work of art, with the two opposing panthers.

This perfume, however, almost went unnoticed, and that was a shame. Created in the second half of the 1980s, during the height of wealth and opulence, it was created precisely with the goal of being even better than "Must de Cartier Parfum".

In my opinion, a truly opulent and timeless women's perfume, on the same level as Must Parfum. Discontinued, like other Cartier scents, around 2012. A real shame. I return to it with great nostalgia.

Sold as Parfum, Parfum de toilette, Eau de toilette and even a rare "Eau legere."

Parfum, with black panthers

Parfum de Toilette,
with transparent glass panthers.

Eau de Toilette, refill

Parfum de Toilette, refill

(picture from Ebay)

Panthère with "Sidebands" box, years 1992-2000

"Sidebands" box, Parfum de Toilette (years 1992-2000).

Panthere Eau Legere, "sidebands" box
with window (1992-2000)

Panthere in the "C" grey/silver box (2000-2004)

Panthere Eau Legere (years 2000-2003)

Panthère, "C" red box, years 2004-2011

Panthère Eau Legere, in "C" red box,
years 2004-2011.

Pasha (released in 1992)

("...inundated with criticism when it came out, perhaps because it lacked a strong personality, it was a very formal perfume, but it always sold well.

Then, as was the fashion of the time, dozens of flankers followed, and the original scent was drowned out by all the others. Honestly, the original Pasha wasn't that bad. Still in production.")

Sidebands box, (years 1992-2000)

Pasha, refillable bottle

Pasha edition prestige Acier

"C" grey/silver box, years 2000-2004

Pasha "Edition Prestige"
(picture from Ebay)

Pasha "Eau Gènèreuse"
(pictur from Ebay)

"C" box color RED, years 2004 - 2011

Squared logo box, since 2011

The new "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette"

(it's the softer version of Parfum).

("...the long-awaited soft version of the Parfum. It arrived on the market in the mid of 90s. At last! Very good and still in production today.")

Sidebands box

Must de Cartier Prestige Or Gris,
limited edition during Nineties

"C" grey/silver box, 2000-2004

Must de Cartier "Clair de Jasmin"

Must de Cartier Eau Fine,
a limited edition released in year 2003

Must de Cartier "Prestige Edition"

"C" red box, 2004-2011

"Squared logo" box, since 2011.

So Pretty (released in 1995) discontinued in 2012

("...it was the perfume that marked a turning point in Cartier tradition, once made of very rich and opulent perfumes.

So Pretty was a floral-fruity perfume, following the trend of the 1990s. Indeed, it was very elegant. This too was followed by several flankers, and then discontinued, again, in 2012.")

Original "Sidebands" box, 1995-2000

So Pretty, Sidebands box, refillable bottle
years 1995-2000

So Pretty "Edition Prestige", year 1997
(picture from Ebay)

"C" Silver/gray box (2000-2004)

So Pretty "Ecrin Trois Ors"

So Pretty, refillable bottle in jewel inner box
with "C" outer box (2000-2004)

So Pretty "Lumières"
(picture from Etsy)

So Pretty Eau Fine
(picture from Ebay)

So Pretty "Extrait"
(picture from Etsy)

So Pretty "Eau Fruitèe" , in "C" silver box

"C" red box , 2004- 2011

Dèclaration (released in 1998)

("...an all-time favourite. In my opinion, this was the last great, really great Cartier scent I encountered in my work. Masculine, but I'd say unisex.

Extremely elegant, truly superb. Overwhelmed later by too many flankers trying to replicate its success. The first versions are the best, after that it was, say, watered down. Anyway, great sales and critics still applauding.")

"Sidebands" box, years 1998-2000

"Sidebands" box, years 1998-2000

"C" box

Dèclaration Bois bleu, year 2001

Dèclaration Bois Bleu, Window Edition

Dèclaration "Eau Gènèreuse"
(picture from Ebay)

"C" red box, years 2004-2011

Dèclaration "Edition Cuir", year 2008.

Dèclaration "Essence"

Squared logo box, since 2011

Must Pour Homme (2000) discontinued in 2012

("...a very strange scent indeed, it tried to combine the old opulence with the new trends of the 90s. It was not successful and was discontinued in 2012.

Well, this is what we could call today a true “niche” perfume. In my opinion, it was a perfume that people didn't understand. It was worth a lot.)

"C" silver/grey box, years 2000-2004

Must pour Homme travel bottle
years 2000-2004

Must pour Homme "Essence"
(picture from Ebay)

Must pour Homme "Essence", Prestige Edition

Must pour Homme "Eau Gènèreuse"

Must pour Homme
with "C" red box, years 2004-2011

Must pour Homme Essence
"C" red box, years 2004-2011

Eau de Cartier (released in 2001)

("Honestly, no one expected such a huge success. Still in production after so many years. A very subtle and refined eau de toilette, different from the usual ones.

And unfortunately, even in this case, dozens of flankers have emerged, trying to replicate the success of the original.")

Le Baiser du Dragon (released in 2003)

("...my last Cartier scent was a big question mark.... It was meant to be an oriental again, rich and opulent, but something went wrong and it was discontinued after a few years.

It's one of those imponderable factors: when a perfume doesn't meet the public's tastes. I've never understood why. It was a good scent, I like it very much.")

Reformulations?

I ask Mortier if he knew anything about reformulations. He said that until he stopped working, in 2003, he never noticed any particular differences smelling perfumes. However, he happened to smell perfumes afterwards, and found them very different.

Advice for collectors?

I ask Mortier what advice he can give a collector. What are the most valuable perfumes? Mortier says that Cartier is a very famous brand and any Cartier-designed item always has a market.

However, Mortier says that the first perfumes from the 80s, those sold in luxury "jewel boxes", with refined cases and "removable" bottles (i.e. Must, Santos, Panthère, Must II), certainly have a higher value and could reach high prices in the collector's market. If the perfumes are "mint in box", "never used", "like new", then their value is at its highest.

Indeed, perfumes of this type still intact after so many years are rare, very rare. In this case, their collector's value reaches its highest levels: we are no longer talking about "perfumes", but about items of high collector's value.

For more recent perfumes, Mortier suggests keeping new bottles, with their boxes, never used and possibly the first editions that have not been reformulated.

Thank you, monsieur Mortier! "Merci" !

This article took about three months to write and edit.

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Raiders of the Lost Scent

Wednesday, November 12, 2025