Batch Code Decoder

Where

Four digits, engraved on the back of the bottle near its base and printed on the bottom of the box.

What we cannot tell

Two sources agree that the first two of the four digits count months in a cycle of one hundred (about eight years and four months) and that the last two are not a date. They disagree on where the cycles after 2008 start, and nothing in the code says which cycle it belongs to, so a code cannot be pinned to a year. We do not decode it.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: How to recognize Chanel perfumes (2014) Raiders of the Lost Scent: Chanel batch codes, the major issue (2015) Basenotes: Chanel date code Basenotes: Cracking the Chanel date code

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Four characters, printed on the bottom of the box (on older boxes, on the cellophane) and on the bottle’s base.

Format

Four characters (on some packs after two letters for the maker): the last digit of the year, a month letter from A to M without I (A January … H August, J September, K October, L November, M December), then two characters for the batch. This alphabet is used in 2018–2027 and was used before 2008.

Example codes

1E2E May 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by May 2024 printed on the pack (a Dior lipstick), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
4A01 January 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by January 2027 printed on the pack (a Guerlain cream made at Chartres), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
4F01 June 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by June 2027 printed on the pack (a Guerlain sun lotion made at Chartres), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
GU3B01 February 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by February 2026 printed on the pack (a Fresh hand cream made by Guerlain), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
BE3J01 September 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by September 2026 printed on the pack (a Fresh hand cream made by Laboratoires BEA), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
0T02 June 2010 the source’s own worked example, not a confirmation (the collector’s guide’s own worked example (0T02 = June 2010); it shows we read the 2008–2017 alphabet as the guide writes it, not that the guide is right)

What it cannot tell

One digit gives the year, and the A-to-M alphabet was used in two periods, so a code like 1E2E reads May 2021 or May 2001: the bottle’s launch date or its box settles it. The production month is estimated: the regulators’ lists print the use-by date, not the production date, and each reading assumes the three-year shelf life those rows imply. In every dated row the month the code names is the month of the use-by date, three years on. The dated codes are on the group’s lipstick, creams and sun care (Dior, Guerlain, and Fresh products made by Guerlain and by another maker), none on a fragrance. The 2008–2017 alphabet (N to Z) is described by the collectors’ guides but no code with a known date confirms it, so readings in it are marked C. The last two characters are not dated.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Christian Dior perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide; updated for 2018) Cologniac: a gentle correction to online batch-code checkers for modern Guerlain products (December 2017) Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 1 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2024 no. 4 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Four characters, printed on the bottom of the box and printed or etched on the bottle’s base.

Format

Four characters (on some packs after two letters for the maker): the last digit of the year, a month letter from A to M without I (A January … H August, J September, K October, L November, M December), then two characters for the batch. This alphabet is used in 2018–2027 and was used before 2008.

Example codes

4A01 January 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by January 2027 printed on the pack (a Guerlain cream made at Chartres), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
4F01 June 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by June 2027 printed on the pack (a Guerlain sun lotion made at Chartres), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
GU3B01 February 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by February 2026 printed on the pack (a Fresh hand cream made by Guerlain), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
1E2E May 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by May 2024 printed on the pack (a Dior lipstick), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
BE3J01 September 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by September 2026 printed on the pack (a Fresh hand cream made by Laboratoires BEA), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)

What it cannot tell

One digit gives the year, and the A-to-M alphabet was used in two periods, so a code like 1E2E reads May 2021 or May 2001: the bottle’s launch date or its box settles it. The production month is estimated: the regulators’ lists print the use-by date, not the production date, and each reading assumes the three-year shelf life those rows imply. In every dated row the month the code names is the month of the use-by date, three years on. The dated codes are on the group’s lipstick, creams and sun care (Dior, Guerlain, and Fresh products made by Guerlain and by another maker), none on a fragrance; three of them were made by Guerlain itself. The 2008–2017 alphabet (N to Z) is described by the collectors’ guides but no code with a known date confirms it, so readings in it are marked C. The last two characters are not dated.

Sources Cologniac: a gentle correction to online batch-code checkers for modern Guerlain products (December 2017) Raiders of the Lost Scent: Christian Dior perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide; updated for 2018) Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 1 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2024 no. 4 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Four characters, printed on the bottom of the box and printed or etched on the bottle’s base.

Format

Four characters (on some packs after two letters for the maker): the last digit of the year, a month letter from A to M without I (A January … H August, J September, K October, L November, M December), then two characters for the batch. This alphabet is used in 2018–2027 and was used before 2008. Unconfirmed — treat as a rough guide.

Example codes

1E2E May 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by May 2024 printed on the pack (a Dior lipstick), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
4A01 January 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by January 2027 printed on the pack (a Guerlain cream made at Chartres), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
GU3B01 February 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by February 2026 printed on the pack (a Fresh hand cream made by Guerlain), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)

What it cannot tell

A collector’s guide says Givenchy has used the group’s four-character code since 2002, and a news report names Givenchy among the group’s four-character brands, but the codes with dates are Dior, Guerlain and Fresh products, none Givenchy, and the Givenchy guide was written before the alphabet returned to A–M in 2018. So the reading is unconfirmed for Givenchy: a rough guide. One digit gives the year, and each alphabet was used in more than one period. Older bottles (before 2002) carry other codes.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Givenchy perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide, 2014) Raiders of the Lost Scent: Christian Dior perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide; updated for 2018) Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 1 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2024 no. 4 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Four digits and a letter on recent boxes; older bottles carry seven or eight characters (as collectors report).

What we cannot tell

No source explains the digits or the letter, and none gives a code with a known date. We cannot tell the year or the month.

Sources Basenotes: Acqua di Parma Colonia batch codes

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Seven or eight characters on the box and the bottle’s base (as collectors report).

What we cannot tell

One collector’s guide reads a letter in third place as the year for bottles from 2010 on; no second independent source agrees and no code comes with a known date, so we do not use it.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: How to recognize Bvlgari perfumes

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Kenzo’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources. They contradict each other. A UK government recall prints one Kenzo code, 3N01, with no date. It has the shape of the four-character code LVMH uses for Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy (a digit, a letter, two characters), but one undated code confirms nothing, so we do not read it.

Sources UK Office for Product Safety and Standards: product recall 2605-0070, various fragrances sold by Savers Health and Beauty (18 May 2026)

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

LVMH

Where

Five digits etched on the bottle’s base and repeated on the inner flap of the box (as resale listings show).

What we cannot tell

The codes are five digits; no source we found explains them, and none comes with a known date. We cannot tell where the year sits, or whether it is there at all.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Three characters, printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box and printed on the bottle’s base.

Format

Three characters: a letter for the plant or line, a month character (1 to 9 for January to September; A, B, C for October to December), then the last digit of the year.

Example codes

DC1 December 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 December 2024 printed on the pack (an Estée Lauder sun lotion), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
A54 May 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by May 2027 printed on the pack (a La Mer lotion made by Estée Lauder Inc., Melville NY), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)

What it cannot tell

One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years: A54 is May 2024 or May 2014, and the bottle’s launch date or its box has to settle it. The production month is estimated: the regulators’ lists print the use-by date, not the production date, and each reading assumes the three-year shelf life those rows imply. In every dated row the month the code names is the month of the use-by date, three years on. The dated codes are on the group’s skin and sun care (an Estée Lauder lotion and a La Mer lotion); no fragrance code in our sources comes with a printed date. The leading letter names the plant or line, which the sources do not list.

Sources Baidu Jingyan: reading Estée Lauder’s dates (in Chinese, updated December 2022) Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) US FDA enforcement report D-151-2013: Estée Lauder DayWear SPF 15 recall (begun 23 October 2012) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 3 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Three characters, printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box and printed on the bottle’s base.

Format

Three characters: a letter for the plant or line, a month character (1 to 9 for January to September; A, B, C for October to December), then the last digit of the year. Unconfirmed — treat as a rough guide.

Example codes

DC1 December 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 December 2024 printed on the pack (an Estée Lauder sun lotion), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
A54 May 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by May 2027 printed on the pack (a La Mer lotion made by Estée Lauder Inc., Melville NY), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)

What it cannot tell

A news report names Clinique among the group’s brands that use the three-character code, and an FDA recall lists a Clinique lot of that shape (A68), but the detailed description is of Estée Lauder’s codes and the codes with dates are an Estée Lauder and a La Mer product, not Clinique. So the reading is unconfirmed for Clinique: a rough guide. One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years. The production month is estimated: the regulators’ lists print the use-by date, not the production date, and each reading assumes the three-year shelf life those rows imply. In every dated row the month the code names is the month of the use-by date, three years on.

Sources Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) Baidu Jingyan: reading Estée Lauder’s dates (in Chinese, updated December 2022) US FDA enforcement report D-1132-2019: Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus SPF 15 recall (begun 15 March 2019) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 3 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

Format

Three characters: a letter for the plant or line, a month character (1 to 9 for January to September; A, B, C for October to December), then the last digit of the year. Unconfirmed — treat as a rough guide.

Example codes

A15 January 2025 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 January 2028 printed on the pack (a Tom Ford lip color made for The Estée Lauder Companies by Regi S.r.l. in Italy), as listed in Guangdong’s 2026 no. 4 results; made three years earlier, the shelf life the group’s dated rows imply)

What it cannot tell

One Tom Ford code with a printed use-by date reads the way the group’s three-character code reads for Estée Lauder: A15, on a Tom Ford lip color with a use-by date of 1 January 2028, names January 2025, three years before. That is a single code, on a lipstick a contract maker in Italy made for the group, not on a fragrance; no source describes Tom Ford’s codes or names Tom Ford among the group’s brands that use this shape. So the reading is unconfirmed for Tom Ford: a rough guide, and a fragrance bottle may carry another kind of code. One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years. The production month is estimated from the use-by date under a three-year shelf life. The leading letter names the plant or line, which no source lists.

Sources Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) US FDA enforcement report D-151-2013: Estée Lauder DayWear SPF 15 recall (begun 23 October 2012) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 3 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 2 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2026 no. 4 (in Chinese; notice no. 73, 18 August 2026)

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

The label typed in the shop gives the scent, who prepared it, the date it was made up, the city and the buyer’s name.

What we cannot tell

The label’s date is a fill date (when the shop filled the bottle), not a production date: it does not say when the concentrate was made. Any code on the base is not explained by a source we found.

Sources A Shaded View on Fashion: a visit to Le Labo in Paris North Loop Neighborhood Association: Le Labo opening in the North Loop

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The Estée Lauder Companies’ three-character code (a plant letter, a month character, the year’s last digit) is read for Estée Lauder (confidence B) and, as rough guides, for Clinique and Tom Ford (one dated Tom Ford lip color); but no source we found names Frédéric Malle among the brands that use it, and we found no Frédéric Malle code with a known date. We cannot tell whether Frédéric Malle uses that shape, so we do not read it. If your code has three characters, the Estée Lauder entry shows how the group’s code reads.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The Estée Lauder Companies’ three-character code (a plant letter, a month character, the year’s last digit) is read for Estée Lauder (confidence B) and, as rough guides, for Clinique and Tom Ford (one dated Tom Ford lip color); but no source we found names Jo Malone London among the brands that use it, and we found no Jo Malone London code with a known date. We cannot tell whether Jo Malone London uses that shape, so we do not read it. If your code has three characters, the Estée Lauder entry shows how the group’s code reads.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

The Estée Lauder Companies

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The Estée Lauder Companies’ three-character code (a plant letter, a month character, the year’s last digit) is read for Estée Lauder (confidence B) and, as rough guides, for Clinique and Tom Ford (one dated Tom Ford lip color); but no source we found names Kilian Paris among the brands that use it, and we found no Kilian Paris code with a known date. We cannot tell whether Kilian Paris uses that shape, so we do not read it. If your code has three characters, the Estée Lauder entry shows how the group’s code reads.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Lancôme, Valentino, Prada, Mugler, Azzaro, Ralph Lauren · L’Oréal (owned houses and licenses)

Where

Six or seven characters, usually printed on the base of the box and on the bottle’s base.

Format

Two digits for the plant, a year letter (T 2020, U 2021, W 2022, X 2023, Y 2024, Z 2025; no V has been seen), a month character (1 to 9 for January to September; O, N, D for October to December), then two or three batch characters.

Example codes

54T901 September 2020 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 Sep 2023 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2022 no. 4 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)
74U300 March 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 2 Mar 2024 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2022 no. 10 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)
74U801 August 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 8 Aug 2024 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2022 no. 4 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)
74W20A 2022 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 17 Jan 2025 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2022 no. 10 results (a hair dye, whose shelf life runs a little under three years): made early in 2022)
40X206 February 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 Feb 2026 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2023 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply (a Lancôme cream))
74Y100 January 2024 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 3 Jan 2027 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2024 no. 4 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)
40Z201 February 2025 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 Feb 2028 printed on the pack, as listed in Guangdong’s 2025 no. 3 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)
62X700 July 2023 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 1 July 2026 printed on the pack (a Giorgio Armani lipstick made by L’Oréal’s Beauté Recherche & Industries plant), as listed in Guangdong’s 2024 no. 5 results; made 36 months earlier, the shelf life these lists’ rows imply)

What it cannot tell

The examples are not fragrance codes. We found no L’Oréal Luxe fragrance code with a printed date, so every dated code here is from the same group’s coding on skin care, hair care and make-up (among them a Lancôme cream and a Giorgio Armani lipstick); a fragrance reading rests on that shared shape. The production month is estimated: Chinese regulators’ sampling lists print the use-by date, not the production date, and every reading here assumes the 36-month shelf life those rows imply (hair dyes run a little shorter, and one row from plant 72 states 24 months). The guides disagree on the year letters (one runs a year later than the dated rows); the dated rows decide. Letters before T and after Z are not read. Older Mugler and Azzaro bottles (Clarins until 2020) and older Valentino and Prada bottles (Puig before L’Oréal) carry other makers’ codes; no source covers Ralph Lauren.

Sources Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2021 no. 8 (in Chinese; on the NMPA site, September 2021) Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 4 (in Chinese; on the NMPA site, August 2022) Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 10 (in Chinese; published March 2023) Jiangning District, Nanjing: cosmetics sampling, 2023 batch 2 (in Chinese; published 10 March 2023) Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2023 (in Chinese; on the Guangzhou government site) Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2024 no. 4 (in Chinese) Guangdong cosmetics sampling results, 2025 no. 3 (in Chinese; on the Baiyun government site) Basenotes: Acqua di Giò Profumo, the 2020–2021 reformulation 7y7.com: reading L’Oréal group batch codes (in Chinese) Haitaolab: L’Oréal batch codes (in Chinese, 2020) Baidu Jingyan: reading L’Oréal codes (in Chinese, 2022) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2024 no. 5 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Four digits, printed on the bottom of the box and on the bottle’s base.

Format

Four digits: the last digit of the year, then the day of the year (001 to 366).

Example codes

1097 April 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 6 April 2024 printed on the pack (a Lancaster sun fluid, Coty), as listed in the regulator’s results: three years less a day after 7 April 2021, day 97 of 2021)
2012 January 2022 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 11 January 2025 printed on the pack (a Lancaster after-sun gel, Coty), as listed in the regulator’s results: three years less a day after 12 January 2022, day 12 of 2022)

What it cannot tell

The sources say only that the leading digit is the year (for Calvin Klein’s Coty-era codes); that the next three digits are the day of the year comes from the two Coty codes with dates, each of which falls exactly three years less a day before the use-by date printed on its pack. Those codes are on Lancaster skin care made by Coty, not on a fragrance. One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years. The production day is estimated from the use-by date; the code may mark the filling day. Bottles made before 2005 (Unilever) put the year last, and American-made ones use a letter and digits; this format does not read them.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Calvin Klein vintage perfumes, a guide (August 2024) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 4 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 5 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Four digits, printed on the bottom of the box and on the bottle’s base.

Format

Four digits: the last digit of the year, then the day of the year (001 to 366).

Example codes

1097 April 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 6 April 2024 printed on the pack (a Lancaster sun fluid, Coty), as listed in the regulator’s results: three years less a day after 7 April 2021, day 97 of 2021)
2012 January 2022 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by 11 January 2025 printed on the pack (a Lancaster after-sun gel, Coty), as listed in the regulator’s results: three years less a day after 12 January 2022, day 12 of 2022)

What it cannot tell

The sources say only that the leading digit is the year (for Gucci’s four-digit codes since 2006); that the next three digits are the day of the year comes from the two Coty codes with dates, each of which falls exactly three years less a day before the use-by date printed on its pack. Those codes are on Lancaster skin care made by Coty, not on a fragrance. One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years. The production day is estimated from the use-by date; the code may mark the filling day. Bottles made before 2006 carry Wella-style codes, which this format does not read.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Gucci perfumes and old batch codes (a collector’s guide, 2018) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 4 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2023 no. 5 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Coty’s four-digit code (the year’s last digit, then the day of the year) is read for Gucci and Calvin Klein, where a collector’s guide describes it and two dated Coty codes confirm it; but no source we found describes Burberry’s codes, so we do not read them. Burberry’s perfumes have been made by Coty since 2017; bottles made before then (Interparfums) carry other codes.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Coty’s four-digit code (the year’s last digit, then the day of the year) is read for Gucci and Calvin Klein, where a collector’s guide describes it and two dated Coty codes confirm it; but no source we found describes Chloé’s codes, so we do not read them. Bottles made before Coty held the license carry other makers’ codes.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Coty’s four-digit code (the year’s last digit, then the day of the year) is read for Gucci and Calvin Klein, where a collector’s guide describes it and two dated Coty codes confirm it; but no source we found describes Hugo Boss’s codes, so we do not read them. Bottles made before Coty held the license (Procter & Gamble until 2016) carry the earlier makers’ codes.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Coty (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Coty’s four-digit code (the year’s last digit, then the day of the year) is read for Gucci and Calvin Klein, where a collector’s guide describes it and two dated Coty codes confirm it; but no source we found describes Marc Jacobs’s codes, so we do not read them. Bottles made before Coty held the license carry other makers’ codes.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Byredo’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Carolina Herrera’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Jean Paul Gaultier’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources. A UK government recall prints one Jean Paul Gaultier code, 90161 (five digits), with no date: it shows a shape and nothing more.

Sources UK Office for Product Safety and Standards: product recall 2605-0070, various fragrances sold by Savers Health and Beauty (18 May 2026)

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Collectors have guessed that two of the digits may be the year, but they do not agree and no code comes with a known date. We cannot tell the year or the month.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Penhaligon’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Puig

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Collectors read the leading digit of vintage codes (about 1976 to the 1990s) as the year’s last digit, from one forum thread only (we could not open it); nothing covers current codes, and no code comes with a known date. We cannot tell the year of a current bottle.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Shiseido, Elixir, Anessa

Where

Six characters, printed on the bottom of the box and on the tube or bottle.

Format

The last digit of the year, three digits for the day of the year, then two or three characters for the plant or line.

Example codes

1211T1 July 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by July 2024 printed on the pack (an Elixir emulsion, Shiseido), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
1222GD August 2021 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by August 2024 printed on the pack (an Anessa sun gel, Shiseido), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
0338GD December 2020 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by December 2023 printed on the pack (an Elixir emulsion, Shiseido), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)
0295DD October 2020 month estimated from a printed use-by date (use-by October 2023 printed on the pack (an Elixir lotion, Shiseido), as listed in the regulator’s results; made about three years earlier, the shelf life these lists imply)

What it cannot tell

The dated codes are on Shiseido’s Japan-made skin and sun care; in each, day N of the year falls in the month of the use-by date three years on. Shiseido’s fragrances are mostly made in Europe and may carry other codes; Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez and Serge Lutens have their own entries. One digit gives the year, so a code repeats every ten years. The production day is estimated from the use-by date.

Sources Jiemian (JMedia): the secrets in cosmetics batch numbers (in Chinese, November 2016) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 4 (in Chinese) Guangdong Medical Products Administration: cosmetics sampling results, 2022 no. 5 (in Chinese)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Shiseido

Where

Five characters, printed on the bottom of the box and printed on the glass (it rubs off).

Format

Five characters: a year letter (F 1999, G 2000, H 2001, J 2002 … X 2015; no I or O), a month letter (A January, C February, E March, G April, J May, L June, N July, Q August, S September, U October, W November, Y December), then three more characters. Unconfirmed — treat as a rough guide.

Example codes

RNxxx July 2009 the source’s own worked example, not a confirmation (the collector’s guide’s own worked example (RNxxx = July 2009); it shows we read the table as the guide writes it, not that the guide is right)
JLxxx June 2002 the source’s own worked example, not a confirmation (the collector’s guide’s own worked example (JLxxx = June 2002))

What it cannot tell

One collector’s guide gives the tables; no code with a known date confirms them, and the guide contradicts itself once (it reads PQxxx as September 2007, where its table makes Q August). Letters for 1994–1998, which the guide calls not fully verified, are not read, and nor are codes after 2015, which begin with digits and are not explained. A rough guide only.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Serge Lutens perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide, 2015)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Shiseido (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

A forum thread applies the Serge Lutens letter tables (a year letter, then a month letter, for about 1994 to 2015) to an Issey Miyake code, but we could not open it, and we found no Issey Miyake code with a known date; codes from about 2016 on begin with digits and are not explained. We do not read Issey Miyake codes; the tables are shown, as a rough guide, under Serge Lutens.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: How to recognize Serge Lutens perfumes (2015) Basenotes: batch code WJX04X, Issey Miyake

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Shiseido (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Narciso Rodriguez’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Interparfums (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Coach’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Interparfums (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Jimmy Choo’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Interparfums

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Lanvin’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Interparfums (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The codes run to nine or ten characters; the dates collectors quote for them come from decoder sites that disagree. We cannot tell which characters give the plant, the year or the month.

Sources Basenotes: Montblanc Legend batch code

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Hermès International

Where

Five characters, printed on the bottom of the box (pressed into the card from about 2010) and on the bottle’s base.

Format

Since 2000, five characters whose first digit is the last digit of the year; the rest is not read. (From 2016 some codes begin with a letter for the year instead, A for 2016; those are not read here.) Unconfirmed — treat as a rough guide.

Example codes

2DAUU 2012 the source’s own worked example, not a confirmation (the collector’s guide’s own worked example (2DAUU = 2012))
4ABBD 2014 the source’s own worked example, not a confirmation (the collector’s guide’s own worked example (4ABBD = 2014))

What it cannot tell

Only the year is read, and one digit repeats every ten years: a code starting with 4 can be 2004, 2014 or 2024. One collector’s guide describes it and no code with a known date confirms it. Codes before 2000 (two letters for year and month) and codes beginning with a year letter from 2016 on are not read. A rough guide only.

Sources Raiders of the Lost Scent: Hermès perfumes and batch codes (a collector’s guide) Kafkaesque: dating vintage Hermès bottles (November 2017)

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Sterling Parfums

Where

On the bottom of the box, beside the batch code: an expiry date, and on some boxes a production month and year.

What we cannot tell

Whether every line and market prints the date, and whether the batch number itself carries a date: no source says.

Sources Scent Grail: Club de Nuit Intense Man review Fragrantica forum: Armaf Club de Nuit Intense batch codes

Last checked 14 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Afnan Perfumes

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Afnan’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The numbering has changed several times and differs between bottles made in Oman and in the UK; the readings in circulation trace back to decoder sites. We cannot tell the year or the month.

Sources Basenotes: Amouage changing their batch-code numbering

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Kering Beauté (acquired 2023)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Collectors describe three eras of codes (about 2008–2011, 2012–2022, and a new style from about 2023) that read differently; for the middle era one source reads the first two digits as the year, with no second source and no codes with known dates. We cannot tell the month, the meaning of the letter, or the year of a current bottle.

Sources Basenotes: Creed batch codes FragranceReview: Creed Aventus batches

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Dolce & Gabbana Beauty (Shiseido held the license until 2023)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Dolce & Gabbana’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Initio Parfums Privés’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Lattafa Perfumes

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

The house’s own US questions page says nothing about its codes, and we found no reliable report of a printed date on its packs. We cannot tell the year or the month.

Sources Lattafa USA: frequently asked questions

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Montale, Mancera · Montale and Mancera (sister houses)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Montale or Mancera’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Parfums de Marly’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Some older codes show the year plainly; collectors could not read the newer four-digit codes, and no code comes with a known date. We cannot tell the year of a current bottle.

Sources Basenotes: Roja Dove batch codes, how to decipher

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Euroitalia (license)

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

Collectors report a recent change to seven-character codes; no source explains them and no code comes with a known date. We cannot tell the year or the month.

Sources Basenotes: Versace batch code

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction

Where

Usually printed or pressed into the bottom flap of the box, and printed or etched on the bottle’s base (as collectors describe it; the house does not say).

What we cannot tell

We found no house statement, no two independent sources that agree, and no codes with known dates, so we cannot tell which characters, if any, give the year or the month. The readings of Xerjoff’s codes in circulation come from decoder sites, which we do not use as sources.

Sources none found that agree

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Suggest a correction