The unfinished articles PART 5 : Decoding JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER perfumes

   

(note : this is the RAW version written by Andre in June 2016; pictures added later )

There are literally dozens of versions of the main perfumes by Jean Paul Gaultier ("Classique", "Le Male", etc). Since most of the perfumes are "Limited Editions" and/or "Special Editions for Collectors", it can be quite easy to know the year of production. Otherwise, you have to use to some tricks.

Put simply: assigning a certain date to JPG perfumes before year 1999/2000 is an almost hopeless undertaking. You can only date a perfume with relative certainty after 1999. Before that year, you can only make assumptions and pay attention to clues.

 Jean-Paul Gaultier launched his first perfume "pour femme" ( later called "Classique") in 1993, and "pour homme" in 1995 (i.e. "Le Male"), contained in a tin can, or in a more conventional box, or in a "coffret". You should examine closely the bottom of the tin can or box, and/or the bottom on the bottle. The biggest problem with JPG perfumes - which has puzzled many people - is the "erratic" batch code. Just an example, the most famous one: in the Valentine Day Coffret year 2001, you can read the batch code Fxxxx. In the Christmas Coffret year 2001 (it's the same year) you can read the batchcode Hxxxxx. therefore, you could vaguely guess that "F" and "H", are connected with year "2001". You are spot on: F means 2000 and H means 2001.

But, surprise, surprise! let's go and watch these two bottles produced in 1995 (actually, these are the first bottles of JPG Le Male): batchcode is Gxxxx (you can see even an "I", "M", or "O" in other bottles). In this case G means 1995 or 1996....

See pictures below.

The bitter reality is : batchcodes, at least in the first few years (1993-1999), are not so reliable (spoiler: production date could only be guess with bottles marked "75116 Paris"). Therefore we need to look for other clues: box and/or bottle.

Read carefully....

First and foremost:

 be sure your perfume is a real one, 

not a fake.

ADDRESS /POSTAL CODE

the MOST important clue in JPG perfumes is the Postal code: 

75008 or 75116.

Between 1993 and the beginning of 1997 you will read:

"Beaute Prestige International (B.P.I.)  75008 Paris" (in rare cases you can read the complete address: "BPI, Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris")

IN 1997 only, there was a suspension: you read simply: BPI Paris. Example:

year 1997: BPI PARIS without postal code

Since 1998, the French postal code and address switched in 75116, so between 1998 and 2015 you will read:

"Beaute Prestige International (B.P.I.) 75116 Paris " 

(or something like: "28-32 Avenue Victor Hugo Paris 75116")

So: 1993-1997: BPI 75008 Paris

1997:  BPI PARIS

1998 and later:  BPI 75116 PARIS

1993-1997 : Early bottles, with following address: 75008 Paris

between 1998-2015: 75116 Paris

between 1998-2015: 75116 Paris

Since year 2016, you will read "ANTONIO PUIG Barcelona", instead of the french address.

WEB ADDRESS (on the box and/or bottle)

Not a great clue indeed. It's www.jeanpaulgaultier.com  , it appeared between year 2005 and 2006. If you don't read the web address anywhere (box or bottle), the bottle dates back to before 2005 for sure. (the web address "www.lemale-jpg.com" was used only during a few months during 2005).  Be careful: you can find the webaddress on the box, but NOT on the bottle, or viceversa.

GREEN DOT and ALCOHOL % VOL

Are you looking for the very first bottles produced? Early bottles (very rare ones!) doesn't get the greendot on the tin can; you can find it only on the wrapping foil during 1993-1994-1995; then, since 1996, you will find the green dot printed on the bottom of the can.

Early box: without geendot.

Early box: greendot printed on the cellophane wrap.

After 1995: greendot on the bottom of the can

Another clue for early bottles? It's the alcohol percentage: 83% Vol. for "Classique" EdT, and 72% Vol. for "Le Male" Edt. Following year 1996, you don't find alcohol percentage on boxes/bottles anymore.  

Sticker with alcohol % (on the right) : 83% VOL
years 1993-1995 or 1996 at latest

Alcohol: 72% VOL

                     

Here is a very interesting bottle: "BPI 75008", WITHOUT alcohol percentage: it could be year 1996 or 1997 (photo):

sticker BPI 75008
WITHOUT alcohol % : year 1996 or 1997

STICKER?  "ENGRAVING"? PAINT?

This is NOT a big clue. all early bottles have a sticker; the engraving/paint appeared later; however some late bottles continue to have a sticker on the bottom of the bottle.

STICKER 

ENGRAVING

ALLERGENS

Allergens list/ list of ingredients: nothing new under the sun. Before 2003, you could read the "short" list, without allergens  (i.e. "Water, Alcohol, Parfum, Benzophenone...", and possibly dyes) . 

After 2003 you read every allergen contained : "...citronellol, lyral, linalool, coumarine, geraniol, benzyl benzoate, etc" ), on the side of the wrapping cellophane of the can.

( the "list" could be useful for another reason: by looking at the order of the ingredients we can recognize if there has been a change in the formula, and thus we can guess if a "reformulation" in the perfume occurred )

BATCH CODES (these letters are valid only for box/bottles marked with "75116 Paris")

check the address "75116 Paris", then...

year 1998? maybe first letter "D"

year 1999: first letter E

year 2000: first letter F

- letter G not used in 2000-2001

year 2001: first letter H

- letter "I" not used in 2001

year 2002: first letter J

year 2003 first letter K

since here, you will find the list of allergens on the box

year 2004: first letter L

year 2005: first letter M

here you can find webaddress www.jeanpaulgaultier.com 

year 2006: first letter N

- letter O not used in 2006-2007

year 2007: first letter P

year 2008: first letter Q

year 2009: first letter R

year 2010: first letter S

year 2011: first letter T

year 2012: first letter U

year 2013: first letter V

and so on...

Hope this helps!