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..

Thierry Mugler Vintage Perfumes

In this post: batchcodes, boxes, labels, and everything you really need to identify Thierry Mugler perfumes from the very beginning.

(Andre's raw notes, year 2015, December. Please note that this writing dates back to the end of 2015 and does not take into account everything that happened after 2016. It is therefore to be understood as "truly vintage" Mugler perfumes)

The beginning: "Angel" (1992)

.....phone call to Piatigorsky (again) asking for some infos about Thierry Mugler perfumes. He has good memories, especially about the first perfume that came out: "Angel" (year 1992)

Piatigorsky says it was a milestone in the field of perfumery, Angel was perhaps the first scent to use "gourmand" notes. Famous writer Michael Edwards, in his book "Perfume Legends" dedicates several pages to this perfume (a news to check). Luca Turin's Perfume Guide gives an exceptional 5 stars. It is likely that in the future it will become a collector's item. "Angel" was the first scent to inaugurate the "olfactive dessert" fashion.

"Angel" was an unusual perfume, because after its launch it had an immense, growing success and at the end of the 90s in France it reached the sales of "Chanel No. 5". One of the consequences was that Thierry Mugler's perfumes became much more famous than the clothes and accessoires, to the point that, shortly after 2000, the Thierry Mugler fashion line declined, and only the perfumes remained (very unusual, news to check, again).

Obviously the great success of "Angel" has given rise to an infinite number of clones and, unfortunately, fakes. The first rule is therefore to make sure you have an authentic perfume in your hands.

CALVIN KLEIN vintage perfumes: a guide.

 

In this post, we will analyze the old batch codes and clues from the boxes, bottles, and stickers that were necessary to correctly identify Calvin Klein perfumes from the very beginning.

(Note:Here are few notes reported by Andre around 2014. This is a transcript of a phone call to Piatigorsky, who had worked with Calvin Klein perfumes years earlier. These notes were supposed to become a full-fledged article later)

"Piatigorsky appears willing and friendly on the phone -he took pity on my poor English- and has some informations to share about Calvin Klein. He says he worked for many perfume brands, (including Calvin Klein) in Paris and London, during the Nineties and 2000s. Calvin Klein perfume business started in USA in 1978, but arrived in Europe many years later, at beginning of  the Nineties. The main remembering he has about Calvin Klein scents is they were "marketing masterpieces".  

He says that, basically, the most interesting thing about Calvin Klein are not "perfumes", but the incredible story behind the perfume brand: "Calvin Klein Cosmetic Company". Piatigorsky tells me the story. 

Origins and history of the brand: how it all began.

At the beginning Calvin Klein launched his first women's perfume, named simply "Calvin Klein", which was not successful. Disappointed by this experience, he put the perfume division ("Calvin Klein Cosmetic Company", or CKCC) up for sale, at a very low price. Then, a small Minnesota company called "Minnetonka", which had become famous a few years earlier for the creation of pump-dispenser soap, decided to buy CCKC in 1980, and, a few years later, bet everything on a soon-to-be-released perfume, called "Obsession". (continue...)

RALPH LAUREN vintage perfumes: a guide,

Batchcodes, boxes, labels and everything you need to identify old and discontinued Ralph Lauren perfumes.

(Foreword: these are the notes relating to Ralph Lauren perfumes that Andre left. These notes should have become a complete post, but instead they remained in a raw state. Please consider that no one of us has any idea who "Saunders" is; he is probably a friend who worked at L'Oreal. - all pictures taken on the net, and added later)

Ralph Lauren vintage fragrances: a complicate story.

About Calvin Klein: Saunders suggests to ask Piatigorsky, OK. I asked Saunders if he remembers anything about the Ralph Lauren batchcodes or methods for dating vintage RL perfumes. Saunders says he remembers just a few things, many years have passed and he has vague memories. The situation was very messed up with RL perfumes. Saunders remembers a couple of stories that clearly explains the situation they were in.... here it is: at a certain point dealing with "Ralph Lauren Polo Sport Women", they found themselves faced with three, four different batchcodes.  These batchcodes had become so confusing and incomprehensible, thus they had to change batchcodes (this aspect needs to be explored further ).

The other story: at a certain point in the production of "Polo" and "Safari for Men", there was a stock of old stickers and boxes left. Well, they continued to use them until ran out. This means that the batchcode was up to date, ...but the labels on the bottle (and/or the box) were from 5-6 years old: i.e, stickers were outdated.

Really confusing. (to investigate further.).

Saunders says the scent he remembers best is Polo Crest, because he worked on the marketing personally. Polo Crest: launched in 1991, discontinued in 1999, and underwent a reformulation in the middle. OK.

Decoding JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER vintage perfumes.

A complete guide to Jean Paul Gaultier perfumes—from vintage classics to modern creations—covering historical periods, boxes, bottles, labels, and all the details you need to identify authentic Jean Paul Gaultier vintage perfumes. 

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

Introduction.

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.

A letter from an ex-CHANEL employee (decoding the old CHANEL batch codes).

(Well, here it is. One of the most important article Andre tried to write.  Never been able to post it as an article, so we post it as "unfinished". The keypoint is How to date Chanel perfumes produced in the world, with apparently impossible-to-decipher batchcodes. Luckily we found an old -now retired- Chanel employee who explained us how to solve the mistery: Chanel used five different batchcodes in the same time! 

Please pardon us, received first in French, then translated in italian, re-traslated in English. last corrections dated June 2016. A few pictures added later for a better comprehension) 

"Hi Andre! 

I received your request through our mutual friend XXXX (...) You ask me if I can help you in decrypting the Chanel batchcodes that were used during the 70s, 80s and 90s around the world. Actually, many years have passed, I worked in the Chanel factory in New Jersey too, well, many years ago! but I still remember something (...) I read your article on Chanel 4-numbers batchcodes, yes, it's correct, it shifted month-by-month and repeated every 8 years (from 00 to 99, then restarted). Well, in America -and outside Europe- the situation was a bit different, codes were partially based on the French ones or completely different, and now I will try to explain how Chanel batchcodes worked.

Chanel codes are so difficult to understand for a simple reason: we used FIVE DIFFERENT BATCHCODES at the same time. If you don't understand how they work, you are lost. So, the first thing to be aware of is to recognize the different types of code. 

The amazing thing is that you will eventually discover how easy it is to understand and use. At the end you will be able to date every perfume! Let's start!

A Chanel Egoiste guide for collectors.

.

(We are going to illustrate here the notes taken in 2015, relating to an article about Chanel Egoiste "...to be published in future". It can be fragmented and incomplete, nevertheless we think that even after so many years the information provided can be useful for many enthusiasts and collectors. Enjoy the reading.

Old friends from Raiders of the Lost Scent)

LANVIN PERFUMES: a guide.

In these short posts we want to present the latest unfinished articles, written in the years 2015 and 2016. We thought it was right to publish everything, even those notes that would become full-fledged articles. No changes have been made, the writings are in their raw state and therefore still incomplete.

(last script: May, 2016)

"How to recognize Lanvin perfumes"  

"Jeanne Lanvin: 

to amaze her daughter, 

amazed the world".

(Louise Valmorin)

Here's an attempt to illustrate another historical brand, one of the greatest in perfumes during the XX century, at the same level of Dior, Chanel, Patou, Guerlain, and one of the few to proudly produce its own perfumes in its own factory: it's Nanterre, located in the north of France.
Lanvin ceased operations in 1989, and with almost no first-hand sources to investigate, we at RotlS were lucky to found an old retired worker from "Lanvin Italie" (it was the Lanvin subsidiary in Milan, Italy), who gave room to his rememberings since the end of 1950s. So, no "batch-codes" here, but a bunch of old stories. 

It's enough to summarize a glorious story indeed.