Index: /llms.txt

# How old is my perfume?

By [Victoria Frolova](https://10ml.com/authors/victoria-frolova) · Updated 3 November 2026

<https://10ml.com/guides/how-old-is-my-perfume>

Pick the house, type the code printed on the base of your bottle or box, and the tool gives the production month and age. It covers 35 houses, from Dior to Gucci. Most guides give a sealed perfume 3 to 5 years; once opened, the open-jar symbol on the box (such as 12M) gives your finish-by month.

## Read the code

- **Perfume house**: Choose a house. Not in the list? Most houses don't publish their codes, so we only read the ones with a documented format. Use the production date on the box, if it has one, or the day you opened the bottle.
- **Code on your bottle or box**: Type it from the base of the bottle or box, not from the barcode. For Armaf, type the production date printed on the box.
- **Opened on (optional)**: The month and year you first sprayed it.
- **Open-jar symbol on the box (optional)**: The open jar with a number and an M, for example 12M. 6M (6 months), 12M (12 months), 18M (18 months), 24M (24 months), 36M (36 months).

### How we read your code

- Made
- Age
- Confidence
- If it has stayed sealed
- Finish by

**If it has stayed sealed**

- Under 3 years old. Young for a perfume.
- 3 to 5 years old. Within the range most guides give a sealed perfume.
- 5 to 10 years old. Many bottles are still fine, but smell it first.
- 10 years or more. Smell it first: the bright top notes are the first to fade.

A code dates a bottle. It doesn't prove the perfume is authentic; it is one check among several. [How to check a perfume is authentic](https://10ml.com/guides/how-to-check-perfume-is-authentic)

## Where to find the code on your perfume

Most bottles don't print a date. They print a short code that stands for one. Look in the places below and tilt the bottle under a light: stamped or etched codes are easy to miss.

- On the underside of the bottle, stamped or etched into the glass, or on a small sticker.
- Printed or embossed on a flap of the box, often next to the volume. Open the box out flat if you can.
- Printed or stamped on the bottom of the box. It is usually a short line of letters and digits, apart from the other print.
- On the label, or on the back of the bottle. Read it from the label itself, not from a sticker added later.

### What is not the code

- The barcode and the 12 or 13 digits under it. That number identifies the product, not the day it was made.
- The size, such as 30 ml or 100 ml, and the fluid ounces beside it.
- The open-jar symbol with a number and an M. It is the period after opening, covered below.

## The 35 houses the tool reads

Houses don't publish how their codes work. The formats below come from public decoders and from bottle owners who know when they bought a bottle, so we label each house High or Medium. Where a house changed how it codes, the tool reads only the years its format covers. For anything older it says so instead of guessing.

**Four characters: Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton.** A digit for the year, a letter for the month, then two more characters, such as 1R04, which a Dior owner read as April 2011. Dior and Guerlain are High; Givenchy and Louis Vuitton are Medium. Guerlain and Givenchy are read from 2002, Louis Vuitton from 2016.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dior | 1R04 | High |
| Givenchy | 9B01 | Medium |
| Guerlain | 4A01 | High |
| Louis Vuitton | 1E01 | Medium |

**Three characters: Tom Ford, Jo Malone London, By Kilian, Le Labo, Clinique.** A short code of letters and digits, such as C79. Newer Tom Ford bottles may carry a longer eight-character code, which the tool also reads. All Medium. Jo Malone London is read from 1999, Tom Ford from 2006, Le Labo from 2014 and By Kilian from 2016. The hand-written fill date on some labels is a different thing.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| By Kilian | AB0 | Medium |
| Clinique | A68 | Medium |
| Jo Malone London | C79 | Medium |
| Le Labo | A74 | Medium |
| Tom Ford | A94 | Medium |

**Five to eight characters: Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Lancôme, Valentino, Prada, Mugler, Azzaro, Ralph Lauren, Viktor & Rolf.** Two plant characters, a letter for the year, a character for the month and a short lot, such as 38X302S, a Yves Saint Laurent bottle its owner dated to March 2023. Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani are High; the rest are Medium. Yves Saint Laurent is read from 1995, and its older codes give the year only. Giorgio Armani, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren and Viktor & Rolf are read from 2005, Valentino from 2019, Mugler and Azzaro from 2020 and Prada from 2021. Before those years the houses used other codes.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Azzaro | 38U60OG | Medium |
| Giorgio Armani | 38S60OS | High |
| Lancôme | 40X206 | Medium |
| Mugler | 38W4001 | Medium |
| Prada | 38W804R | Medium |
| Ralph Lauren | 38P102 | Medium |
| Valentino | 38U60OG | Medium |
| Viktor & Rolf | 40S51Z | Medium |
| Yves Saint Laurent | 38X302S | High |

**Four to six digits: Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Joop!, Escada.** One digit for the year, then three for the day of the year, such as 8106, read as 16 April 2018. Some codes add two more digits, such as 431700, a decoder's reading of 12 November 2024. All Medium. Calvin Klein is read from 2005, Gucci from 2006, Hugo Boss from 2016 and Burberry from 2017.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Burberry | 431700 | Medium |
| Calvin Klein | 2364 | Medium |
| Chloé | 0275 | Medium |
| Escada | 0275 | Medium |
| Gucci | 8106 | Medium |
| Hugo Boss | 1036 | Medium |
| Joop! | 1036 | Medium |
| Marc Jacobs | 805102 | Medium |

**Nine or ten characters, digits and letters: Montblanc, Lacoste.** Such as 03K20K030A on a Montblanc and 27P08P022 on a Lacoste. Both Medium. Montblanc is read from 2011, up to 2024 bottles. Lacoste is read from 2016: its 2016 to 2023 bottles carry a four-digit code like those in the line above, and from 2024 the longer one.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lacoste | 27P08P022 | Medium |
| Montblanc | 03K20K030A | Medium |

**Short codes: Versace, Moschino, DSQUARED².** Digits, sometimes with letters, such as 2111304, read as 23 April 2021. All Medium. Versace is read from 2005; its newest layout, used from about 2024, is not read yet.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DSQUARED² | 2111304 | Medium |
| Moschino | 2023410 | Medium |
| Versace | 2111304 | Medium |

**Lot codes: Creed.** Up to two market letters, a two-digit fragrance number, a two-digit year, a month letter and a two-digit run, such as LA4221Q01, read as March 2021. Medium. Creed is only partly covered: we read these lot codes from 2008 to 2022. The newer codes that start with F carry no date, so the tool says it can't date them.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Creed | LA4221Q01 | Medium |

**Six or seven digits: Parfums de Marly, Initio Parfums Privés.** The first digit is the last digit of the year and the next two are the week, such as 0140038. Initio can end in a letter, as in 4102436A. Both Medium. Parfums de Marly is read from 2009.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Initio Parfums Privés | 4102436A | Medium |
| Parfums de Marly | 0140038 | Medium |

**A printed date: Armaf.** Armaf prints a production date (PD) as month and year on the box, such as PD 05/16. Type that date. High, because the date is printed on the box.

| House | Example code | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Armaf | 05/16 | High |

## How long a sealed bottle keeps

Most guides give a sealed bottle of perfume, kept cool and dark, 3 to 5 years, and many bottles last longer. That is a rule of thumb, not a rule: there is no set day on which a sealed perfume stops being wearable.

What ages a perfume is heat, light and air. A bottle on a sunny shelf ages faster than the same bottle in its box in a drawer. The top notes, the bright first minutes after you spray, are the first to fade, so that is where an old bottle shows its age. The tool's verdicts follow the same reading: under 3 years is young, 3 to 5 is the range most guides give, and from 5 years up the advice is to smell it first.

You will rarely see a date on a perfume saying how long it lasts. Under the EU Cosmetics Regulation, a date of minimum durability isn't mandatory for products that keep for more than 30 months. Those products show the period after opening instead, as an open-jar symbol with a number of months, such as 12M, unless that period isn't relevant to the product, so some boxes show no symbol at all ([Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 19(1)(c)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1223/oj/eng)). For what ageing does to a scent, read [does perfume expire](https://10ml.com/guides/does-perfume-expire).

## After you open it: the open-jar symbol

The open-jar symbol is the period after opening. The number is how many months the maker says the product can be used once opened: 6M is six months and 12M is twelve. Some boxes give years instead, so 3Y is 36 months. The tool offers 6M, 12M, 18M, 24M and 36M.

Enter the month you opened the bottle and the number on the box, and the tool counts forward to a finish-by month. Opened in March with 12M, the finish-by month is the following March.

Treat that month as a reminder to smell the bottle, not as the day the scent turns. A perfume kept well can smell fine long after it. Storage matters more than the date, and [how to store perfume](https://10ml.com/guides/how-to-store-perfume) covers it.

## Decants and small bottles

A decant is the same perfume as the bottle it was filled from, so the perfume inside is as old as that bottle's code says. The vial itself carries no house code, so there is nothing on it for this tool to read.

A small size also gets used up while it is fresh. A 10 ml holds around 200 sprays, which at three sprays a day is about two months, and a 3 ml holds around 60, about three weeks of wear. Most of it is usually gone before heat and air change a scent.

## When the code can't be read

Four things get in the way. The house may not publish a format we can use, which is true of most houses outside the list above. The print may be worn, faint or covered by a sticker. The code may be from before the years a house's current format covers. Or it may be a plain serial number with no date in it, as with some newer Creed codes.

Try these instead:

- Look for a production date printed on the box. A few boxes show one in plain digits.
- Photograph a stamped code with a light held to the side, then read it from the photo.
- With a refill, read the code on the refill. The old bottle's code dates the old bottle.
- Use the day you opened the bottle, and the 12M-style symbol, with the tool's finish-by line.

Whatever the code says, your nose has the last word. Spray once on a clean wrist, wait a minute, and judge the opening.

## A code dates a bottle; it doesn't prove it is authentic

The tool tells you when a bottle was made. It can't tell you whether a perfume is authentic, because a code is easy to print and the houses don't publish how theirs work. Use it as one check among several, with the box, the print quality and where you bought it. Our guide on [how to check a perfume is authentic](https://10ml.com/guides/how-to-check-perfume-is-authentic) covers the rest.

## How old is my perfume: questions

### How can I tell how old my perfume is?

Find the code on the base of the bottle or on the box, choose the house above and type the code. The tool reads each character and shows the production month and the age. If your house isn't listed, use the production date printed on the box, or the day you opened the bottle.

### Where is the production date on a perfume bottle?

Most bottles don't print a date. They print a code, usually stamped or etched on the underside of the bottle, and printed on the bottom or flap of the box. It is not the barcode. Armaf is an exception: it prints a production date as month and year.

### Does perfume have an expiry date?

Usually not as a date. Under EU rules, a date isn't mandatory for cosmetics that keep for more than 30 months, so the box may show an open-jar symbol with a number of months instead, such as 12M. Perfume ages gradually rather than on a set day; [does perfume expire](https://10ml.com/guides/does-perfume-expire) explains how.

### How long does perfume last unopened?

Most guides give a sealed bottle, kept cool and dark, 3 to 5 years, and many last longer. That is a rule of thumb, not a rule. Heat, light and air shorten it, and the top notes fade first.

### What does the 12M symbol on a perfume box mean?

It is the period after opening: an open jar with a number of months. 12M means the maker's guide is to use the perfume within 12 months of opening it. Enter the symbol and the month you opened the bottle, and the tool shows the finish-by month.

### Why does the tool say it can't date my code?

Usually one of four reasons: the code was typed from the barcode instead of the base, the house isn't in the list because it publishes no usable format, the code is older than the format the tool reads for that house, or the code is a serial number with no date in it. In each case the tool says so rather than guess a date.

### Can you still use a 20, 40 or 50 year old perfume?

Possibly, but there is no set cut-off. It depends on how the bottle was stored: heat, light and air change a perfume, and the top notes fade first. Spray once on a clean wrist, wait a minute and judge the opening. A sharp, sour or flat start means it has turned. If the house is listed above, the tool can date the bottle.

### How do I know if my perfume has gone off?

Spray it once on a clean wrist and wait a minute. A sharp, sour or vinegar-like opening, a flat start, or a dry-down that smells stale are the usual signs. A slightly darker colour on its own is not proof, but cloudiness or residue is a reason to stop. The top notes go first, so the opening is where a bottle shows its age.

### What is a perfume batch code?

A short code of letters and digits that stands for when a bottle was made. It is usually stamped or etched on the underside of the bottle, or printed on the bottom or a flap of the box, and it is not the barcode. The tool reads it for 35 houses. A code dates a bottle; it doesn't prove the perfume is authentic.

### Does perfume smell better as it ages?

There is no rule that it does. Ageing changes a perfume: heat, light and air act on it, and the top notes, the bright first minutes after you spray, fade first. A perfume that has been kept well can smell fine for years, and one that hasn't can open sharp or flat. Smell it before you wear it.

### How should I store perfume so it lasts?

Keep it cool, dark and capped. Heat, light and air are what age a perfume, so a bottle in its box in a drawer ages more slowly than the same bottle on a sunny shelf. Storage matters more than the bottle's age; [how to store perfume](https://10ml.com/guides/how-to-store-perfume) covers it in full.

## Sources

Laws, code formats and shelf-life guides used on this page. Public decoders are readings of the codes, not statements by the houses.

1. [Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 19(1)(c), EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1223/oj/eng)
2. [Radler Parfums, batch code decoder](https://radlerparfums.com/decoder)
3. [Cologniac, Guerlain and Dior four-character codes (11 Dec 2017)](https://cologniac.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/)
4. [Raiders of the Lost Scent, batch code guides](https://raidersofthelostscent.blog)
5. [BatchKnow, Gucci](https://batchknow.com/brands/gucci)
6. [BatchKnow, Burberry](https://batchknow.com/brands/burberry)
7. [BatchKnow, Lacoste](https://batchknow.com/brands/lacoste)
8. [BatchKnow, Montblanc](https://batchknow.com/brands/montblanc)
9. [BatchKnow, Parfums de Marly](https://batchknow.com/brands/parfums-de-marly)
10. [BatchKnow, Initio](https://batchknow.com/brands/initio)
11. [BatchKnow, Armaf](https://batchknow.com/brands/armaf)
12. [Fragnatium, Le Labo](https://fragnatium.com/batch-code-checker/le-labo)
13. [Fragnatium, Initio](https://fragnatium.com/batch-code-checker/initio)
14. [CheckFresh, Creed](https://checkfresh.com/creed.html)
15. [CheckFresh, Versace](https://checkfresh.com/versace.html)
16. [CheckFresh, Tom Ford](https://checkfresh.com/tom-ford.html)
17. [CheckFresh, Giorgio Armani](https://checkfresh.com/giorgio-armani.html)
18. [Typology, does perfume expire: an unopened fragrance generally keeps three to five years](https://us.typology.com/library/does-perfume-expire-and-how-to-know-if-it-has-gone-off)
19. [Hindustan Times, all about perfumes 101: a shelf life of around three to five years (14 Feb 2024)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/htcity-showstoppers/all-about-perfumes-101-101707931380186.html)

## Keep reading

- [Does perfume expire?](https://10ml.com/guides/does-perfume-expire) How perfume ages and the signs it has turned.
- [How to store perfume](https://10ml.com/guides/how-to-store-perfume) Keep it cool, dark and capped.
- [How long will a bottle of perfume last?](https://10ml.com/how-long-does-a-bottle-of-perfume-last) Sprays, wears and cost per wear.