Removed lot numbers on Creed bottles?

[ebear]

When my bottle of Creed Original Vetiver (OV) ran out a couple of weeks ago, I decided to order a replacement bottle online. I'd always had good experiences ordering frags online, and I certainly didn't want to pay retail prices here in Europe.

So I ordered the big 125 ml bottle from a very reputable online frag shop in the U.S. When it got here (after ransoming it out from customs), I sprayed it on and immediately noticed that something was off. The tart top notes were certainly OV-like, but there was something missing. What I find truly exceptional in OV are its creamy sandalwood and ambergris (and whatever else) underpinnings that carry through so beautifully into the drydown and last for well over 12 hours. That was entirely missing. I then noticed that the lot/year numbers had been cut out of the box and removed (via abrasion) from the bottle.

I contacted the company and was told to return the product for a refund. They were very nice about it – I haven't seen the credit on my Mastercard account yet, but I'm fully confident I'll get the refund. When I asked whether this issue (removed lot numbers) came up frequently, she said no, it was new to her.

Ok, let's try again, I thought. The second bottle I ordered, also the 125 ml size, was from a company in the U.K. with a good reputation and with whom I'd had only positive experiences.

Guess what? Right, same story. Exactly. Same topnotes with nothing behind them. Only difference is that this time the year is on the box, 2005, but everything else is gone, i.e. cut or scratched off. I called the company – they were very friendly and eager to help. They checked their stock, called me back and said that all of the bottles were the same. They referred to this phenomenon as "decoding", and said that they would not have accepted the consignment had they noticed the missing lot numbers. That bottle is going back, too, for a full refund.

So what did I do this morning? I went into the city and bought a 75 ml bottle at full retail… € 120, ouch!

I'm just amazed that there can be such differences. It must be more than just age… it must be due to really, really poor storage. Or maybe a bad lot that wasn't supposed to go out…? I don't know. But I would bet that those who complain about poor longevity with OV have also had the misfortune of trying the bad stuff. There's a world of difference.

Interested in hearing your thoughts.

[Basteri]

I paid 140 Euros for my bottle of BdP which I dont like and is now in a cabinet waiting to be swapped or sold...
The first bottle of BdP I also sent back because it was soooo weak that I could not believe it! I called and they told "Creed is like that very soft" anyways they sent me another bottle and it was right on.That was my second experience with Creed.

[ebear]

Has anyone else noticed quality differences with these "decoded" botttles?

[bbBD]

I'm just guessing here.... but I'd be willing to wager that whoever the distributor was for these retailers had old stock they were supposed to not sell (or they purchased old stock from another distributor at a deep, deep discount), and to hide the age removed the serial numbers. They still get paid by the retailers and let the retailers take the loss when people return the old product.

[TheAttorney]

I'm just guessing here.... but I'd be willing to wager that whoever the distributor was for these retailers had old stock they were supposed to not sell (or they purchased old stock from another distributor at a deep, deep discount), and to hide the age removed the serial numbers. They still get paid by the retailers and let the retailers take the loss when people return the old product.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[ebear]

Thanks for the input, guys. Yeah, I've been suspecting the same thing.

I've seen posts here from people saying their decoded products were okay, so it's apparently a hit-or-miss thing with that kind of stock.

I'm also starting to wonder about the consistency of Creed frags in general. A perfume shop owner here said that the use of a lot of "natural essences" (which, in her mind, is true of Creed) leads to differences from one lot to another. I don't how much of that it true - to me it sounds like poor quality control.

[dr.creed]

Storage is very important with Creed. I don't know a brand that is more sensitive in terms of quality.
As soon as I get a bottle it goes staight into the fridge at 15 degrees celsius and only sees the light of day the seconds when I spray.
Also there are fakes out there, quite a lot, some might be of better quality some might reek like the SMW sample I received from silverbullet. I really wonder if Luca Turin had to deal with such desaster bottles looking at the ratings.

[ebear]

Storage is very important with Creed. I don't know a brand that is more sensitive in terms of quality. As soon as I get a bottle it goes staight into the fridge at 15 degrees celsius and only sees the light of day the seconds when I spray.

Very interesting. I wonder what makes them so sensitive... is it really the purported high percentage of 'natural' ingredients?

My saga, sadly, continues, and certainly confirms your experience regarding sensitivity. The bottle I bought at retail is very weak. The notes are all right - unlike those of the decoded bottles - but longevity is about a third of that from my last bottle. I returned it today, and they are contacting their distributor to get me one with a different lot number. Sheesh. I've tried THREE bottles over the past few weeks and haven't found a single one that matches the quality of my last bottle.

BTW, dr.creed, the bottle of OV I've been trying to replace was the one I got from you! Its quality was phenomenal, so you must be doing something right. Got another one to spare?

[dr.creed]

Very interesting. I wonder what makes them so sensitive... is it really the purported high percentage of 'natural' ingredients?

My saga, sadly, continues, and certainly confirms your experience regarding sensitivity. The bottle I bought at retail is very weak. The notes are all right - unlike those of the decoded bottles - but longevity is about a third of that from my last bottle. I returned it today, and they are contacting their distributor to get me one with a different lot number. Sheesh. I've tried THREE bottles over the past few weeks and haven't found a single one that matches the quality of my last bottle.

BTW, dr.creed, the bottle of OV I've been trying to replace was the one I got from you! Its quality was phenomenal, so you must be doing something right. Got another one to spare?

Actually I'm looking for a new bottle myself.

[hirch_duckfinder]

I keep all my Creed bottles in a cupboard in their boxes. Never had one turn on me or change for the worse at all. The oldest is from 2002 and smells wonderful. However I have had some variety in the quality of ones I have bought. Certain fragrances in particular seem to vary, either batch quality or storage, I'm not sure. OV is one. The super-crisp top notes are somewhat vulnerable. Neroli sauvage is another. My Neroli Sauvage from department store is definitely better than the old one I had from the internet.

[dr.creed]

I had several Neroli Sauvage bottles. NS is the one that is most vulnerable in terms of storage.
I had two bottles that were literally awesome, two had lost their magic and one couldn't be used anymore, it was that bad.

[richard d]

I have given up buying Creed on the net. Will buy from Creed retailers only. Why? Because of issues like those listed above among others.

[Maz24]

I have given up buying Creed on the net. Will buy from Creed retailers only. Why? Because of issues like those listed above among others.

At one time I was very concerned about lot numbers and the years of production, but now I base my purchase mostly on how fresh it smells, not ONLY by what number it has on the box or bottle. I mean don't get me wrong, I will glance at a lot number, but that will not be THE deciding factor. My reasoning is this, if a 2004 bottle is preserved well, then it will smell great, but if "newer" 2007 bottle is not stored properly, then it will smell bad/wrong. I have seen this many times, in many stores. I will use another brand as an example. I was in Sephora several days ago looking at Guerlain fragrances. The fragrance that i was smelling smelled just plain wrong. That was probably because it spends most of its time under bright hot lights. This was a fragrance that was "just put out" (by that I don't mean it was a fragrance that was just released, I mean the bottle that they put out was "new"). However when a fragrance was brought from the back, which was not as "new" it smelled better because it was probably stored better. That's just my opinion.

[greendragon]

When my bottle of Creed Original Vetiver (OV) ran out a couple of weeks ago, I decided to order a replacement bottle online. I'd always had good experiences ordering frags online, and I certainly didn't want to pay retail prices here in Europe.

So I ordered the big 125 ml bottle from a very reputable online frag shop in the U.S. When it got here (after ransoming it out from customs), I sprayed it on and immediately noticed that something was off. The tart top notes were certainly OV-like, but there was something missing. What I find truly exceptional in OV are its creamy sandalwood and ambergris (and whatever else) underpinnings that carry through so beautifully into the drydown and last for well over 12 hours. That was entirely missing. I then noticed that the lot/year numbers had been cut out of the box and removed (via abrasion) from the bottle.

I contacted the company and was told to return the product for a refund. They were very nice about it – I haven't seen the credit on my Mastercard account yet, but I'm fully confident I'll get the refund. When I asked whether this issue (removed lot numbers) came up frequently, she said no, it was new to her.

Ok, let's try again, I thought. The second bottle I ordered, also the 125 ml size, was from a company in the U.K. with a good reputation and with whom I'd had only positive experiences.

Guess what? Right, same story. Exactly. Same topnotes with nothing behind them. Only difference is that this time the year is on the box, 2005, but everything else is gone, i.e. cut or scratched off. I called the company – they were very friendly and eager to help. They checked their stock, called me back and said that all of the bottles were the same. They referred to this phenomenon as "decoding", and said that they would not have accepted the consignment had they noticed the missing lot numbers. That bottle is going back, too, for a full refund.

So what did I do this morning? I went into the city and bought a 75 ml bottle at full retail… € 120, ouch!

I'm just amazed that there can be such differences. It must be more than just age… it must be due to really, really poor storage. Or maybe a bad lot that wasn't supposed to go out…? I don't know. But I would bet that those who complain about poor longevity with OV have also had the misfortune of trying the bad stuff. There's a world of difference.

Interested in hearing your thoughts.

The stuff you bought is old gray market stuff. Removing the lot number on fragrances or ANY consumer product is tatamount to fraud as far as I am concerned, you really don't know what you are getting - old stock, fakes, gray market.....

[ebear]

The stuff you bought is old gray market stuff. Removing the lot number on fragrances or ANY consumer product is tatamount to fraud as far as I am concerned, you really don't know what you are getting - old stock, fakes, gray market.....

Indeed, I agree. Online vendors - especially highly respected ones - shouldn't be selling them in the first place. Or they should at least inform customers that they will be receiving "decoded" products.

But as my most recent retail purchase shows, even full-price, fancy perfume shop Creed bottles can vary in quality significantly. I got a 2008 bottle of OV that only lasts 3 hours. My previous bottle had longevity of 12+ hours. I returned it yesterday and will be getting a replacement. I wonder whether it'll be any better...

[greendragon]

Indeed, I agree. Online vendors - especially highly respected ones - shouldn't be selling them in the first place. Or they should at least inform customers that they will be receiving "decoded" products.

But as my most recent retail purchase shows, even full-price, fancy perfume shop Creed bottles can vary in quality significantly. I got a 2008 bottle of OV that only lasts 3 hours. My previous bottle had longevity of 12+ hours. I returned it yesterday and will be getting a replacement. I wonder whether it'll be any better...

Creeds tend to be a bit different year to year due to the ingredients they use, that's what I have read here on Basenotes. I have a bottle of Bois Du Portugal my wife bought me last year - It is very heavy on Ambergis, but an older 1 oz bottle from 2005 has less Ambergis, and a slightly higher Cinnamon odor to it. They both dry down to the same smell on my skin.

[Mike]

I was unaware that Creed had the year of production listed on the bottle itself (and I have been using their fragrances for several years)...guess I never bothered to look since the year is listed on the back of the box. Where on the bottle is it listed?