FAKE CREED ROYAL OUD?! From Fragrancenet!

[Bpolo777]

Hi All,

Long time lurker of this forum. I know there are hundreds of threads on fake CREED. I’ve done some reasearch and seen that fragrancenet is one of the trusted sellers for selling authentic products.

I was in Nordstrom’s and Saks smelling Royal Oud and have been wearing some testers for the past week. Absolutely in love with this fragrance. I decided to research online and take the plunge of ordering with fragrance net and saved quite a bit of money.

Today I received my package and it smells completely different compared to my tester. I know that there are different batch codes etc. But I’m sketching out here.

I believe it’s a 2016 batch code from my research is someone could verify. Wouldn’t this mean it’s expired?

If someone would be kind enough to verify it LOT: S4316A01

Also the CREED logo isn’t painted black like the bottles I’ve seen in store and online.. the R looks wonky. See photos for reference.

Thanks all in advance. I hate to make a first post on a forum for something like this.
I’m really contemplating on returning it.

[xray]

I believe it’s a 2016 batch code from my research is someone could verify.

Can you share where you got this batch code information?

Wouldn’t this mean it’s expired?

Fragrances don't expire. People don't finish up bottles like this (usually) in two years. Keep bottles out of the sun and at non-extreme temps and that bottle will last a lifetime.

I'm sure you got a genuine bottle.

[tensor9]

A quick google search will confirm that the 120 mL bottles don't have Creed colored in black, and the "R" is normal.
Your bottle is probably legit.

An unsprayed bottle can last for year and years (and so can a sprayed one).

[MELVCMS01]

Looks genuine to me!

[Dandydude]

Fragrancenet doesn’t sell fakes.....

[Bpolo777]

Can you share where you got this batch code information?


Fragrances don't expire. People don't finish up bottles like this (usually) in two years. Keep bottles out of the sun and at non-extreme temps and that bottle will last a lifetime.

I'm sure you got a genuine bottle.

I used a website off google..

Also the one from fragrancenet doesn’t have the same projection or scent as my tester. The fragrancenet bottle was weak and almost has a powdery dusty smell to it.

[debussychopin]

You should be ok.

[xray]

I used a website off google..

I figured it was a website.

Would you mind sharing?

[Bpolo777]

Sorry lol checkfresh dot com

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

This:

Looks genuine to me!

This too:

Fragrancenet doesn’t sell fakes.....

And this:

I'm sure you got a genuine bottle.

If you do return it, somebody else will get lucky when Fragrancenet sells it for an even bigger discount on their ebay store, where they sell returns which they list as 90% full even if the bottle is entirely full minus 2 or 3 sprays.

Don't get me wrong - there are things I strongly dislike about fragrancenet. For example, they sell people's names & addresses to marketing companies who sign them up for magazine subscriptions. I hate that, which is why fragrancenet is my last choice for buying online. But if I find a price on fragrancenet that I can't beat somewhere else, I buy with confidence there knowing the bottle I receive will be legit.

[xray]

Sorry lol checkfresh dot com

Thanks.

[DEdestroyer77]

It looks fine. The box checks out with the heavy embossing (fake boxes it's just printed on not embossed) and Creed is not painted on 4oz Royal Oud's that I have seen, I have owned 2, 1 currently. Look up into the bottle from the back side and look at the mechanism where the tube in the bottle meets the fixed spray mechanism, if there's a metal ball it's real.

I decant a lot of Creed, like an insane amount, and it does help to get a little stronger once a little air gets into your bottle. It sounds weird but it's true. I've never received a fake anything from fragnet, Notino was another story.

[Bpolo777]

This:



This too:



And this:



If you do return it, somebody else will get lucky when Fragrancenet sells it for an even bigger discount on their ebay store, where they sell returns which they list as 90% full even if the bottle is entirely full minus 2 or 3 sprays.

Don't get me wrong - there are things I strongly dislike about fragrancenet. For example, they sell people's names & addresses to marketing companies who sign them up for magazine subscriptions. I hate that, which is why fragrancenet is my last choice for buying online. But if I find a price on fragrancenet that I can't beat somewhere else, I buy with confidence there knowing the bottle I receive will be legit.

Yeah, I will most likely return it. The scent is way off! I purchased it with 30% off discount code. So I did get it for a great price which is also why I took the plunge. Definitely a bad end result here. Will not buy creed again from then or online.

[Shiny Beast]

It looks right, and fragrancenet is 100% on the level in my experience.

they sell people's names & addresses to marketing companies who sign them up for magazine subscriptions. I hate that...

Ha! I think I have 5 subscriptions from those nerds, 4 of which are immediately filed in the recycling for review by dumpster divers looking to improve their golf game or diversify their portfolios. But I get Men's Health now, so I got that going for me...which is nice.

[hednic]

Looks fine to me. Enjoy!

[Shiny Beast]

Yeah, I will most likely return it. The scent is way off! I purchased it with 30% off discount code. So I did get it for a great price which is also why I took the plunge. Definitely a bad end result here. Will not buy creed again from then or online.

Before you do that, bring it with you to Nordstrom (or wherever you can sample Royal Oud) and spray it on your hand immediately before going in and then spray Nordstrom's bottle on the other hand.

If you'd like, post a picture of the atomizer and under the atomizer and some of the more discerning eyes here will likely weigh in, but what i've seen so far has looked right.

[sjg3839]

Bottle looks good.

[Bpolo777]

Before you do that, bring it with you to Nordstrom (or wherever you can sample Royal Oud) and spray it on your hand immediately before going in and then spray Nordstrom's bottle on the other hand.

If you'd like, post a picture of the atomizer and under the atomizer and some of the more discerning eyes here will likely weigh in, but what i've seen so far has looked right.

I do have a sample on hand from Nordstrom.. it’s completley different.. I will post that picture in a sec.

[Bpolo777]

See pics

[Bpolo777]

That should work now. See pics

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

Ha! I think I have 5 subscriptions from those nerds, 4 of which are immediately filed in the recycling for review by dumpster divers looking to improve their golf game or diversify their portfolios. But I get Men's Health now, so I got that going for me...which is nice.

They always signed me up for crap I had no interest in. Boo!

Before you do that, bring it with you to Nordstrom (or wherever you can sample Royal Oud) and spray it on your hand immediately before going in and then spray Nordstrom's bottle on the other hand.

Exactly.

And don't just judge how Royal Oud smells while in a store. That's actually a terrible terrible terrible way to judge how a scent smells. Sure, it works for a first impression, but you're not going to get a reliable impression of a scent while in a store.

Why?

There are many reasons.

First of all, the air in a store is already flooded with a massive amount of fragrance. Have you ever noticed how your bathroom smells like fragrance for a while after you apply it when you get dressed? Now, imagine that multiplied by a thousand. Spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray after spray...

Second of all, it's much easier to judge how something smells when you're at home, where you're in your most well known environment.

Third, to truly judge a fragrance, you need to give it enough time to get more than just the top notes. This is especially true for a scent like Royal Oud, which is already a bit on the subtle side.

P.S. Creed changes their sprayers from time to time, so don't be surprised if yours is different than someone else's. It also doesn't help that quality control isn't exactly one of Creed's strengths (and that's being kind).

[Bpolo777]

I completely agree with you. However, when I have a sample in hand from Nordstrom at home and compare side by side at home... sorta cancels that our. It’s two completely different fragrances

[DEdestroyer77]

Bottle is legit you can see the metal ball and under cap is good. There are batch variations in other Creed scents besides Aventus but they just arwn't talked about

[Shiny Beast]

Damn, well it looks just like my bottle and box in every way except the batch number. Are you 100% you got Royal Oud from Nordstrom? Like did you make the sample yourself or see the SA with Royal Oud in hand make the sample? Otherwise, if it smells off or no good to you, then I think you gotta return it.

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

Damn, well it looks just like my bottle and box in every way except the batch number. Are you 100% you got Royal Oud from Nordstrom? Like did you make the sample yourself or see the SA with Royal Oud in hand make the sample? Otherwise, if it smells off or no good to you, then I think you gotta return it.

That's possible too.

A few years ago, I smelled Tom Ford Sahara Noir and was blown away. I asked for a sample, but it took me a while to realize the sample I received was actually Black Orchid. I mean, yeah, on first sniff at home, I thought "Whoa, this is totally different than I remember." Luckily, it was easy to figure out because the sample was labelled. It literally said Black Orchid. If it was a sample made at Nordstrom, it would have been harder to figure out since I wasn't familiar with Black Orchid back then. Come to think of it... I think that's how I first discovered Black Orchid.

[techt]

It is legit, the white sprayer confirms it.
So yeah, go ahead return it, and go pay retail at Nordstrom's for the same thing.

[Trauerkraut]

Wrong Forum: you should be here: http://www.basenotes.net/forums/284-Perfume-Appraisals

[mlarge54]

As stated under cap is a good comfirman. I have a newer bottle but your is legit for sure! And an awesome batch. Give it a week or two it will be just what your looking for

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using Tapatalk

[Bpolo777]

Damn, well it looks just like my bottle and box in every way except the batch number. Are you 100% you got Royal Oud from Nordstrom? Like did you make the sample yourself or see the SA with Royal Oud in hand make the sample? Otherwise, if it smells off or no good to you, then I think you gotta return it.

Yeah I’m 100 percent. I went to the creed boutique and literally watched them make the sample. The sample is labeled Royal Oud aswell 😢

[oudaddict]

I completely agree with you. However, when I have a sample in hand from Nordstrom at home and compare side by side at home... sorta cancels that our. It’s two completely different fragrances

Well, Royal Oud has apparently been reformulated btw. I notice a clear difference between the 120ml and newer 100ml, I prefer the 120ml.