Perfume authentication — a practical check

A structured way to assess a bottle. It is a risk-indicator checklist, not a verdict: it will help you find contradictions, and it will tell you plainly what it cannot establish.

① Batch code

Deterministic layer. Brands whose published decoding rules we have documented are listed below. Where sources disagree, every reading is shown.

Enter the mark from the bottle base or the carton. Transcribe exactly, including letters.

Documented rules: 7 houses · how we source them

② Structural checks

Work through these with the bottle in hand. An unchecked item is not evidence of a problem — it simply is not yet confirmed either way.

Bottle and carton batch codes match
Bottle and box are produced and filled as a unit. A mismatch generally means they did not leave the factory together. Batch code is etched or embossed, not ink-printed
Most fine fragrance is stamped into the glass or the base label with a dot-matrix or etched mark. Fresh, bold ink on a bottle base is unusual. Atomiser collar and crimp ring are even
The metal collar should sit square with an even crimp around the neck. Crooked collars and rough crimps are common on copies. Spray tube is straight and reaches the base cleanly
The dip tube should be straight, cut cleanly and (on most bottles) not coiled. Compare its length with a reference photograph. Label text is level, kerned evenly and correctly spelled
Scaling artefacts show up first in the small print: uneven letter spacing, misaligned baselines, or a slightly wrong typeface. Glass has no mould seam on the face, and weight feels consistent
Seams, bubbles and thin walls are structural tells. Liquid colour and clarity match a reference photograph
Colour varies with age and storage, so treat this as weak evidence only. Box printing: correct font, no pixelation on small text
Pixelated or resampled small text on a carton points to a scanned or reproduced box rather than original print.

Completed

③ Photographs

If you are asking for a second opinion from anyone — a forum, a seller, or us — these six frames carry nearly all the evidence.

Front — Whole bottle, square on, plain background, label readable.
Base — Bottle upside down or angled so the base mark is sharp and fills the frame. This is the single most useful photograph.
Cap and atomiser — Cap off, collar and dip tube visible.
Label close-up — Small print at full resolution, no digital zoom.
Carton — Front of the box, plus the base if the box carries a code.
Side profile — Shows the fill level and glass wall thickness.

Shoot in daylight, avoid digital zoom, and do not use flash directly on glass. An existing guide covers the shot list in detail: photographing a bottle for authentication.

Video walkthroughs

Side-by-side comparisons of genuine and counterfeit bottles, filmed in the hand. Videos are produced by our own channel; the Codex takes no position on any individual listing.

REAL or FAKE? Christian Dior Gris Montaigne - How to Spot a Fake

A bottle-in-hand comparison of a genuine Christian Dior Gris Montaigne (2013) against a counterfeit. The video walks through the details that are quickest to check in the hand: the batch code and where it sits on the bottle, the print quality and weight of the label, the atomiser and collar, the box print and inserts, and the glass and fill level. Use it as a companion to the checklist below rather than as a verdict on any single bottle. The bottle, cap, atomiser and outer box shown are the same hardware Dior uses across its La Collection Privée line — Bois d'Argent, Ambre Nuit, Fève Délicieuse, Thé Cachemire, Oud Ispahan and the rest — so the same checks apply to those bottles too.

Check the batch code first: it should be internally consistent with the box and the model year. Use our batch-code reader for the possible readings instead of trusting one online decoder.
Then work through the three-layer checklist (code, structure, photographs) with the bottle in hand.
Structural tells vary by era and by model: a Creed bottle from the 1990s and a current one are not built the same way, so compare like with like.

Video by TrendyGround Discontinued Fragrance (our own YouTube channel, @trendyground). The Codex does not authenticate items for money and takes no position on any individual listing.

More walkthroughs

REAL or FAKE? Creed Silver Mountain Water — How to Spot a Fake Creed Silver Mountain Water

What this cannot do

Stated plainly, because it matters.

It cannot certify an item as genuine. A batch code proves traceability, not authenticity — and a copy can be stamped with a plausible code.
A photograph cannot prove authenticity either. The most useful single check remains a batch code that is internally consistent with the bottle, the box and the model year.
Decoding rules are incomplete and sometimes contradictory. We publish disagreements rather than picking a winner.
We do not buy or sell on your behalf, and we do not hold items or payments in connection with a check.