New Arrivals•Ends inh:m:s
Decode the production date of any fragrance in seconds — and see what your batch code does (and doesn't) prove about authenticity. Free, 600+ houses.
Decoding 13 houses
Authenticity
No — a batch code alone cannot prove a perfume is genuine. It identifies the production lot and, for most major houses, decodes to a manufacturing date. But the same code is printed on thousands of bottles, can be copied onto a counterfeit, and stays on a genuine bottle even after it is refilled with fake juice. Treat a code that checks out as one weak positive signal — and a missing or mismatched code as a strong warning sign.
A missing, unreadable, or mismatched code — different on the box than on the bottle — is strong evidence something is wrong. A valid, matching code is only weak evidence it is right. Authenticity is confirmed by the whole bottle, never by one stamp.
Run these together — no single check is proof on its own.
Buy from the brand, an authorised retailer, or a decanter that authenticates at intake. A price far below retail is the most common counterfeit tell.
Find the code in both places and confirm they are identical. Present on the box but missing or different on the glass is a red flag.
Use the checker above. A date that contradicts the seller's story — sold as new but decodes to 2016 — is a warning. Online decoders can be wrong, so weigh the result, don't trust it blindly.
Fakes rarely get batch-code typography, sticker placement, cellophane seams, and carton stitching right. Crooked fonts, smudged codes, or a glued box are classic tells.
Genuine flacons feel dense and mist evenly with a clean pull. A light, rattly bottle or a spitting, dribbling sprayer is suspect.
Newer releases carry a unique QR or NFC tag. Scan it and confirm it resolves to the brand's official domain — not a look-alike address.
A fake may open close but collapse within an hour, smell harsh or alcoholic, or have the wrong juice colour. The dry-down is the hardest thing to counterfeit.
A batch code is the first filter, not the verdict. A bottle is authentic when everything checks out together — not because one stamp decodes.
Every fragrance in Scento's decant range clears a 12-point authentication check at intake — so a Scento decant skips the batch-code guesswork entirely.
Quick guide
Most boxes print the code on the bottom panel, near the barcode.
On glass bottles, look for an etched or printed code on the bottom rim.
Codes are often shallow-etched and easier to read at an angle in bright light.
By house
Luxury houses each stamp codes their own way. Here is the format for the brands people check most — and what the code can actually tell you.
| House | Code format | What it reveals |
|---|---|---|
| Dior | 2 letters + 1–2 digitsRB12 | Year + month (documented) |
| Chanel | 4 charactersA102 | Production window |
| Creed | letter + 5–8 charactersLA4221 | Year of production |
| Versace | 6–7 digits2023410 | Year of production |
| Tom Ford | 3 charactersA42 | Date (reverse-engineered) |
| Jo Malone | 3 charactersB29 | Date (reverse-engineered) |
| Yves Saint Laurent | 4–6 characters38U60 | Date (reverse-engineered) |
| Giorgio Armani | 6 charactersSGT20W | Date (reverse-engineered) |
| Maison Francis Kurkdjian | 5–9 charactersS22070 | Estimated window |
| Xerjoff | ~6 digits08619R | Estimated window |
| Louis Vuitton | varies by lineLW1120 | Estimated window |
| Parfums de Marly | 6–7 digits949902 | Estimated window |
| Amouage | 5–8 charactersA2K719 | Estimated window |
A decoded date confirms when a production lot was made — never that the bottle is genuine.
Open methodology — every brand we cover, every algorithm we use.
By brand
Per-brand pages with format details and authentication notes.
Questions
A batch code is the short alphanumeric stamp printed on every fragrance bottle and box. Manufacturers use it to track production runs. For most major houses, the code also encodes the manufacturing date, which lets you check freshness and shelf-life before you wear the scent.
Look on the bottom of the box near the barcode, or on the base of the bottle itself. Codes on glass bottles are often shallow-etched and easier to read at an angle in bright light. The code is usually 3 to 9 characters of letters and digits.
Not on its own. A batch code identifies the production lot and usually decodes to a manufacturing date, but it cannot confirm a bottle is genuine — counterfeiters copy real codes onto fakes, and a refilled genuine bottle keeps its original code. Use the code as one signal: a missing or mismatched code (different on the box than on the bottle) is a strong warning sign, while a valid, matching code is only weak positive evidence. Confirm authenticity with the full check — the seller, packaging and print, glass and atomiser, any per-bottle QR or serial, and the scent itself.
A decant inherits the batch code of the bottle it was poured from, so start there: decode the code and check the date fits the seller's story. Then judge the source — a reputable decanter authenticates every bottle at intake before it is split. Because a loose decant rarely ships with the original box, the seller's authentication process matters more than any single code. Scento verifies every flacon with a 12-point intake check before decanting, which is why a Scento decant does not require you to authenticate it yourself.
No. A valid code only means the string matches a plausible format and date for that house — it does not bind to one specific bottle, because a single code covers thousands of units in a production run, and counterfeit bottles often carry copied, perfectly valid codes. A code is necessary but not sufficient: treat it as the first filter, then confirm authenticity with packaging, bottle quality, and the scent.
It depends on the house. For brands with a publicly documented scheme — Dior and Guerlain, and the Coty and Estée Lauder systems behind houses like Versace, Tom Ford and Jo Malone — the decoder reads a manufacturing date directly from the code. For houses that publish no decoder (Louis Vuitton, Amouage, Parfums de Marly, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Xerjoff), it returns an estimated production window, labelled ESTIMATED. Whatever the result, a date is never proof of authenticity — only that the code is plausible for that house. Treat it as one signal in the full check.
Most modern fragrances stay in good condition for around 5 years from the manufacturing date when stored away from light, heat, and big temperature swings. Citrus-forward and aldehyde-rich compositions can shift earlier; oriental and ambery scents often last longer than the 5-year benchmark.
Yes. The decoder is free, requires no signup, and is available in 14 languages. We built it as a service for the fragrance community alongside our 8 ml decant program, where every bottle is verified at intake by our authentication team.
Double-check the characters (L vs 1, O vs 0 are common mix-ups) and confirm you've selected the right brand. If the code still doesn't resolve, the brand may use a private algorithm we haven't reverse-engineered yet, or the bottle may be a regional variant. Contact the brand's customer service for an exact date.
Take our quick scent quiz to discover authentic designer and niche fragrances matched to your taste — explore them as 2–8ml decants and samples, so you can try each one before committing to a full bottle.
Find Your Scent
