Perfumes

[Gido]

The testers come in plain, white cardboard boxes. Most bottles on the market today are testers. They are usually (if not always) the rectangular type, I will show the bottle below.

The retail boxes (they are rare now) come in different designs, here are the most common types,


Very old generic Guerlain box, it was replaced by the one below


Old, 80's and 90's standard Guerlain box
Please ignore the bottles.




These green boxes were made for Vetiver only. I never owned or smelled Vetiver in the second bottle type, but they were made in a time when Vetiver was still itself.

Notice the pattern on 3 of the 4 designs. The later bottles do not have this pattern.

This is the most typical (tester) bottle type, the tester come without cap. There is also a version with a slightly different label (gold strips along the sides) but the difference is subtle.

[Gido]

I started a new post for the next two boxes (and bottles)

THESE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU WANT TO AVOID!!


Avoid!


Avoid!

There might as well be a matte gold version of the last box, I am not sure if Guerlain ever packaged Vetiver in these generic boxes, I'm almost certain they never did. Just to be safe, it would look like this and should be avoided,


Apart from that, remember the silver vs gold detail. Silver lines on label, silver nozzle and cap, that's not good.

Go for gold.

Good luck!

[Rob O]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vetiver-After-S ... 5afba5ccb4

[Gido]

Yes, that's original, but it's the aftershave. I am not familiar with it. Aftershaves are usually cheapened formula and contain lower dosage of the perfume, with some moisturiser added instead. Sometimes they smell different altogether. Go for the eau de cologne or eau de toilette, they are out there too.

[Gido]

here you go,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-OLD-FOR ... 1c4ac06f5a

You might be able to get one for a bit less, but I guess the prices have gone up since I've bought a couple for backup, it's been a while.

[Aristide]

I note that Gido's link is for EDT, while RobO's is for aftershave. Preferences?

[Gido]

I note that Gido's link is for EDT, while RobO's is for aftershave. Preferences?

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... 400#p78400

[gegarrenton]

I can't see any way to advise people to look for old bottles of any fragrance. Any vintage Guerlain Vetiver has unquestionably turned by now.

[Gido]

I can't see any way to advise people to look for old bottles of any fragrance. Any vintage Guerlain Vetiver has unquestionably turned by now.

Sorry, but that is simply and plain to see not true, and I wish you wouldn't make such uninformed, bold statements to confuse people.

Cheers.

[gegarrenton]

I can't see any way to advise people to look for old bottles of any fragrance. Any vintage Guerlain Vetiver has unquestionably turned by now.

Sorry, but that is simply and plain to see not true, and I wish you wouldn't make such uninformed, bold statements to confuse people.

Cheers.

I wish you wouldn't call me uninformed when you know zero about me. I have plenty of experience, and almost all scents of natural composition go off after a decade or so.

[Gido]

I wish you wouldn't call me uninformed when you know zero about me. I have plenty of experience, and almost all scents of natural composition go off after a decade or so.

Guerlain Vetiver is not a scent of 'natural composition'. The juice contains more synthetics than naturals (about 80% synthetics was typical for Guerlain, a big part of the vetiver odour comes from a molecule called vetiveryl acetate) plus it has sunscreens, anti-oxidants, alcohols to keep any aldehydes in check, and so on, not to mention that a bottle contains about 80% ethanol, which is an excellent disinfectant.

Unless the bottle is over half a century old and/or the colour of the content is too dark, vintage tester bottles of Guerlain Vetiver are a rather safe thing to buy. It certainly will not go off after a decade or so.

[gegarrenton]

I wish you wouldn't call me uninformed when you know zero about me. I have plenty of experience, and almost all scents of natural composition go off after a decade or so.

Guerlain Vetiver is not a scent of 'natural composition'. The juice contains more synthetics than naturals (about 80% synthetics was typical for Guerlain, a big part of the vetiver odour comes from a molecule called vetiveryl acetate) plus it has sunscreens, anti-oxidants, alcohols to keep any aldehydes in check, and so on, not to mention that a bottle contains about 80% ethanol, which is an excellent disinfectant.

Unless the bottle is over half a century old and/or the colour of the content is too dark, vintage tester bottles of Guerlain Vetiver are a rather safe thing to buy. It certainly will not go off after a decade or so.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and unlike you, I am not casting aspersions to your knowledge. I can tell you that there are enough natural in Guerlains Vetiver that the bottles I have smelled from the 80's have gone off, including the bottle I have.

My recommendation would be get the newest reformulation as it's significantly closer to the original over the 2000 vintage in the ribbed bottle, the only big change is the staying power.

[couch]

An interesting debate. By this logic my 1982 Pichon Lalande, stored in my cellar since release, should not be drinkable. Much less the two bottles of 1972 Vega Sicilia Unico I decanted for a bespoke dinner in 2009. I'm afraid I must dissent.

Gido, I'm intrigued enough by your confidence (and generosity in providing example photos) to make the experiment. I just bought a bottle of this (there are more, for those interested):

I'll report how it strikes me in comparison to the early 2000s juice I tried and didn't like.

Cheers.

[gegarrenton]

An interesting debate. By this logic my 1982 Pichon Lalande, stored in my cellar since release, should not be drinkable. Much less the two bottles of 1972 Vega Sicilia Unico I decanted for a bespoke dinner in 2009. I'm afraid I must dissent.

Those bottles were corked though, correct?


One tip for perfume storage is that atomisers do give much more longevity to splash bottles.

[couch]

Those bottles were corked though, correct?.

Ha! Indeed they were.

So this raises the question of how much the changes in the aromatic compounds in scent depend on aerobic/oxidative reactions and how much on anaerobic ones or on light or heat. And how much the exposed surface area of liquid in a closed bottle (tester or splash) is actually affected by the contact with air over time. Naturally the agitation of splashing will expose new surface to the air; how much difference does that make?

I'm all ears.