Bath Code Guide

Information and photos From Basenotes member Andre Moreau and Raiders of the Lost Scent. I have edited the photos (lightened them) and drawn a red circle around the batch codes that are found on the old white and black zig zag boxes so you can see what they look like and how to find them. Sometimes the batch codes will start with the word "Lot". Please do not confuse this with the stock or catalog/reference numbers found on boxes, these are prefaced with "No.", you can see these on my Guerlain Catalog Numbers Page. The newer boxes often have the batch codes printed near the base or on the base of the box, sometimes you can only find the batch codes on the bottle's themselves (either stamped into the label or onto the glass itself). On recent boxes, both batch codes on the box and bottle should match.

Generic Seventies: (box black and white zig-zag boxes, with gold oval medallion in center):

(from 1977 until 1980). The first digit always represents the year (there will be 10 letters used - which are repeated every 10 years), and second digit is the month it was made (there will be a total of 12 letters used, one for each month in a year). 8 or 9 DIGITS, starting with: 

• P = 1976 
• V = 1978 
• D = 1979 
• M = 1980 

Remember, the second letter indicates the month, according the following scheme: 

H=January, E=February, B=March, X=April, T=May, K=June, L=July, N=August, F=September, R=October, A=November, C=December) 

Probably 1979/1980 until 1995 : AT LEAST 6 digits batch-codes. Black and White zig zag boxes were discontinued in 1983. 

• (6-digits-batches starting with J , probably year 1979-1980) 
• (6-digits-batches starting with S, P, W, between 1983-1987) 
• (6-digits-batches starting with Y, U, M, Z, between 1988-1993) 
• (6-digits-batch codes starting with U, M, Z are between 1988 and 1993) 

(from 1981 until 1983): 6-DIGITS (always on B&W ZigZag boxes) starting with: 

• U = 1981 
• Z = 1982 
• J = 1983 

From 1984 to 1995 : (White ZigZag boxes are not used anymore) 6 or 7 DIGITS, starting with: 

• Y = 1984 
• W =1985 (example: WB 6AA 1) 
• P = 1986 
• S = 1987 (example: SA 4BC 1) 
• V = 1988 
• D = 1989 

Here the BARCODE appears on the box 

• M = 1990 (example: MH 3AA 2) 
• U = 1991 
• Z = 1992 (example ZX 4BB 1) 

Here the GREEN DOT appears on the box 

• J = 1993 
• Y = 1994 
• W = 1995 

(again, second digit is the month, according the following scheme: H=January, E=February, B=March, X=April, T=May, K=June, L=July, N=August, F=September, R=October, A=November, C=December) 

From 1988/1989 to present all Guerlain boxes bore a bar-code. So if your box has no barcode it means it was made before 1988. Bar code only means between 1988-to-1993.

The second digit is the month, according the following scheme: 

• H=January 
• E=February 
• B=March 
• X=April 
• T=May 
• K=June 
• L=July 
• N=August 
• F=September 
• R=October 
• A=November 
• C=December

From 1994/1995 to present all Guerlain boxes bore the green dot recycle symbol. If your box has both the bar code and green dot together it means it was after 1994. Second digit is a month according the following scheme:

• H=January
• E=February
• B=March
• X=April
• T=May
• K=June
• L=July
• N=August
• F=September
• R=October
• A=November
• C=December

Since 1996 : 5-digits-ONLY batch codes

• 1996 5 digits starting with P
• 1997 5 digits starting with S
• 1998 5 digits starting with V example (VR 0 VR)
• 1999 5 digits starting with D example (DB 0 FS)
• 2000 5 digits starting with M
• 2001 5 digits starting with U (example: UT 01 K)
• 2002 5 digits starting with Z
• 2003 5 digits starting with J
• 2004 5 digits starting with Y

After the year 2000 Guerlain messed up something with batches or recycled old batch codes, so -for example- you find a 2M01 batch that should mean 2012, and , it's actually...2002. You can resolve such a puzzle only looking at the box (in this case it was an older box: since you know modern boxes -since 2008- are different, you can guess it was 2002, and not 2012)


(from 2002 to 2007) : 4-DIGITS
Starting with a number and a letter from the 1st half of alphabet (A-to-M)

• 2 = 2002 (example 2J02)
• 3 = 2003
• 4 = 2004

In between these years, you will find the LONG LIST of ingredients (which mark a significant reformulation) on the boxes.

• 5 = 2005 (example 5C01)
• 6 = 2006
• 7 = 2007

Year 2005 : mixed batches

• 5 digits starting with W

AND

• 4 digits:
• 5XXX = 2005 (example 5C01)

Since 2006 : 4-digits-ONLY starting with number

• 6XXX = 2006
• 7XXX = 2007
• 8XXX = 2008
• 9XXX = 2009
• 0XXX = 2010
• 1XXX = 2011
• 2XXX = 2012
• 3XXX = 2013 

Since 2008 : 4 Digits Only
starting with a number and a letter from the 2nd half of alphabet (N-to-Z)

• 8 = 2008 (example 8XXX)
• 9 = 2009 (example 9W02)
• 0 = 2010 (example 0XXX)
• 1 = 2011 (example 1T01)
• 2 = 2012 (example 2XXX)
• 3 = 2013 (example 3N01) The 2013 batch codes begin with 3N, 3P, 3Q, 3R, 3S, 3T, 3U, 3V and 3W. And then 3X, 3Y and 3Z for October, November and December.

• 4 = 2014
• 5 = 2015 (example 5P02)
• 6 = 2016
• 7 = 2017