CACHAREL BATCH CODES

Cacharel began as a Parisian fashion house established in 1962 by French designer Jean Bousquet. Born in Nîmes in 1932, Bousquet originally trained in men’s tailoring but found its conventions too restrictive. In 1956, he moved to Paris and began working for a small ready-to-wear company. Within several years, he had gained recognition as one of the pioneers of youthful French ready-to-wear fashion.

Bousquet named Cacharel after the cacharel, the Provençal name for a small wild duck native to the Camargue region near his birthplace. The company became particularly famous during the 1960s for its soft, feminine printed fabrics and lightweight blouses. Cacharel’s distinctive floral prints were subsequently used for silk dresses, colorful sportswear and separates. The company also introduced menswear and its widely imitated “mini-couture” clothing for children. Bousquet expanded Cacharel’s distribution throughout Western Europe and the United States, and in 1983 he was elected mayor of his native city of Nîmes.

Cacharel later expanded into perfumery in association with L’Oréal. Its first major fragrance, Anaïs Anaïs, was introduced in 1978 and became one of the brand’s best-known creations. Other important Cacharel fragrances include Cacharel Pour L’Homme in 1981, Loulou in 1987, Eden in 1994, Noa in 1998, Nemo in 2000 and Gloria in 2002. Cacharel fragrances are produced and marketed by L’Oréal.

Quick Guide to Dating Cacharel Perfumes

• 1978–c.1992 - 14, rue Royale, Paris (early Cacharel address found on boxes beginning with the introduction of Anaïs Anaïs)

• 1978–c.2002/2003- Cacharel name enclosed in an elliptical cartouche (characteristic older Cacharel logo. Transitional packaging may overlap.)

• Before c.1990 - No barcode (usually indicates packaging from the 1978–early 1990s period, depending on the market)

• From c.1990 - Barcode appears (generally indicates packaging from approximately 1990 onward)

• From c.1992 - 16, place Vendôme, Paris (replaced the earlier rue Royale address)

• From c.1992 -Green Dot recycling symbol (usually indicates European packaging from the 1990s or later. Its use varied by market)

• c.1998 onward - Short ingredients list (usually lists only basic ingredients such as alcohol, water and fragrance)

• Until c.2000–2001 - “Distributed by Cosmair” (identifies American-market packaging distributed before the transition to Luxury Products LLC)

• From c.2002 - “Distributed by Luxury Products LLC” (found on later American-market packaging)

• From c.2003 - Cacharel cartouche disappears (the Cacharel name is printed without the surrounding elliptical frame)

• From c.2004 - Longer ingredients list (individually named fragrance allergens begin appearing on some boxes)

• From c.2005 - Extended ingredients list (more complete allergen declaration, often including limonene, linalool, citronellol, geraniol, citral and coumarin)

Important: Packaging changes were not always introduced simultaneously for every fragrance, size or export market. Old boxes could also be used after a new address, logo or label style was introduced. For the most accurate date, compare the packaging features with the fragrance’s launch date and batch code.

Basic Packaging Timeline

From the introduction of Anaïs Anaïs in 1978 until approximately 1992, Cacharel perfume boxes generally carried the Paris address 14, rue Royale, Paris. Beginning around 1992, this was replaced by 16, place Vendôme, Paris. Because perfume manufacturers sometimes continued using stocks of older cartons after an address change, the address should be treated as an approximate dating feature rather than an absolute production date.

From 1978 until approximately 2002–2003, the name Cacharel was normally enclosed within a distinctive elongated elliptical frame, sometimes called the Cacharel “cartouche.” Beginning around 2003, this enclosing cartouche was removed, leaving the Cacharel name printed without the surrounding oval design. Transitional packaging may exist, particularly when an older fragrance was repackaged or when unused boxes remained in stock.

CACHAREL name inside the "cartouche".

Barcodes began appearing on Cacharel perfume boxes around 1990, although adoption could vary according to the fragrance, package size and intended market. A box without a barcode is therefore likely to predate the early 1990s, while the presence of a barcode generally indicates packaging from approximately 1990 or later. The barcode alone cannot provide an exact year.

The Green Dot recycling symbol began appearing on Cacharel packaging around 1992, especially on boxes intended for European distribution. Its presence usually points to packaging from the 1990s or later, but its absence does not automatically prove that a box is earlier. The symbol was not required or used uniformly in every export market.

left: 1990 to 1992
right : since 1992

American packaging marked “Distributed by Cosmair, Inc.” generally belongs to the period before approximately 2000–2001. Cosmair was L’Oréal’s American licensee and distributor. Beginning around 2002, Cacharel boxes intended for the United States may instead be marked “Distributed by Luxury Products LLC.” These distributor statements are especially helpful when dating American-market bottles.

Ingredient declarations provide another useful dating aid. Around 1998, Cacharel boxes began carrying a short ingredients statement, usually listing only basic components such as alcohol, water and fragrance—often printed as Alcohol, Aqua/Water, and Parfum/Fragrance. Earlier boxes may carry no ingredients list at all.

Around 2004, longer ingredient declarations began appearing, including certain individually named fragrance allergens. By approximately 2005, boxes commonly carried a still more extensive list reflecting European cosmetic-labeling requirements, with substances such as limonene, linalool, citronellol, geraniol, citral and coumarin listed separately. These expanded declarations are useful for identifying twenty-first-century packaging, although the exact date of adoption may vary between fragrances and markets.

For the most reliable dating, collectors should compare several features together: the Paris address, Cacharel cartouche, barcode, Green Dot, distributor statement, ingredients list and batch code. No single packaging feature should be used in isolation, particularly because older cartons could be reused during transitional periods.

Batch Codes

A batch code, sometimes called a lot code or production code, is a short sequence of letters and numbers applied to a perfume bottle, box or both. It identifies the manufacturing batch in which the product was made and allows the manufacturer to trace production records for quality control. It is not the same as a barcode: a barcode identifies the fragrance, concentration and package size for retail purposes, whereas a batch code refers to a particular production run. On Cacharel packaging, the code may be printed, stamped, embossed or ink-jetted onto the bottom of the box and may also appear on the base of the bottle.

Cacharel batch codes generally follow the coding system used by L’Oréal and its former American distributor, Cosmair. The letter within the code advances from year to year. Certain letters—particularly I, O and Q—were normally omitted because they could easily be confused with the numerals 1 and 0. Once the end of the usable alphabet was reached, the sequence began again. Consequently, the same letter can represent more than one year, so the surrounding packaging must be examined to determine the correct decade.

The earliest Cacharel perfumes, dating from approximately 1978 through 1981, may carry four- or five-character numerical or alphanumerical codes that do not fit neatly into the later sequence. During the transitional period from approximately 1978 to 1985, Cacharel perfumes can be found with either five-digit codes or four-character codes of the later UAxx type. The letter-based sequence is clearly recognizable by 1982: UAxx corresponds to 1982, UBxx to 1983, UCxx to 1984 and UDxx to 1985. It continues with UExx for 1986, UFxx for 1987, UGxx for 1988 and UHxx for 1989.

The letter I was skipped, making UJxx the code for 1990 and UKxx the code for 1991. This period also coincides with the appearance of barcodes on Cacharel boxes. The following year, ULxx identifies 1992, around the time the Paris address changed from 14, rue Royale to 16, place Vendôme. These packaging changes help confirm the decade when a letter code might otherwise be ambiguous.

Beginning in the early 1990s, the codes generally became longer. UMxxx corresponds to 1993 and UNxxx to 1994. The letter O was omitted, so UPxxx represents 1995. The letter Q was also omitted: URxxx indicates 1996, followed by USxxx for 1997, UTxxx for 1998, UUxxx for 1999, UVxxx for 2000, UWxxx for 2001 and UXxxx for 2002.

The code UYxxx corresponds to 2003. Around this time, the elliptical cartouche surrounding the Cacharel name disappeared from the packaging. The letter Z was apparently not used, and the alphabetic sequence restarted with UAxxx for 2004. Because the letter sequence repeats, a code beginning with UA could represent either 1982 or 2004. The difference can be determined from the code length and packaging: a 1982 product generally has an early four-character code, the rue Royale address and older packaging, whereas a 2004 product generally has a five-character code, the place Vendôme address, a barcode and more modern labeling.

After the sequence restarted, UBxxx corresponds to 2005, UCxxx to 2006, UDxxx to 2007 and UExxx to 2008. The expanded list of individually declared fragrance allergens also began appearing during this period, providing another way to distinguish these codes from their 1980s counterparts.

Beginning around 2009, Cacharel codes may include an additional numerical prefix. Codes containing 38Fxxx indicate 2009, followed by 38Gxxx for 2010. For the next years, the significant year letter continues through the sequence: H indicates 2011, J indicates 2012 and K indicates 2013. The precise placement of the letter and the number of accompanying digits can vary, so the collector should identify the significant letter rather than expecting every code to have exactly the same arrangement.

Batch codes should always be interpreted alongside the fragrance’s launch date, address, logo, barcode, Green Dot, distributor information and ingredients declaration. A code cannot date a perfume to a year before that fragrance was introduced, and repeated letter cycles make packaging evidence essential for distinguishing an early bottle from a later reformulation or reissue.

• 1978
• 1979
• 1980
• 1981
• 1982 (UAxx)
• 1983 (UBxx)
• 1984 (UCxx)
• 1985 (UDxx)
• 1986 UExx
• 1987 UFxx
• 1988 UGxx
• 1989 UHxx
• (here the bar-code appears on the box)
• 1990 UJxx
• 1991 UKxx
• (changing address, from: 14, RUE ROYALE to: 16, PLACE VENDOME)
• 1992 ULxx
• 1993 UMxxx
• 1994 UNxxx
• 1995 UPxxx
• 1996 URxxx
• 1997 USxxx
• 1998 UTxxx
• 1999 UUxxx
• 2000 UVxxx
• 2001 UWxxx
• 2002 UXxxx
• (here the word CACHAREL loses the external "cartouche" drawing)
• 2003 UYxxx (UZ not used)
• 2004 UAxxx
• (here the long list of ingredients/allergens appears on the box)
• 2005 UBxxx
• 2006 UCxxx
• 2007 UDxxx
• 2008 UExxx
• 2009 38Fxxx
• 2010 38Gxxx
• 2011: letter H in the code
• 2012: letter J in the code
• 2013: letter K in the code

TUTORIAL PICS

(from Ebay) The first "Anais Anais" box
(end of Seventies-beginning of Eighties)
Note the CACHAREL logo moved on the right corner of the box

(from Ebay) the same first "Anais Anais box
Note the old address "14 Rue Royale"

(from Ebay) "Anais Anais" first box
with "Cacharel" logo on the right corner of the box

(from Basenotes.net) 
CACHAREL logo at the center of the box.

First Anais Anais box
with 5-digits batch-code

Pour Homme, batch UK5F = year 1990.

Cacharel pour Homme, batch UK0N, year 1990
(note the old address: 14 RUE ROYALE)

Cacharel pour homme,
batch UNxxx = year 1993
(address on box: 16 PLACE VENDOME)

LouLou EDP,
batch USxxx = year 1997

LouLou, batch USxxx, year 1997
(address: 16, PLACE VENDOME)

Anais Anais, box year 1997:
notice the address 16 place Vendome (since 1992)
notice the short list of ingredients (until 2005)
notice the Cosmair USA dist. (until 2000-2001)

Bottle year 1997: notice the batch-code USxxx on the label

(from Ebay) Eau d'Eden, launched in 1996
left bottle batch UWxxx = year 2001
right bottle batch UUxxx = year 1999

Nemo, launched in 2000,
batch UV139 = year 2000

Cacharel pour Homme,
batch UXxxx = year 2002

Cacharel pour Homme , year 2002
Still the "short list" of ingredients

Batch UXxxx = year 2002

GLORIA, batch UAxxx = year 2004

(from Ebay) Anais Anais
batch 38Fxxx = year 2009


Photos from my friend Andre Moreau, of the RaidersoftheLostScent blog.