tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post5890892089851174831..comments2024-03-21T00:17:37.281-07:00Comments on sherapop's salon de parfum: Is this Creed a Fake? An essay in applied epistemologyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-91918667342840306232017-05-06T09:25:34.526-07:002017-05-06T09:25:34.526-07:00oh please,stop these annoying is this creed fake p...oh please,stop these annoying is this creed fake posts. Buy from a licenced sellerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-34121700593898272632015-08-11T03:26:16.289-07:002015-08-11T03:26:16.289-07:00The essay considers a question: "Is this Cre...The essay considers a question: "Is this Creed a fake?"<br /><br />No one claimed that "It must be a fake."<br /><br />You might want to work on your reading comprehension skills. Maybe give the post a second read and write up an outline of the main points?<br /><br />Just a friendly suggestion, Anonymous...sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-10919914226570182092015-08-08T10:30:44.326-07:002015-08-08T10:30:44.326-07:00As someone who has worked for Creed in previous ye...As someone who has worked for Creed in previous years and been fully trained on the line, the author is paranoid and not educated on how to validate a Creed Perfume. The perfume in these photos is NOT fake and I can guarantee it to be authentic. Typical mass hysteria like the uneducated people that aren't aware that Creed has also changed its perfume caps twice (the newest authentic caps don't have Creed written on them). I can't stand people who lack any knowledge and just assume "It must be fake." Totally idiotic and damaging to the brands reputation. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-8196582624681215902014-09-03T16:10:08.834-07:002014-09-03T16:10:08.834-07:00What a strange story, Jean Holman! Thank you for s...What a strange story, Jean Holman! Thank you for sharing your experience! <br /><br />It sounds as though the seller must have had a whole palette of the wrongly boxed bottles, otherwise why not simply remove them from the box? Let's see, would that have made the bottles more or less likely to be accepted as genuine? I'd say more, since genuine testers are definitely out there. <br /><br />It's kind of baffling, actually, now that I think about it, since I presume that most people would interpret the wrong box as clear evidence of fakery...sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-57108660254500976012014-09-03T07:58:13.303-07:002014-09-03T07:58:13.303-07:00I bought a 4 oz. bottle of Creed Silver Mountain W...I bought a 4 oz. bottle of Creed Silver Mountain Water this year from an obscure internet source because it was a fraction of the cost. It was an experiment, because the price was so low I thought it probably would be a fake or have some other problem. Interestingly, when I got it, the box said Green Irish Tweed. I didn't open it (wrapped in celophane) because I was going to return for the correct fragrance, but when e-mailed, the seller told me that the correct scent bottle was inside. The reason for the price was that the boxes had been mixed up by Creed. Upon opening, it was the correct bottle inside, and the fragrance was genuine Silver Mountain Water. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03187547076422825579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-61041709126638983232013-09-25T16:50:05.363-07:002013-09-25T16:50:05.363-07:00As far as I know, "gray market" just mea...As far as I know, "gray market" just means part of the discount emporium circuit. They generally trade in authentic perfume, but occasionally they'll wind up with a shipment of fakes (from the black market--where full-fledged fakes are fabricated from start to finish, including packaging). <br /><br />However, the discounters I've dealt with have generous and liberal return policies, as in the case of the one from which I bought the Tabarome shown in the images above. Gray market to me connotes an indirect line to usually genuine perfume, with a few exceptions now and then--so no guarantee of authenticity, but a willingness to accept returns for a full refund. The gray marketers would not be in the business of producing packaging, of course, so if the "toilet water pgs" is not found on genuine Creeds, then that would reveal that the provenance was really black market.<br /><br />Hmmm.... so, again, I am sorry but I do not know about the "toilet water pgs" text--if you call Creed, please let us know what they say! ;-)sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-58144957992864692982013-09-25T16:04:27.039-07:002013-09-25T16:04:27.039-07:00Thank you for your reply Shera Pop.
Yes, I don&#...Thank you for your reply Shera Pop. <br /><br />Yes, I don't doubt Neiman Marcus sells authentic Creed parfum. It is interesting that there were 2 batch codes printed/etched on the bottle.<br /> <br />I also wanted to let you know, regarding the link Bryan Ross sent you listed above (on a real Creed, albeit GIT but still authentic none the less). The link states that the box has the words Millésime on the front of the box and MILLESIME on the back without the acute accent (accent aigu - é) to throw off counterfeiters. However my VIW has the accent aigu on the front and back. It also lists the date 1760 under the creed logo on the front but not on the top of the box. My box also has the lower case lettering on the top of the box. Additionally, the folio insert, mine is flat grey card stock. It is not grained (darker paper fibers visible in the card stock). It also lists the logo and then the date 1760 in gold. Not the words "more than a hunderd years of experience". The story has these words "favourite" and "travelling" which are spelled with the Kings English or UK English not American English. Also in the second sentence my folio has "court of England" not "Court of England", and the names in the first paragraph reflect "Joseph and Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary" with the name Elisabeth spelled with an 's' vs 'z'. And that is the folio out of a Neiman Marcus purchased bottle. I even went back to check out the folio in 2 other bottles same size and Nordstrom before I posted this. These changes are also the same on Royal Oud. <br /><br />These are interesting observations. Probably why when you call Creed they don't specifically say this is right or wrong, but rather the only way to know you have authentic product is to purchase from a Creed Boutique or an authorized retailer (Sak's, Bergdorf Goodman, Barney's, Neiman Marcus, select Nordstrom, Harrod's, and Holt Renfrew, ) <br /><br />That said, I have heard of people getting authentic product with arabic folio's and words printed on the bottle "toilet water pgs". I was wondering if you know if that is truly authentic or grey market and if grey market is likely just = to fake? Because the only place to buy Creed I thought was in Dubai at the Creed Boutique.<br /><br />Thanks for your input and helpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-27795050634522235652013-09-25T07:24:52.869-07:002013-09-25T07:24:52.869-07:00Hello, Anonymous, and thanks for stopping by.
I a...Hello, Anonymous, and thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />I am sorry but I do not have answers to your questions. My understanding is that Creed frequently changes their packaging and modes of authentication, so it is possible that the unmatching numbers are a part of some arcane system comprehensible only by the people at Creed. I recommend that you call the Creed boutique directly and ask them your questions. In my experience, they are very friendly and helpful and are willing to converse at great length with customers about these matters.<br /><br />All of that said, Neiman Marcus is definitely one of their official retailers, so I'd be surprised if they ended up with any fakes, since being an official retailer means that the connection is direct, with no potentially corruptible intermediaries (middle men), at least as far as I know...sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-18500069873212786812013-09-24T21:01:30.235-07:002013-09-24T21:01:30.235-07:00I just ran into this blog and thread on Creed. I h...I just ran into this blog and thread on Creed. I have some questions for you.<br /><br />I own a few creeds. My 2.5 oz VIW (purchased in 2013) has 2 different lot numbers etched on the bottle, one is etched at the little rim at the bottom, the other just above it above the rim, and it was purchased from Neiman Marcus. One lot number matches the bottom of the box the other matches nothing. I made Neiman's open a few boxes of VIW to compare this oddity. They had 5 that had the same 2 lot batch number etchings, the rest were all on the rim.<br /><br />Is this one of the things that doesn't make sense with Creed fragrances? <br /><br />Also - here is a question for you: what about the wording: "toilet water PGS" etched on a Creed. Is this a sign of a fake? My Googling efforts indicate a thread on basenotes which states that "toilet water PGS" is authentic but a grey market fragrance. Is grey market = to fake? <br />Additionally, I have heard of some Creeds folio only coming in Arabic. Is this a sign of a fake? <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-60969504719962796092013-04-24T04:58:29.092-07:002013-04-24T04:58:29.092-07:00I was under the impression that fakes were general...I was under the impression that fakes were generally made through dilution with solvents of a real Creed. This would produce a soupçon of the real perfume, but it would lack oomph and longevity. Depending on the solvents used, it could smell awful or just weak... <br /><br />Fakers are in business for reason--it's profitable--so some of what they do must fool someone, no? ;-)<br /><br />sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-35423949477161020262013-04-24T04:26:55.606-07:002013-04-24T04:26:55.606-07:00Hello, heperd, and welcome to the salon de parfum!...Hello, heperd, and welcome to the salon de parfum! <br /><br />You have raised some excellent questions. It is indeed possible, I suppose, that I tested Vintage Tabarome. However, my sample came from an authorized dealer (Parfums Raffy), and in a Creed-produced and labeled vial (I had purchased their sample sets). <br /><br />I wrote the above review in 2010, so it's been nearly three years. I do own that any number of things could have happened, including reformulation. The most important point is that I was dissatisfied with the juice and would never, ever have worn 120 ml of it, so I needed to return the bottle, as I did.<br /> <br />Based on my prior experience, I believe that the bottle was a fake, but the emporium fully refunded my money with no questions or hesitation whatsoever, and they also paid for the return shipping. I suspect that it went back onto the shelf and out to another customer who had never smelled Creed Tabarome before and was likely satisfied with the purchase. I do not wish to reveal the name of the store because I am convinced that it was a fake and that this happens all the time. My advice remains: <br /><br />Caveat Emptor!<br /><br />People need to know that these discounters will and do refund money when customers are dissatisfied. I think that some customers probably "settle" for what they get because they think that since it's a discounter they should not complain. Not true. Their customer service (and this holds for all of the discounters which I regularly use), in my experience, is just as good as that at Amazon (which is superlative, in my experience). <br /><br />So I'm not going to name the name, but simply advise people who are skeptical about the authenticity of whatever they buy--or dissatisfied in any way whatsoever--to use that 1800 or 1877 number and talk to a customer service representative. They will be happy to comply with your request for a return. I have had problems in the past with already sprayed (supposedly) new bottles, etc., and I have never had a problem in securing a replacement or a refund.<br /><br />Thanks for weighing in, heperd! Let me reiterate that I agree that it is possible that the bottle was not fake, but I believe that it was.sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-21174306670264583212013-04-23T23:09:02.986-07:002013-04-23T23:09:02.986-07:00Also, fake Creeds smell like disgusting poison. So...Also, fake Creeds smell like disgusting poison. So if it smells good at all then it is real.heperdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15301233715318671929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-7542951190955462032013-04-23T23:06:32.619-07:002013-04-23T23:06:32.619-07:00If you would say where you bought it then that wou...If you would say where you bought it then that would provide even more evidence that it is not fake, which it is not. Just allude to where you bought it. Pig Latin..... I have seen the green Tabarome before also so that isnt strange. Different batches have different colors. How long ago did you test this one? Are you sure you were not testing Vintage Tabarome, which is a completely different fragrance?heperdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15301233715318671929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-82720985559905470612013-04-19T17:45:25.149-07:002013-04-19T17:45:25.149-07:00Let's calm down, shake hands, and agree to dis...Let's calm down, shake hands, and agree to disagree on the question whether it is okay to like the films of Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, and whether one must consider their checkered personal histories in evaluating their films. <br /><br />I invite you to move over to the new lexicon entry (#11) about utilitarianism, which just went up today.sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-9961020611502405352013-04-19T15:14:39.161-07:002013-04-19T15:14:39.161-07:00When it comes to Polanski, even the woman he alleg...When it comes to Polanski, even the woman he allegedly assaulted does not want him to be prosecuted. I understand she likes his movies, however. The man is, by all counts, an affirmed genius. Love his films.Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-6297732088711146922013-04-19T11:47:54.284-07:002013-04-19T11:47:54.284-07:00My own approach to works is to evaluate them indep...My own approach to works is to evaluate them independently, as objects in and of themselves. A film is a film, with its strengths and weaknesses altogether distinct from those of its creator. <br /><br />A propos of Polanski: if you're going to bring in his history, why not also the fact that his bride-to-be, Sharon Tate, was brutally massacred by the Manson family? That's no excuse for his later behavior, of course, but I'm just saying that people become what they become for all sorts of reasons inaccessible to me. That's why I stick with the works. I am not in a position to judge human beings.sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-15337031152136668882013-04-19T11:02:31.440-07:002013-04-19T11:02:31.440-07:00It's always refreshing to admire the work of a...It's always refreshing to admire the work of a pedophile. I'm sure you think Polanski is a genius too. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-23542325089610131482013-04-18T12:39:19.174-07:002013-04-18T12:39:19.174-07:00That was a great movie. But Allen always defers to...That was a great movie. But Allen always defers to the Greek tragedy model of morality, in which the villain appears to get away with murder, but ultimately suffers his excruciating conscience, almost to the point of insanity. Match Point was another example of that. <br /><br />It's too bad we don't have movie blogs!!!Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-55545253120815135392013-04-17T20:21:36.612-07:002013-04-17T20:21:36.612-07:00Thanks, Bryan, point well taken.
Of course, when...Thanks, Bryan, point well taken. <br /><br />Of course, whenever we talk about criminals we can only name those who have been caught. The successful ones are to all appearances not criminals. I cannot resist bringing up another movie example (especially since I know in an advance that you'll be familiar with any example which I might adduce! ;-)).<br /><br />Let's take Judah from Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors". From the film, we know that he has embezzled money, and he hired a hitman to "take out" his mistress not only because she was threatening to reveal their affair to his wife, but also because she knew about his financial "indiscretions". The mistress gets whacked; Judah continues on in his position as a highly esteemed member of the community and an admired ophthalmologist. <br /><br />So there's an example for you. He's clearly not stupid. He's clearly a criminal, and he never gets caught. We cannot draw upon such examples in reality because those people are not known to be criminals because they haven't been caught, and we do not have the privileged narrator's (filmmaker's) perspective on them. <br /><br />Anyway, we are basically in agreement here. Thanks again so much for your contributions to this entire discussion, which I've really enjoyed and found most fruitful! sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-43550186134580674172013-04-17T19:21:15.855-07:002013-04-17T19:21:15.855-07:00But Sher, every one of the criminals you've me...But Sher, every one of the criminals you've mentioned, including Harry Lime and the dopers, got caught - and the free ride thing only works so many times before you get caught at that, too. Getting caught in any capacity, even with light consequences, is part of being a criminal - to truly succeed at breaking the law, you must be someone who eludes that which is not actually law, but which people suppose should be law, i.e. someone like Anne Frank. The Nazis attempted to make laws that the greater population deemed unfit for humanity, and Ms. Frank rightfully bypassed all of them, before being caught and sadly dying from typhus. <br /><br />But I understand what you mean regarding the intelligence of the criminals - intellectually, some of them are not actually stupid people. But the state of being a criminal is intrinsically stupid, low on intellect, at least in my opinion. And it is true that the ones who fall faster are those who got high on their own worth and let their guard down. Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-90796286030427224762013-04-17T17:56:22.624-07:002013-04-17T17:56:22.624-07:00Thanks for these additional thoughts, Bryan.
I t...Thanks for these additional thoughts, Bryan. <br /><br />I think of criminal behavior along the lines of the "free rider" problem. The free rider jumps over the subway gate and rides free, but this is possible only because most everyone else pays. More generally, criminals succeed to the extent to which they do because they violate rules which most everyone else follows. To take a closely related example, the reason why athletes involved in doping scandals are regarded as dishonorable is because they did not play fair. In the case of mercenary criminals, I suspect that they think of themselves as particularly savvy businessmen. Think of Harry Lime in The Third Man, who regards his penicillin racket as a clever scheme for taxfree income. Such criminals think of themselves as extraordinarily clever, but in reality they are simply cheaters. Certainly some of them are stupid, as you say. Perhaps even many of them.<br /><br />Now think of Ponzi operators such as Madoff. For decades the guy was riding high on his wave of success, no doubt thinking that he was ingenious for having "outwitted" his investors. These sorts of people violate society's presumption of trust, and that is the only reason why they succeed. Left to their own devices, playing by the rules which everyone else follows, they would not have enjoyed the same success.<br /><br />So when I said that the criminals who never get caught are not stupid, that's what I mean. They know how far they can go before they must stop. The others all fall because they become less vigilant, plumped up as they are by their sense of their own power and success to that point.sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-2298549562986865162013-04-17T17:37:33.219-07:002013-04-17T17:37:33.219-07:00I don't know Sher, the way you're putting ...I don't know Sher, the way you're putting this, it makes me think of the question, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?" Criminal behavior is, in my mind, stupid regardless of whether they get caught. Everything comes with a price, especially success, and that includes success in criminal endeavors. By counterfeiting Creed, buying real Creeds has become a wider-spread customer focus, and as places like Walgreens peddle their wares to millions, faking suddenly becomes more difficult because customers have been buying the real thing in greater numbers, directly against the tide of counterfeiting. <br /><br />In recent months I find myself encountering fewer and fewer "is this Creed fake" threads than of years gone by . . . I can only conclude it is because people are finally getting enough experience owning multiple bottles of the genuine article that the old tricks are gradually losing their impact on the grey market. Some of the fakes are so obvious that it really does boil down to someone completely ignorant of what the product is as the only likely victim. <br /><br />I've always felt that criminals approach things from the vantage point of assuming that people are basically dumb enough to fall for anything. It's about insulting people's intelligence. That's why assuming that a complex Creed package design would "confuse customers" is a criminal premise, not a civilian viewpoint. People are smarter than that, and when they ask questions they're learning from their mistakes (hence all the wisely-posted "is this fake" threads). <br /><br />Ultimately it comes down to what I said in one of my earliest comments - experiencing a Creed is a synaptic reflex akin to recognizing pornography - "you know it when you smell it." You have experience with Creed, and your doubt about the smell is what makes me pause as to whether or not they sold you real juice. The packaging is real, but the fragrance itself was likely tampered with or very old. A fresh, genuine Creed is unmistakable in quality and complexity, and you can bypass all kinds of question marks by just spritzing once and giving it a minute on skin. <br /><br />Bigsly mentioned earlier on my blog that he swapped for a GIT that had faulty atomizer "tubing" - another mark of a genuine Creed. My GIT's atomizer leaked profusely from the seams for the first twenty or thirty sprays, immediately out of the box. Peruse the boards and find similar experiences by owners of real Creeds. so it's kind of funny to say it, but if you know Creed well enough you also know to look for their flaws! If your bottle is leaking or having atomizer issues, congrats!<br /><br />In any case, reading responses to this article has been very interesting. Good points regarding the counterfeiting of feminines btw - it would be funny to find Spring Flower containing Chelsea Flowers!<br /><br />One last thing - there are a few threads on BN about lot numbers being "solved" and people figuring out how to interpret their batch using the code. I believe they're on to something, but none of it has ever been conclusively backed up by Creed, so it's a little hard to say how much accurate info can be gleaned by lot numbers. I think the year of the batch is the most likely outcome of these interpretations, but there's more to it than that. Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-66799364500517169082013-04-17T17:01:35.519-07:002013-04-17T17:01:35.519-07:00"Criminals are inherently stupid."--well..."Criminals are inherently stupid."--well, except the ones who never get caught! ;-)<br /><br />This reminds me of a quote from the series "Homicide". I believe that the wording was: <br /><br />"Crime makes you stupid."<br /><br />In the episode where this was said, the person in question had obviously done massive amounts of drugs and seemed to be completely fried. But I'm not so sure that it would be true in general. Savvy drug dealers, for example, don't touch the stuff they sell...<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for all of these points, Bryan. I completely agree with your concluding statement:<br /><br />"Customer ignorance is what allows the crooks to get away with it."<br /><br />No question about that!sherapophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116821928196122529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-29421089877852614992013-04-17T16:54:34.336-07:002013-04-17T16:54:34.336-07:00Bigsly makes an interesting point, but it's ea...Bigsly makes an interesting point, but it's easy to disprove. Creed boxes never change dramatically, they change subtly, and the changes are consistent throughout the range. How long they last depends on how long the company desires a certain design to remain in place. Owning older and newer Creeds, I can say for certain that spotting a fake is made easier by paying attention to the details. I spotted one recently at a brick and mortar store in CT that was not obviously fake at a glance, but all you had to do was read the French spelling mistakes. <br /><br />The idea is to use MANY elements in packaging, as opposed to just a few, but these elements are not so complicated that they can't be summed up in a single thread post, as I've linked to above. With counterfeiting you're dealing with criminals. Criminals are inherently stupid. They often fail to pay attention to basic things, like spelling, exact coloring, embossing. A good design integrates these elements in a direct, recognizable manner.<br /><br />Customer ignorance is what allows the crooks to get away with it.Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2106815346229702986.post-83655133742807651002013-04-17T16:48:48.879-07:002013-04-17T16:48:48.879-07:00Counterfeiters counterfeit products that make the ...Counterfeiters counterfeit products that make the most money. They don't put their overhead into products that are slow sellers. No profit in that. Therefore it's easy to conclude that roughly half the Creed line see little to no counterfeiting, and what counterfeiting is done is likely poor enough for a five year-old to spot. Counterfeiting is more than just swapping genuine juice out for Windex. They go to great lengths (and some considerable expense) to re-create the bottles, atomizers, boxes, etc. No brainer here.Bryan Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180684622117941496noreply@blogger.com