Why is Baccarat Perfume So Expensive?

  • By: Ash Iris
  • Time to read: 3 min.

Top Notes of Supple Saffron and Sweet Jasmine meet the boldly poetic Middle Notes of Ambient Amberwood and Ambergris. Finally finished off with Woodsy Bottom Notes, Fir Resin, and Cedar. 

Sound familiar?

The peculiar combination of scents may leave you guessing, but it’s become one of the most iconic premium perfumes released in the last ten years. Baccarat Signature and only scent, Baccarat Rouge 540. A decadent, coveted aroma with an even more opulent brand behind the scent. However, what makes Baccarat Rouge 540 so extravagantly priced? 

Baccarat’s grandiose pricing of their well-desired Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau De Parfum is often perceived to have everything to do with the luxury brand’s name. It is most likely due to the use of Ambergris, an extremely favored stabilizing ingredient in some of the most expensive perfumes on the market.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau De Parfum Spray, 2.3 Fl Oz

Brand Origin to The Recognition of Today

The exclusivity of Baccarat’s deluxe prices dates back to their humble beginnings of 1823 in the quaint Eastern France town of Baccarat. Then commissioning hand-made crystal glass chandeliers for The Royals, Baccarat’s true international recognition came in 2015.  

The exclusivity of Baccarat and its prices came from hiring internationally acclaimed perfumer Francis Kurkdijan who initiated it all. 

The Baccarat team initially brought on Francis to create a highly scarce fragrance of only 250 to be sold at the premium price of 4800 USD a piece in 2015. The inventive fragrance encapsulated in hand-produced French crystal glass bottles made it irresistible to both glass and perfume collectors. 

Baccarat underestimated its clientele, thinking the 250 bottles would last six months, was sold out in under one.

The rise to high esteem was not just Baccarat’s doings but Rihanna’s. A brief mention on the red carpet, boasting it was her favorite perfume, sent Rihanna’s Army on social media into overdrive, needing to know what Rihanna smelt like. 

Soon, the perfume overtook social sites—many searching high and low to get a whiff of this pricy perfume. 

Descriptions of the aroma alongside reviews were remarkably akin to one another. All were directing the intense Baccarat Rouge 540 to a smell only of pure wealth with your body devoured in diamonds while wearing the most exquisite imported silk standing atop the Eiffel Tower, viewing the city of Paris on a clear summer night. 

Baccarat Rouge 540 became the selling of what a social class living a lavish lifestyle might smell like, rather than just another couple hundred dollar perfume. 

Quality & Price

The signature essence of Baccarat is offered only in two varieties; Classic Eau De Parfum and Rare Extrait De Parfum. 

Extrait De Parfum is extremely special. 

Costing at a premium, the potency of these elixirs has a 20 – 40 percentile of oil concentrate, adding to the longevity and intensity of an already profoundly deep perfume. The exorbitant price of 640 USD for the largest, most popular 200 ml bottle is seemingly more than what its counterpoints prices are set, but this perfume becomes even more phenomenal.   

An exceptionally well-sought-after stabilizer is added; Ambergris. 

A Sperm Whale’s natural secretion found on The America’s, Bahamas, and Asian beaches is highly favored to be on the ingredients list for grandeur perfumes. Selling for a minimum of 10,000 USD a pound will raise the cost of any product with this additive.                                                   

But does any of this justify Baccarat perfume being so expensive?

Closing Thoughts

Baccarat is a renowned France-based crystal glass manufacturer, historically a brand bankrolled by Royalty. 

You’re paying a hefty price for the perfume behind hundreds of years worth of craftsmanship and many compliments to come.

The price point may be a deterrent for the general population. Still, with the cult following surrounding Rouge 540, I don’t think most would pass up an opportunity for at least a whiff of this worshiped fragrance.