Why is Creed fragrance so expensive?


Image of Creed fragrances

Let’s talk about Creed fragrance. It’s popular. Its aroma is incredible. It’s expensive. Yes, it has the sort of price tag that drives people to ask if it is really worth the price. Let’s find out if it really is.

Why is Creed fragrance so expensive?

For a fragrance to command a high price several factors must come into play: it must be successfully marketed to arouse interest, it has to have a delicious aroma, and people must be convinced that it’s worth paying a lot of money for. To an extent, clever marketing, packaging, and reputation are key.

Owning a House of Creed fragrance is as much a status symbol as owning a Ferrari or a Tiffany diamond. The company has successfully produced and marketed perfume and cologne for which people are absolutely prepared to pay high prices.

The Creed factory resides in Fontainebleau, France, and uses hand-picked, rare ingredients from exotic countries as a basis for all its fragrances. Each fragrance is hand-crafted using traditional infusion techniques to ensure each fragrance is always high quality. This attention to detail comes at a price.

Is Creed fragrance worth the money?

Let’s say you enter a store, sample a Creed fragrance, and are enchanted by its fragrance. You look at the price tag, consider the impact on your wallet, and decide to pay the price. You then enjoy wearing it every day and feel no other fragrance has ever suited you better. Then to you, Creed is absolutely worth the price. And that is all that matters.

If you could establish the price of each individual ingredient within a fragrance, the price of the bottle and packaging, the cost of the labor to produced it in the first place, I doubt you would reach an amount anywhere near that on the price tag.

When you purchase a Creed fragrance it is simply worth what you are prepared to pay for it. It seems with Creed, even if some people aren’t convinced it is worth the money, enough people are which is why it sells so successfully at the high prices on the tags – has been doing so for many years.

Creed fragrances – whether you choose cologne, aftershave or perfume – certainly look like they are worth every penny. They are beautifully packaged in bottles designed by the French glassmaker Pochet de Couval, emblazoned with the Creed log of a knight on horseback. Each fragrance smells like it is worth the price too and the strength of its high-quality ingredients means it lasts longer on your skin, so a small application goes a long way making a bottle last a lot longer than you might think.

Can you buy Creed fragrances any cheaper?

Creed fragrances are not generally discounted and House of Creed does not authorize discount sellers, so beware. Be on high alert for the fact that it might be a fake product if you find it for sale a lot cheaper than the usual price. Protect yourself and only buy Creed from a reputable seller.

Creed doesn’t sell samples so be wary if you are offered any for sale. Don’t trust decants either. There is no way of knowing that an unsealed product is genuine. You will pay less for these but the amount you get is ounce for ounce more expensive than a whole bottle.

An example of how to get genuine Creed fragrance as cheap as possible

A good way to get Creed at a cheaper price is to find several friends who like the same fragrance and buy a bottle between you. Then carefully decant it yourselves into small, clean sealable bottles. You might even be able to get empty Creed bottles from an auction site such as eBay.

The larger the bottle you buy, the cheaper per 100 ml a Creed fragrance costs.

Image of Creed Aventus

For example, how to get genuine Creed Aventus at a much cheaper price:

These are the retail prices from the official Creed online boutique

Size (ml)PriceEquivalent
Price per 100 ml
1000$1600$160
500$1055$211
250$670$268
100$435$435
50$325$650

As you can see, the cheapest price you’ll pay for Creed Aventus is $325 for 50 ml. However, the larger the size you buy the better value.

Imagine if I told you it is possible to get 100 ml of genuine Creed Aventus for $160 – that’s twice as much fragrance as in the smallest 50 ml bottle for less than half the price!

Here’s how you do it:

  • Find 9 people who, like you, also want to buy cheaper Creed Aventus
  • Collect $160 from each of them and add in $160 yourself
  • Buy a 1000 ml bottle of Creed Aventus for $1600
  • Buy 9 screw-top bottles that can hold 100 ml of fluid (for about $12) and a small funnel (a pack of 5 costs about $3) – total outlay $15 (don’t forget to charge your friends $1.50 each for these)
  • Carefully decant 100 ml of Creed Aventus into each of the 9 bottles (it’s a good idea if someone holds the small bottle to steady it)
  • Give your 9 friends their 100 ml each and keep your 100 ml in the original bottle – after all, you did all the leg work!
  • Keep the fragrance box somewhere safe
  • When you have used all of your share of Creed Aventus, eBay the empty bottle and box. You could get anything from $20 to $70 for it
An image of small glass bottles

Decant Sellers

If you can’t find enough friends to buy and share a bottle of Creed with, there are online sellers who do exactly what I’ve described above. They buy the 1000 ml bottles and decant them into smaller sizes.

To give you an idea of the price difference, here is a table compiled from a typical decant seller’s price list for Creed Aventus.

Size (ml)PriceEquivalent
per 100 ml
5$26$520
9$41$456
30$120$400
50$200$400

As you can see, a 50 ml decant of Creed Aventus will cost you $125 less than a factory-sealed bottle.

If you do buy any Creed fragrance by this method, check out reviews of the seller first. Remember your fragrance will not be in a sealed bottle and you have no way of knowing how old it is.

Creed clones. Are they any good?

If you think Creed fragrances are overpriced and feel decants are too expensive for you, there are some decent clones on the market. Obviously, they are not Creed but are a good alternative for those on a budget or those who don’t believe in paying extortionate prices for fragrance.

You can find fragrance clones online. Again, check out the companies credentials and reviews before you buy. Make sure you have tried a sample of your chosen Creed fragrance at a perfume counter so you know what to expect when your clone arrives.

Some of the best clones on the market

1. Creed Aventus alternative

Released in September 2010 as part of the celebrations for Creed’s 250th anniversary, Aventus is one of the most popular Creed fragrances on the market today.

Image of Club de Nuit fragrance

One of the most talked-about alternatives to Creed Aventus is Armaf Club De Nuit Intense Man. At about one-tenth of the price of Aventus per 100 ml, you won’t feel a huge pain in your wallet when you purchase it.

Many people claim this fragrance is very similar to Creed Aventus and say it is strong and long-lasting. This just one of many great Creed clones.

2. Creed Royal Oud alternative

Creed Royal Oud was launched in 2011 and is another well-loved fragrance. It contains sweet oud, an extract taken from rare agarwood trees found in certain areas of India. Oud’s rarity explains the high price tag.  

Image of Lomani Black Intense

Lomani Intense Black is an extremely good-value fragrance with very good reviews, many happy that it is very similar to Creed Royal Oud at a fraction of the price. 100 ml of Royal Oud commands a price of $525, whereas Intense Black is less than 4% of this amount. It is bold but not overpowering and at this price, a little difference in aroma can surely be forgiven.

3. Creed Green Irish tweed alternative

Launched in 1985, Green Irish Tweed is one of the older Creed fragrances. It has a classic fresh and woody aroma that never seems to date.

Image of Tres Nuit fragrance

Armaf Tres Nuit is a perfect alternative to Creed Irish Green Tweed and costs a snip of the price. It seems Armaf has the knack for producing similar smelling fragrances to the Creed favorites. Whereas 100 ml of Green Irish Tweed will set you back $415, you’ll pay less than 10% of this for Tres Nuit – a price that will surely help you not to take much notice of any little difference in the smell.

Conclusion

Creed fragrances are expensive but if you love them then treat yourself to your favorite. There are many ways to spend your hard-earned cash and everyone is entitled to spoil themselves now and then. Is Creed worth the expensive price tags? Yes, if you are prepared to pay the price for something you really want and if it makes you happy to do so.

Final Warning

Only buy Creed and Creed decants online from a reputable seller with good reviews and feedback. After all, at those prices, you don’t want to end up with a fake!

Jane Pettitt

Hi, I'm Jane. I've had a passion for perfume since the age of 18. Purelyfragrance.com answers popular fragrance-related questions and contains guides to all sorts of perfumes, colognes, and fragrances for men and women. I write at home surrounded by cats (we have 4 at the moment) and also blog about these and other pets on petskb.com.

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