Is there any perfume more expensive than Jean Patou's 1000, which
sells for about $720/ounce?

http://www.escentual.co.uk/cgi-bin/Escentual.storefront/en/Catalog/100425

I remember buying 1/4 oz for my second wife in the mid 80s, and think
I paid about $100.

---

Clarification of Question by nautico-ga on 03 Jan 2004 12:55 PST

I'm interested in only off-the-shelf perfumes, not the made-to-order
variants that one might be able to order with assistance from Liz
Taylor.

nautico ?

The most expensive off-the-shelf perfume is apparently ?Clive
Christian No 1.?   A one-ounce bottle can be yours for $1820 from
Nordstrom (among other retailers).   Here is a link to the ordering
page on the Nordstrom Web site:
Nordstrom: Clive Christian No. 1
http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product.asp?StyleID=2790987&Category=&Search=True

Although this next offer doesn't really meet your ?off-the-shelf?
requirement, if you hurry you may still be able to get for $9000 one
of a hundred-bottle ?limited edition? of Clive Christian No. 1 that
was produced for the Christmas season with ?numbered flacons adorned
with gold and diamonds?:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Who Could Ask For Anything More (December 14, 2003)
http://www.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20031214fancygifts1214fnp5.asp 

I am reasonably confident that Clive Christian No. 1 is currently the
most costly ?off-the-shelf perfume available. First, as leader-ga?s
linked site indicates, the recent limited edition of Parfum V1 was
being offered to a limited number of potential buyers:
Sunday Business Post: Billionaires again invited to buy the world's
costliest perfume
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2002/08/31/story327025.asp

Also, my Google searches consistently returned sources supporting the
notion that Clive Christian No. 1 is the current champion.  Here are a
couple of examples of this corroborating evidence:

Fashion Windows: Clive Christian Introduces the World's Most Expensive
Perfume http://www.fashionwindows.com/beauty/2001B/clive_christian.asp

Hospitality Committee: United Nations Delegations: Auction
http://www.hcund.org/EVENTS/Auction%203.htm


Additional Information:

Clive Christian came up with really special batches of No. 1 for David
Beckham, Elton John and Queen Elizabeth II:

?COMMISSIONED: A one-off bottle of Clive Christian No 1 perfume, worth
about R430 000, by Victoria Beckham for her husband, David Beckham.
The scent is contained in a diamond-set crystal bottle.?
Sunday Times: South Africa: 12/29/02
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2002/12/29/news/news15.asp


?A quarter of a million dollars for a bottle of perfume? That's what
Elton John paid for bottle of Clive Christian No. 1 perfume in the
shape of a piano.  The perfume for men or women starts at $1,820 for a
1.5 oz bottle, and you can customize the bottle. Queen Elizabeth II
commissioned a $50,000 bottle in the shape of a crown.?
Arizona Republic: Special Gifts For That Someone (12/22/03
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1222sr-shocket22Z8.html	


Search Strategy:

I used several Google searches to gradually zero in on your answer,
including, among others:

?most expensive? perfume ?an ounce?
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22+most+expensive%22+perfume+%22an+ounce%22

?most expensive? perfume ?over the counter?
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22most+expensive%22+perfume+%22over+the+counter%22

?clive christian no. 1?
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22clive+christian%22+%22no%2E+1%22



I am confident that this is the information you are seeking.  If
anything is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating this
answer.


markj-ga

Well done and thank you!

According to Guinness Book of World Records, the most expensive
commercially available perfume is Parful V1.
Please log on to http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com. Type in
?perfume? in the search box and than see the second listing.

Parful V1 News release 
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2002/08/31/story327025.asp

nautico --

You're quite welcome, and thank you for the rating and the nice tip.

markj-ga

Hello nautico,

There is one more worthy nomination for the number one spot.  I lived
in Las Vegas when the article linked below came out in the local
newspaper, The Review Journal, about a local man who developed the
most expensive perfume in the world.

It's about a fragrance called "Xuvia," which costs $5,500 for a
1.7-ounce bottle.  This is a significantly higher cost for an
off-the-shelf perfume than $1,820 per ounce for "Clive Christian No
1."

It's available only at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Fashion Show mall in
Las Vegas.  It is very, very rare.  He limits sales to 300 per year to
ensure it will remain rare.

Read about it here:

Dollars and Secnts
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1997/Feb-14-Fri-1997/business/4862062.html
..."
      The Kinners established Jardin des Parfums (French for garden of
perfumes) in Las Vegas in 1994 and convinced Saks Fifth Avenue to be
the exclusive retail distributor of Xuvia.
      "Within weeks of its arrival, sales records were shattered in
three categories," Saks cosmetics manager Curt Cassels said of the
perfume. It's kept under lock in a special case at Saks.
      The fragrance was created for the Kinners by Florasynth
Laboratory in France. The Xuvia bottle was designed by Hannes
Kisslinger of Kisslinger Crystal House in Austria..."


Hope this helps...


~~Cynthia

Search terms used at Google:
"most expensive perfume in the world" "las vegas"

Thanks, Cynthia. It's always nice to have yet another exhorbitant choice.

WELL, I HEARD THE MOST EXPENSIVE PERFUME WAS FROM A FRENCH GRIFF, AND
THAT ONLY ONE ARABBEAN SHAKE USED IT...