For a limited time, Guerlain has launched “Les Réserves de Guerlain” on its website—a selection of unsold products from its ateliers offered at special prices, rather than being withdrawn from the market.
This selection features brand-new, flawless products—surplus stock from past collections or items discontinued to make way for new formulas. These are not “seconds” or imperfect goods; they are creations that meet the Maison’s exacting quality standards and retain their full efficacy. Availability is inherently limited—sales are strictly based on current stock.
The initiative also features a reusable recycled-cotton pouch instead of traditional packaging, and a pledge to donate 10% of the proceeds to the Terre de Liens Association, which supports the establishment of organic farmers in France.
A choice in line with the new regulations
The timing is no coincidence. On July 19, 2026, the first European ban on the destruction of unsold goods comes into force, and France has for years already required companies to find a use for their surplus stock.
Guerlain openly states that the project also responds to an evolving regulatory framework.
–> The AGEC Law: Unsold Goods Shouldn’t Be Thrown Away, They’re Recirculated
The AGEC Law (law no. 2020-105 of February 10, 2020, Anti-Gaspillage pour une Économie Circular) is the French law against waste. The section that concerns household goods is Article 35, incorporated into Article L.541-15-8 of the Environmental Code.
In practical terms, this mandates that producers, importers, and distributors of new non-food products intended for sale must repurpose, reuse, or recycle their unsold stock, adhering to a specific hierarchy. First comes repurposing (*réemploi*)—meaning the product continues to serve its original purpose, typically through donation to associations or social economy organizations. Next is reuse. Then recycling. Disposal—via landfill or incineration—remains an option only as a last resort, subject to justified exceptions (such as hazardous or perishable products, or materials that cannot be recovered).
It is not, therefore, an absolute ban on destruction, as is often claimed; rather, it is a management obligation based on a hierarchy of priorities, with criminal and administrative penalties for non-compliance. Cosmetics fall within the scope of new non-food products.
The figure that explains the regulation: according to ADEME, unsold non-food goods in France are worth over €2 billion annually after stock clearance operations. 15% of these were destroyed—and destroying them generates up to 20 times more emissions than reusing them.
–> The ESPR: mandatory transparency and an expanding ban
The ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, EU Regulation 2024/1781) has been in force since July 2024 and covers virtually every physical product placed on the European market. Regarding unsold goods, it requires three things:
- Prevention (Art. 23): all operators must take reasonable measures to avoid the destruction of unsold products. The issue must be addressed upstream, at the planning stage.
- Disclosure (Art. 24): Large enterprises that discard unsold goods must publicly disclose the quantities, weight, reasons, and method of treatment. Destroyed unsold stock becomes a public figure, presented in a standardized format.
- No destruction (Art. 25): starting July 19, 2026, large enterprises may no longer dispose of unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear. Medium-sized enterprises are subject to the rule from 2030, while micro and small enterprises are exempt.
The ban currently covers textiles, not cosmetics; Guerlain is not yet required by Brussels to refrain from destroying a bottle. However, the ESPR is a framework regulation, and product categories will be expanded through subsequent delegated acts—under a work plan extending to 2030. Companies establishing sustainable channels for disposing of unsold stock today are doing so ahead of future mandates.
Overproduction is therefore no longer merely an internal cost that can be quietly absorbed. It has become a regulatory issue—and will soon be a matter of public record. Consequently, luxury houses are building channels to recirculate their remaining inventory.
What Guerlain’s choice really says
Le Réserves confirms three things that the pre-owned market has long known:
- More is produced than is sold. If there are reserves substantial enough to justify a dedicated sale, the volume of unsold stock is not an anomaly—it is structural. An entire warehouse of perfectly intact products already existed, and it had no designated destination.
- A discontinued product does not lose value. Guerlain itself states that the formulas replaced by the new innovations retain their full value and effectiveness.
- The full price is not a property of the product. It is a commercial decision linked to the stage of the life cycle. When the cycle concludes, the same item has a different value.
The same principle, from the bottom up
The private resale market has for years been doing what a major fashion house is now presenting as a new initiative: putting existing products back into circulation instead of letting them sit idle.
There is, however, a difference in scale. Guerlain’s reserves are a warehouse; private reserves consist of shelves, closets, and boxes scattered across Europe—yet they are made of the same material: intact bottles bought but never finished, unopened gifts, and formulas no longer in production. It is a case of overproduction that reached its destination only to sit there unused.
When a historic fashion house declares that extending the lifespan of its products is a value, it is publicly legitimizing the logic underpinning the second-hand market. It’s worth taking her at her word.
Long live perfumes.