For a long time, the second-hand market was ignored—even shunned—by the luxury sector. It existed, but it went unmentioned. Luxury houses viewed it from afar, with the kind of suspicion reserved for anything that escapes their control: pricing, brand image, rarity, and the narrative surrounding the products.
Then something changed. Not everywhere and not at the same pace, but in one sector in particular, the transformation is now complete. The watchmaking industry, in particular, has pursued this path, and examining it helps us understand the direction in which the perfume industry might be headed.
The watch has already changed its mind about the second hand
In 2025, sales of watches on the secondary market reached $16.7 billion—a 36.4% increase in just one year—according to the annual report by EveryWatch. Some industry analyses predict that, within the next decade, the pre-owned market could surpass the market for new timepieces.
More significant than the figures, however, is the shift in attitude among the watch brands themselves. In December 2022, Rolex launched its own official certified pre-owned program, “Rolex Certified Pre-Owned,” sold through its network of authorized dealers. For a brand built on absolute control over its image, this represented a major turning point. Rolex is not alone; other brands have either launched similar programs or announced plans to do so.
The message is clear. The secondhand market is no longer the place where luxury loses its value; it is one of the places where it proves its worth.
What did the fear stem from?
This wariness was understandable. The secondary market seemed to threaten three pillars upon which luxury relies.
The first is price: an item resold for less appeared to devalue the new version.
The second is the experience: the boutique, the service, the ritual of the purchase—elements that a private, peer-to-peer transaction cannot replicate.
The third is authenticity: wherever pre-owned goods circulate, counterfeits may also appear.
The watch industry discovered that these concerns could be turned to its advantage. A robust secondary market makes it clear how well an item retains its value over time, which in turn reassures those buying new. The experience can be recreated through guarantees and rigorous checks. And authenticity, when verifiable, becomes an additional selling point.
The perfume is years behind the times
In the perfume industry, this trend has yet to take hold. To date, there are no official resale programs launched by perfume houses; there are only a few initiatives for the promotional sale of surplus or unsold stock.
A secondary market does exist, but it operates entirely outside the brands’ purview.
The reasons for this are partly the same as those found in the watch industry, and partly unique to this sector. A perfume is not an object meant to be kept; it is intended to be consumed. Once a bottle is opened, it begins to change, and every spray reduces its contents. Factors such as light, heat, and the passage of time all come into play. For a brand, vouching for a used bottle would mean guaranteeing how it has been stored—a task far more complex than certifying a mechanical movement.
And yet, it is precisely these differences that make perfume such an intriguing case.
A market that already exists
The secondary market for perfume waits for no one’s permission. It has been thriving for years, driven by needs that the market for new products fails to meet.
There are discontinued perfumes—scents that the original manufacturer no longer offers, yet which some people continue to seek out. Then there are reformulations: fragrances that retain their name but have had their composition altered, often to comply with new regulations regarding ingredients. For those familiar with the original version, the only way to rediscover it is to find a bottle from that time. There are limited editions, collector’s bottles—even empty bottles, sought after for their design. And finally, there are perfumes still on the market, nearly full, left sitting in the closets of people who no longer wear them.
It is a market kept alive by memory. And, in a sense, it is the most complete archive of perfumery: the only place where one can still find—and smell—fragrances that the perfume houses themselves no longer produce.
What the secondary market can offer perfumery
If watchmaking teaches us anything, it is that secondary offerings do not diminish the value of luxury; rather, they extend it. For the world of fragrances, this could mean at least four things.
The memory of a perfume house. Every fragrance brand has a history that includes discontinued creations and reformulated versions. The secondary market is the place where that history remains accessible. This heritage—which currently circulates without the involvement of the brands themselves—could one day become part of their own narrative.
An entry point. Many people first encounter a perfume house through a second-hand bottle. It is a form of discovery, not competition. Those who have loved a vintage fragrance are often future customers for the new ones.
A value that is plain to see. When a discontinued fragrance is sought after, traded, and desired years after it has been taken off the market, the value of the brand becomes visible. It is the same mechanism that has proven effective in the world of watchmaking.
Tangible circularity. A bottle sitting idle represents a fragrance that no one is wearing. Bringing it back into circulation means reducing waste without the need to produce anything new. For an industry that increasingly talks about sustainability, this is an issue that is hard to ignore.
What does it take for this to happen?
In the watch industry, legitimacy was achieved when the secondary market proved capable of offering what the luxury sector demands: transparency, precise information, and trust.
The same applies to perfume, though with different specific details. Factors such as concentration and format, the amount remaining, the batch code, the condition of the bottle and box, and how it has been stored all matter. These are details that a generic listing rarely includes, but which a platform dedicated exclusively to perfume can systematically request.
This is the direction in which Sceido Perfume is heading: a marketplace dedicated exclusively to fragrances, where every listing is built around what matters to someone buying a perfume.
Fear or waiting?
Has the luxury sector, as a whole, stopped fearing the second-hand market?e
In the world of watchmaking, the answer is yes—a fact confirmed by the market year after year.
In the realm of perfumery, however, the question remains open.
Perhaps it is no longer fear, but rather a state of anticipation. The secondary market for perfume is growing on its own, driven by collectors, enthusiasts, and anyone searching for a fragrance that is no longer in production. When the luxury houses finally decide to take notice, they will find a market that is already well-established—and they may well discover that it preserves a piece of their own history that they had previously let slip away.