Baccarat Rouge 540

In 2013, the Baccarat crystal works, founded in 1764, commissioned Francis Kurkdjian to create a perfume for its 250th anniversary. The perfumer drew on one of the manufacture’s secrets, rouge à l’or: mixed with 24-carat gold powder and heated to 540 °C, clear crystal takes on an intense red color.

The perfume came out in the fall of 2014 as a limited edition of 250 numbered crystal bottles. Kurkdjian says he sought a graphic formula, taut and condensed to the extreme; the house speaks of an eau de parfum that evokes both the transparency and the density of crystal.

From Baccarat to the house

The edition sold quickly. Kurkdjian gave a bottle to Kelly St. John, then head of beauty at the American department store Neiman Marcus; the compliments she received led her to suggest that he sell it. An agreement with Baccarat allowed him to take it over under his own name.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian, founded in 2009 by the perfumer and Marc Chaya, launched Baccarat Rouge 540 in its own bottle in January 2016. In March 2017, LVMH took a majority stake in the house, whose two founders kept their management roles and a share of the capital.

A phenomenon

The perfume became one of the best-selling in the world, carried by TikTok content creators. Its success spawned a host of inexpensive imitations, which buyers seek out as cheaper equivalents of the original.

The line has grown to include an extrait de parfum, body care and a candle. In 2025, Kurkdjian presented the Édition Millésime, an exceptional version housed in a red crystal bottle shaped by Baccarat’s artisans.