Cruel Gardénia
Perfumer: Randa Hammami
356 ratings
From your scent profile
Guerlain Cruel Gardénia is a fresh, floral women's fragrance that most voters place in spring and summer, easy to wear through the day.
Skunky's take: A card-carrying member of the fresh club.
How does it perform?
From 283 community ratings, all out of 10.
Keeps you company for a few hours, a quick refresh fits nicely.
Leaves a light trail and stays polite in a crowd.
Talks even from the shelf.
The price makes you think, so a small size is a smart start.
Blind buy risk
77% of votes are positive and opinions barely differ.
Notes
They open one after another, from the first spray into the evening.
Top notesfirst 15 minutes
Heart notesfirst few hours
Base noteswhat stays into the evening
Accords
From most dominant to most subtle.
- Fresh
- Floral
- Green
- Sweet
- Woody
- Powdery
- Creamy
What does Cruel Gardénia smell like?
Its longevity and sillage are rated moderate. It leans towards daytime, leisure and office wear, and is picked less often for evenings and nights out. Most voters find it feminine.
It opens with Damask rose, peach and neroli, fresh and lightly sweet. In the heart, ylang-ylang, gardenia and white musk add a creamy, powdery softness. The base of sandalwood, tonka bean and vanilla dries down woody and sweet, with a green touch running through.
How it changes through the day
First minutes
- Damask rose
- Peach
- Neroli
First hours
- Ylang-ylang
- Gardenia
- White musk
Towards evening
- Sandalwood
- Tonka bean
- Vanilla
When to wear it?
Seasons and occasions, by user votes.
- 35%Spring
- 29%Summer
- 23%Autumn
- 13%Winter
- Daytime25%
- Casual22%
- Office21%
- Evening16%
- Nighttime15%
Least picked for nights out.
Smells like this
The closest scents by notes and accords.
61% matchNebesnyye Uzory / Небесные Узоры
Ladanika
60% matchL'Île aux Cygnes
Stéphanie de Bruijn · 2020
54% match3 - Neroli, Iris, White Musk
Rosendo Mateu - Olfactive Expressions · 2015
51% matchBlanc Violette
Histoires de Parfums · 2005
50% matchMimosa & Cardamom (Cologne)
Jo Malone · 2015
50% matchIris des Champs (Eau de Parfum)
Houbigant · 2014
49% matchEau de Lingerie
Guerlain · 2013
48% matchNoa (Eau de Toilette)
Cacharel · 1998
Comparisons
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Last updated: October 26, 2026























