You would be hard-pressed to find a more devoted Guerlain lover than me. I also happen to adore white florals in all shapes and forms—jasmine, tuberose, seringa, gardenia, frangipani, magnolia. However, my first impression when I smelled Cruel Gardénia from the L’Art et la Matière collection was utter disappointment. Where is gardenia, I wondered? Sure, it flits through the top note, but the floral impression that lingers is that of orange blossom and ylang ylang wrapped in a cloud of hedione (airy and diffusive jasmine material). Nevertheless, it is very elegantly constructed, and I do not want to dismiss it altogether, even if I miss the intoxicating gardenia. …
Cruel Gardénia was created by perfumer Randa Hammami of Symrise, and I appreciate the difficulty of the task. Consider the fact that not a single fragrance on the market named Gardenia actually smells like the flower in nature. Chanel Gardénia is really a jasmine. Floris Gardenia is an indistinct white floral. Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion is a green tuberose. Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia is dominated by tuberose as well, but on the blotter and for the first hour on the skin, it is the truest gardenia encountered in perfume.
While Cruel Gardénia does not live up to its name, it is a well-done floral with a beautiful natural effect of a creamy flower. The musky backdrop captures that elusive shower clean freshness, the scent of skin that still carries the scent of soap and talcum powder. I can see a glimpse of apple blossom in the floral accord, whereas the heady glamour of gardenia continues to elude me. It is pretty and demure, a vision in pink cashmere and pearls. I admit that it is lovely and comforting, but perhaps the main problem is that I do not find Cruel Gardénia to be particularly memorable. It is so unobtrusive that I forget about its presence.
Cruel Gardénia includes notes of damask rose, peach, neroli, violet, ylang ylang, white musks, tonka bean, vanilla and sandalwood. Available from Guerlain boutiques and Bergdorf Goodman.
We are agreed, Vika-
This is gorgeous, but surely neither cruel, nor very gardenia...
[I bought the TF VG myself- it feels very true !]
Still, it is a lovely scent of great balance and beauty.
Posted by: chayaruchama | May 07, 2008 at 06:21
I agree, but I think it is such a very elegant scent, I can't help but love it. :-)
Posted by: Marina | May 07, 2008 at 06:43
Chaya, I love Velvet Gardenia, which is such a ravishing fragrance. It seems to require a red lipstick, white silk gown and a mother-of-pearl cigarette holder (even though I do not smoke and have few gown occasions these days.)
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 07, 2008 at 08:35
Marina, you are in good company, because Sophia G. liked it too. :) I was complaining about its lack of gardenia, but as she put it, it is very well-done and has a very pretty creamy effect.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 07, 2008 at 08:40
hello, has there ever been a perfume with "true" gardenia scent?
Posted by: diane | May 07, 2008 at 09:42
Diane, Velvet Gardenia is the closest one. The problem is that gardenia essence cannot be extracted from the flower and most approximations remain just that--approximations.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 07, 2008 at 09:49
I agree. It's a soft, lovely, barely memorable floral musk. Well done with a modern elegant edge, but I don't think I would purchase a whole bottle of it.
Hugs!
Posted by: violetnoir | May 07, 2008 at 11:47
Hi, V!
I have a general white floral question. Magnolia and seringa sometimes apppear among flowers listed as "white" and sometimes not. I`m not sure what to make out of that. Setinga is a species of lilac, AFAIK. Does lilac count among white florals, too? As for magnolia, I have little experience with this note, so I don`t know if it generally has typical white floral qualities.
Also, do honeysuckle and wisteria count among white florals? (My Olene says "yes", loudly.)
Posted by: benvenuta | May 07, 2008 at 13:21
Off topic here, but could you recommend a nice lilac fragrance that doesn't smell like room freshner? Thank you!
Posted by: Cara | May 07, 2008 at 14:14
We don't have it here yet, but after reading your review I am dying to smell it. I also love gardenia.
Posted by: Sveta | May 07, 2008 at 14:40
Cara, you must be my perfume twin. :) I love lilac and I search for one that doesn't smell too much like soap. So far I found Yves Rocher Lilas which I liked.
Posted by: Sveta | May 07, 2008 at 14:51
Sveta, hey, what perfumes do you wear? Maybe, you are my fragrance twin. I will try YR Lilac. Thank you for a recommendation.
Posted by: Cara | May 07, 2008 at 14:57
I'm only starting to collect perfume so I am new to this. I have L'Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillon, Nina, Chloe, Yves Rocher Lilas and some testers of Russian perfumes. I try to sample a lot for now. I think that I like flowers, fruit notes, nothing with too many woods. I also like sweet perfumes, but my boyfriend doesn't like when I wear anything sweet.
Vika, what do you think of Yves Rocher Gardenia?
Posted by: Sveta | May 07, 2008 at 15:18
I receive many compliments on this fragrance, especially from my husband. He so rarely compliments my fragrance anymore, but he comments whenever I wear Cruel Gardenia. It is just gorgeous.
Posted by: Silvana | May 07, 2008 at 16:17
Victoria,
What do you think about Isabey Gardenia for a truer gardenia scent?
Posted by: CindyN | May 07, 2008 at 21:10
Victoria, thank you for your message. I replied but did not work again. I also like to send you an interview, a pod casting that JCE talks about his new scent.
Kaori
Posted by: k-amber | May 07, 2008 at 23:28
R, I agree, I will maybe use my decant from time to time, but I certainly do not need a bottle. For now, I will enjoy TF Velvet Gardenia whenever I need my gardenia fix.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 08:47
B, love your questions like this. :) In some ways, white florals is a poor descriptor, because it means so many things to so many people. In general, flowers with indolic notes are included in the list as well as flowers in jasmine family (olfactively speaking, of course, not botanically). These flowers, besides jasmine, are orange blossom, tuberose, ylang ylang, frangipani, gardenia--very lush, heady and rich. Magnolia is heavily indolic, so it is a contender, but it also depends on how it is rendered.
Seringa (or seringat) is not related to lilac, although the confusion might spring, because syringa is the Latin name for lilac. Seringa/seringat (Philadelphus) is a type of flower that has a strong orange blossom-jasmine scent: http://hortiauray.com/seringat.htm In Ukraine, it is the plant we would call jasmine.
In general, lilac is considered to be too green to be a proper white floral.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 08:58
Cara, my favorite lilac is En Passant. I also like the lilac note in Caron Fleurs de Rocaille.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:00
Sveta, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:02
Sveta, Yves Rocher used to have a lilac I loved, but I do not see it in their range anymore. Maybe, it just got repackaged as Pur Desir Lilas.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:04
Sveta, it does not really smell like Gardenia to me, more like a creamy, peachy floral. But it is pretty.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:06
Sveta, also, looking at your list of favorites, have you tried L'Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillon Extreme? I smelled it recently and was surprised by its big tuberose-gardenia note. Maybe, it might be a nice one for you to smell, esp. if you like the original.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:07
Silvana, I am sure that it is beautiful on you. Enjoy it!
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:08
Cindy, I did not care for Isabey Gardenia, to be honest. Somehow, I found it very sticky for a gardenia, which has a very fresh, and yet heady scent. The more I smell Velvet Gardenia and compare it to the scent of flowers in nature, the more I am convinced that it might be it as far as gardenia goes. At least, for now. :)
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:11
Kaori, I am sorry, I am not sure why it is not working. Maybe, there is some encoding that yahoo does not accept. I will try my work email.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 09:17
I haven't sniffed it yet but I was surprised when I glanced at the bottle - for a minute I thought you'd confused images and put a L'Artisan shot in there! They seem very similar,at least per this photo, which would be odd for Guerlain to do.
Posted by: Musette | May 08, 2008 at 09:35
Musette, do you mean L'Artisan summer bottles with pumps? Guerlain bottle is flat, rectangular with a pump atomizer. Looks nice, but the sprayer is just annoying.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 08, 2008 at 10:02
Vika, privet i spasibo! I will try your recommendations. I am just afraid that La Chasse Extreme is too tuberose. I like only when there is a little bit of it. Maybe I will like Cruel Gardenia too if it isn't too strong. I like white flowers like the ones you list before, but if they are too strong, they give me a headache. I don't know, I still must smell more.
Posted by: Sveta | May 08, 2008 at 10:09
I lurk here, but this is my first time commenting. Thank you for reviewing Cruel Gardenia. I myself cannot make up my mind about it. It is too bland, and I love fragrances with some drama. Did you try the three new Dior fragrances? As my moniker would tell you, I love everything Dior!
Posted by: Dior_Lover | May 08, 2008 at 10:19
I've lurked on this lovely blog for a long time but felt tempted to respond today as I so want to try this one but unfortunately live far from a Guerlain boutique...I felt my heart sink reading the first paragraph! Being a white flower fan this has been one of my biggest lemmings since I first read about it on here. So disappointed to hear it seems to be a misnomer. I have been struck by how many ostensibly gardenia scents are anything but - Chanel Gardenia contains a great deal of tuberose, to my nose, and I agree with the others you mentioned.
I do love your blog- I have learned such a lot from reading it!
Posted by: Mimi | May 08, 2008 at 10:39
Hmm, it sounds nice, but hardly gardenia and hardly cruel. I hate it when the names are misleading. On the other hand, I did not sniff Velvet Gardenia yet. Black Orchid turned my stomach so I avoided the rest of Tom Ford line.
Posted by: Linda | May 08, 2008 at 10:44
Sveta, I also like La Chasse and I also don't like too much tuberose. :) I don't have a lot of perfumes, but reading blogs and perfume forums like MUA and Basenotes is really stoking my interest in fragrance. Of course, my wallet is now lighter too! LOL!
Posted by: Cara | May 08, 2008 at 11:03
Victoria, thank you! I will add En Passant to my list of perfumes to sample.
Posted by: Cara | May 08, 2008 at 11:24
Ah well, another gardenia which isn't, really... But it sounds pleasant enough for me to try out, if the local department store has it. Thanks for the review.
I recently found an old Demeter Gardenia spray at the back of the cupboard. I assume it's by Christopher Brosius. It starts buttery, then becomes a lovely warm floral scent. Of course, being Demeter, it doesn't last long. But I think it's quite close to the 'real deal'. Has anyone smelled that one?
Posted by: Tarn | May 08, 2008 at 12:11
Back to lilac (syringa NOT seringa)...the plot thickens...because the "philadelphus", what you say in the Ukraine is called jasmine, is commonly called "mock orange" here in the US. Kind of comes full circle, no?
Just got the Yves Rocher lilac, and will try. There is a Caswell-Massey which gets the traditional lilac scent pretty well, also. (Nothing complex about it, just the smell of lilacs.)
Posted by: Shelley | May 08, 2008 at 12:18
Cara, I know! It's dangerous to read reviews. The moment I read I want everything. I live far away from good perfume stores so it's sometimes difficult to get samples.
Posted by: Sveta | May 08, 2008 at 15:53
Victoria,
I am not exactly sure what caused me to make the connection - perhaps it's the gold-tone strip down the side of the bottle with the little ??? at the top of it - just very reminiscent of L'A packaging, at first glance. Bottle shape is different and I hadn't even taken the sprayer into consideration - btw, why is it annoying? I sort of like bulb sprayers if it's integrated into the bottle shape. Seems to me they work a bit better with shorter bottles.
Posted by: Musette | May 08, 2008 at 16:12
Sveta, it is not too strong, but maybe if tuberose in La Chasse is just enough for you, then the Extreme version might be too much.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 08:39
Dior Lover, which three new ones do you mean? La Collection Particulière? I did sample it when it first came out, but I did not return to it subsequently. The fragrances are beautiful, but I did not find them beautiful enough to justify the price tag.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 08:41
Mimi, thank you for visiting. I had very high expectations for Cruel Gardenia. However, I am rediscovering Tom Ford, and Velvet Gardenia is a great gardenia contender. If you have not tried it yet, definitely do, especially if you like gardenia.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 08:43
Linda, I agree, cruel it is not!
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 08:45
Cara, you are welcome. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 08:46
Tarn, I did not smell Demeter Gardenia, but I have tried other Demeter floral fragrances, and they did good renditions.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 09:00
Shelley, you are right about mock orange. I completely forgot about that name. Makes sense, as it is such a beautiful blend of orange blossom (Concord grape part) and jasmine (heady, fruity, animalic). When I worked in Warsaw a couple of years ago, I used to buy small bouquets of it for my hotel room. The memories that this scent brings are just wonderful.
Caswell-Massey Lilac is a very nice. I used to have soap and body cream. I should probably revisit it again soon.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 09:04
Musette, I can see how that might be the case, especially with the background image. The sprayers are annoying, because they hardly spray anything and they leak. Now you have a choice of replacing a pump sprayer with a regular one, which works much better.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 09:11
Dear Victoria, Your lovely review has beckoned me to the Guerlain to buy Cruel Gardenia . I find it missing the gardenia - but whatever it has that tuberose topnote -I love it . Just as Guerlain Spirituese Double Vanille was my winter signature =I feel that this one Cruel Gardenia Will be my Spring- Summer favorite. Creamy , soothing , with a spike of tuberose to heighten my senses-is what comes to mind.
I instantly was taken with it - I cannot deny my feelings for it. Oh well hear goes $225. Thank You for this beautful review.
Posted by: Madelyn E | May 09, 2008 at 15:06
Madelyn, it is creamy and comforting, definitely very gentle and soothing. I like it delicate composition, although for me I still missed some drama. However, one does not always need drama, right? :) Today, for instance, I wish a had a decant of it in my purse.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 09, 2008 at 20:10
I would like to hear what is your favorite Guerlain fragrance for men? Thanks.
Posted by: Peter | May 12, 2008 at 09:22
OK, I will give Tom Ford a go. You've convinced me. :)
Posted by: Linda | May 12, 2008 at 10:01
Peter, I especially like Vetiver, Derby, Habit Rouge and L'Instant pour Homme.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 12, 2008 at 21:47
Linda, please do! I would love to hear what you think of it.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 12, 2008 at 21:47
Adding very late: I completely agree. If Velvet Gardenia is too much for me (see above), this is way too little. Pink cashmere and pearls, indeed!
Posted by: Judith | May 17, 2008 at 07:39
Judith, miles away from Ford, isn't it? :) Yes, that is just too tame, even if pretty.
Posted by: Boisdejasmin | May 18, 2008 at 10:33