Cruel Gardénia
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- Authentic original perfume
- Try before the full bottle
- Travel-ready 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
- Long-lasting scent
Cruel Gardénia by Guerlain builds its signature bloom from fruit and white flowers, since the flower itself cannot be captured directly. Peach, rose and neroli open it juicy and bright, closer to ripe fruit than to a bloom. Violet and ylang-ylang fill the heart, powdery and a little heady, with musk keeping it soft. Tonka bean, vanilla and sandalwood settle the base into something warm, sweet and faintly woody. Composed by Randa Hammami and Sylvaine Delacourte and launched in 2008, its fruited take on white flowers suits men and women, with sweetness that never turns thin. Voters wear it in spring and autumn, through the day and into the evening. The longevity vote leans long-lasting and the sillage vote leans moderate, present without demanding attention. A 3ml decant tests that fruit-and-powder balance for yourself.
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Due to high demand, quantities are limited.
89% sold
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30-day money-back guarantee
Try it worry-free. If the scent isn’t for you, tell us within 30 days and we’ll refund your order.*
50,000+ scent lovers and counting
The community verdict
Violet and musk give Cruel Gardénia a powdery, white-floral heart after peach, rose and neroli; vanilla and sandalwood follow in the dry-down. Long-lasting is the leading view on wear, with moderate next, while projection divides between moderate and strong. It suits spring days; autumn evenings work too.
Summarised with AI from perfume-community reviews
- Heartafter a few minutes
- Basewhat lingers
- Brand
- Guerlain
- Perfumers
- Randa Hammami and Sylvaine Delacourte
- Scent profile
- Unisex
- Launched
- 2008
- Decant sizes
- 3ml, 10ml
We ship across the EU. Orders over €75.00 ship free. Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery.
Guerlain Cruel Gardénia, hour by hour
How it opens, settles and lingers on skin.
Peach and violet dusted with powder, sandalwood under the mirror.
Main accordswhite floral, powdery, musky, sweet, woody
What you smell
First spray0–15 min
Heart15 min – 2 h
Dry-down2 h – 7–12 h
- Lasts
- 7–12 h
- Long lasting
- Sillage
- Moderate, 2 of 4
What wearers say
Votes from fragrance communities, most-voted answers first.
Longevity252 votes
Most voted: 44%Long lasting
28%Moderate
Sillage225 votes
Most voted: 40%Moderate
38%Strong
Season210 votes
Most voted: 43%Spring
26%Autumn
Time of day185 votes
Most voted: 41%Daytime
30%Evening
See all votesHide votes
Longevity252 votes
- Very weak5%12 votes
- Weak14%35 votes
- Moderate28%70 votes
- Long lasting (Most voted)44%110 votes
- Eternal10%25 votes
Sillage225 votes
- Intimate16%35 votes
- Moderate (Most voted)40%90 votes
- Strong38%85 votes
- Enormous7%15 votes
Season210 votes
- Spring (Most voted)43%90 votes
- Summer21%45 votes
- Autumn26%55 votes
- Winter10%20 votes
Time of day185 votes
- Daytime (Most voted)41%75 votes
- Office19%35 votes
- Evening30%55 votes
- Night out11%20 votes
Which size is right for you?
Every size is decanted from the same original bottle.
At 3 sprays a day.
Loved by 50,000+
Why scent lovers try it with us before they buy the bottle.
Hand-decanted from the original bottle
Decanted by hand from authentic bottles, never diluted.
Wear it for days before you commit
Live with it at work, at night and at the weekend before you buy a full bottle.
Just like the full bottle
A fine-mist atomiser sprays like the original, so it opens, projects and lasts on your skin the way the full bottle does.
10ML vs a blind buy
What a decant gives you that a bottle bought unsmelled can’t.
Why 10ML?
Blind buy
Authentic original perfume
Yes
Yes
Smell it on your skin before you buy
Yes
No
Try several scents for one bottle’s price
Yes
No
Travel-ready atomiser
Yes
No
No full bottle wasted if it’s not for you
Yes
No
If you like Guerlain Cruel Gardénia
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Layer it with
Chosen for jasmine, amber and cardamom, notes that often share a formula with its ylang-ylang, rose and tonka bean in the perfumes we stock.
Guerlain
Cruel Gardénia layered with
- Save 38%
- Sale · 10% off
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The house
More from Guerlain
Guerlain dates back to 1828, when Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain began making scents in France, and the house has been polishing one warm, powdery signature ever since. Vanilla, iris and tonka bean run through the range, brightened by bergamot and settled on sandalwood. Start with Shalimar Eau de Parfum: sparkling citrus that sinks slowly into amber and vanilla. Mon Guerlain wraps lavender in a soft vanilla haze, while La Petite Robe Noire is dark cherry with a sugared edge. For something lighter, Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic is fresh and green. Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk are among the perfumers credited on the range here.
Frequently asked questions
What does Guerlain Cruel Gardénia smell like?
Guerlain Cruel Gardénia opens with Neroli, Peach and Rose. The heart brings Musk, Violet and Ylang-Ylang. It dries down to Sandalwood, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Shoppers on fragrance communities describe its main accords as white floral, powdery, musky, sweet and woody.
Is Guerlain Cruel Gardénia long lasting?
Shoppers on fragrance communities most often rate its longevity as long lasting (44% of votes), and 54% rate it long lasting or eternal. They most often rate its sillage as moderate (40% of votes). How long it lasts on you also depends on your skin and how much you apply.
Is Guerlain Cruel Gardénia good for summer?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rate it most for spring, but summer still takes 21% of season votes.
Is Guerlain Cruel Gardénia good for winter?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rarely pick it for winter: only 10% of season votes go to winter.
Is Guerlain Cruel Gardénia for day or night?
Shoppers on fragrance communities wear it day and night alike: 59% of time-of-day votes are for daytime or the office, 41% for evenings and nights out.
Can I wear Guerlain Cruel Gardénia to the office?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rarely pick it for the office: only 19% of time-of-day votes go to the office.
Who makes Guerlain Cruel Gardénia?
Cruel Gardénia is made by Guerlain. Its perfumers are Randa Hammami and Sylvaine Delacourte. It was launched in 2008.
How many wears is a 10ml decant of Guerlain Cruel Gardénia?
A 10ml decant of Guerlain Cruel Gardénia holds about 200 sprays, roughly 67 days of wear at 3 sprays a day. The 3ml decant holds about 60 sprays, around 20 days.
Which other Guerlain perfumes can I try?
Besides Guerlain Cruel Gardénia, 10ML has Shalimar Eau de Parfum, Mon Guerlain and La Petite Robe Noire from Guerlain, each decanted from the original bottle.
Is this Guerlain Cruel Gardénia decant the original perfume?
Yes. Every Guerlain Cruel Gardénia decant is filled by hand from an original Guerlain bottle, with nothing added or diluted, so it opens, dries down and lasts on your skin the way the bottle does. We sell only authentic originals.
What is a decant?
A small amount of a perfume, taken from its original bottle and put into a travel atomiser. You get the real fragrance in a size that lets you live with it for days before you decide on the full bottle.
How does the money-back guarantee work?
If a scent isn’t right for you, get in touch within 30 days of it arriving and we’ll arrange a refund. Terms apply. See our refund policy.