Guerlain 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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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
- Decant sizes
- 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
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.
Longevity
Most voted: 44%Long lasting
Sillage
Most voted: 40%Moderate
Season
Most voted: 43%Spring
Time of day
Most voted: 41%Daytime
See all votesHide votes
Longevity, 252 votes
- Very weak5%12 votes
- Weak14%35 votes
- Moderate28%70 votes
- Long lasting (Most voted)44%110 votes
- Eternal10%25 votes
Sillage, 225 votes
- Intimate16%35 votes
- Moderate (Most voted)40%90 votes
- Strong38%85 votes
- Enormous7%15 votes
Season, 210 votes
- Spring (Most voted)43%90 votes
- Summer21%45 votes
- Autumn26%55 votes
- Winter10%20 votes
Time of day, 185 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.
Your 10 ml decant, next to the original bottle
Every perfume we sell is the authentic original, decanted from the perfume house’s own bottle.
We buy our bottles from authorized EU distributors and directly from the brands, and 10ML decants every perfume itself.
Choose 10mlLoved by 50,000+
Why scent lovers try it with us before they buy the bottle.
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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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.
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Guerlain Cruel Gardénia in plain words
What it smells like, how it wears and who it suits.
What it smells like
Juicy peach and soft rose open it gently, then violet makes a powdery, white-floral heart. It ends creamy and warm with vanilla and smooth woods, soft and quietly sweet in the dry-down.
How it wears
The perfume community reports long-lasting wear, with moderate next, and projection that divides between moderate and strong. It stays soft yet noticeable.
When to wear it
Wearers pick it for spring days, with autumn next, and mostly for the daytime, though evenings work too.
Who it suits
Suits men and women who like soft, powdery white florals with a creamy finish. It is gentle and polished, a good match for those who prefer a delicate style.
Similar perfumes at 10ML
- Xerjoff Gibeon: shares the neroli and tonka bean that give it a soft, creamy glow
- Initio Parfums Privés Lift Me Up: shares the ylang-ylang and tonka bean that add a creamy floral warmth
- Atelier des Ors Iris Fauve: shares the violet and rose that make it powdery and floral
Sizes and price per ml
At 10ML, Guerlain Cruel Gardénia comes as 3ml for €18.81 (€6.27/ml), 10ml for €49.32 (€4.93/ml) and 30ml for €122.40 (€4.08/ml).
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. The 3ml decant holds about 60 sprays, around 20 days. The 30ml decant holds about 600 sprays, around 200 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.
Is Guerlain Cruel Gardénia fresh or warm?
Closer to warm and soft: peach, violet and musk give a gentle powder, and vanilla, tonka and sandalwood finish it creamy rather than crisp.
Can women and men wear Guerlain Cruel Gardénia?
Yes: it is a unisex fragrance, and its soft white floral, powder and vanilla are gentle rather than clearly masculine or feminine.
Where can I buy Guerlain Cruel Gardénia as a decant?
At 10ML: Guerlain Cruel Gardénia comes as a 3ml, 10ml and 30ml decant, filled by hand from an original bottle. The 10ml decant costs €49.32 (€4.93/ml), and 10ML ships across the EU.
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.