Hey there! Welcome to my best gardenia perfumes review for 2023.
After hours of researching and testing, I narrowed my list to five of the most favored perfumes with gardenia as the most prominent scent accord. These perfumes were made with high quality ingredients, are long lasting and leave a delicate trail.
These are by far the best gardenia perfumes of the group.
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a wonderful gardenia perfume. This list includes more affordable options as well. Your gardenia perfume also doesn’t have to smell heady. I’ll be sharing selections that are well balanced and delicate.
Ready to captivate passersby with the elegant aroma of gardenias?
Let’s dive in!
The 5 Best Gardenia Perfumes
Gardenia is one of the most recognizable floral fragrances aside from rose and jasmine. It’s a sweet, velvety fragrance that’s also fresh and sharp. Similar to rose, gardenia can quickly become an unattractive scent if just a little too much of it is added to a fragrance blend.
My hope is that this list only contains gardenia perfumes that you find irresistible.
1. Best Designer Option: Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum by House of Gucci
- Launched by the design house of Gucci
- Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum is a delicious potion of joy built around the Gardenia flower blended with solar Jasmine absolute, cheerful Pear Blossom accord and sweet Brown Sugar accord
- English (Publication Language)
Year Released: 2021
Fragrance concentration: Eau de parfum
Fragrance family: Floral
Best seasons: Spring, summer, early fall and winter
Ideal occasion: Day fragrance
Longevity: 5+ hours
Bottle size: 100 mL (3.3 fl oz)
Approximate price: 💲💲💲
Described by Gucci as “delicious, gorgeous, and joyful,” Flora Gorgeous Gardenia is part of their Flora Collection. Each scent is like a garden in a bottle.
And this bottle is beautiful. Made of 10% recycled glass, this soaring vertical bottle is coated in pink lacquer. Its ribbed gold cap adds a touch of prestige.
The pattern printed on the bottle label was first created by illustrator Vittorio Accornero in 1966. It’s been modernized for their current campaign.
In keeping with its floratopia theme, the first top note is a blossom accord. Italian mandarin and red berries all work together to give you a delightful first impression.
At the heart of this fragrance of course is white gardenia along with jasmine absolute and frangipani. These are the three most dominant scents. Brown sugar and patchouli make for an earthy but sweet dry down.
Sillage is memorable, but the trail isn’t very long. Longevity is underwhelming for an eau de parfum, especially at this price point. Flora Gorgeous Gardenia is an intimate fragrance best worn on warm days in spring and summer.
Pros
- Perfect for floral lovers
- Well balanced formulation
- Truly lovely scent
- Gardenia notes aren’t cloying
Cons
- Somewhat costly
- Poor performance
2. Most Elegant and Timeless: Tuberose Gardenia Eau de Parfum by Estée Lauder
Year Released: 2007
Fragrance concentration: Eau de parfum
Fragrance family: Lush Floral
Best seasons: All seasons
Ideal occasion: All day
Longevity: 6+ hours
Bottle size: 30 mL (1 fl oz)
Approximate price: 💲💲
Part of Estée Lauder’s Private Collection, the bottling for this fragrance is exquisite. Wider than it is tall, its base is made of thick walled glass. The subtle creamy hue of this eau de parfum is visible from its wavy glass body. A rectangular hammered metal cap beautifully tops off this presentation.
Aerin Lauder reformulated the Private Collection as a tribute to her grandmother, Estée Lauder. Gardenias and tuberoses were their favorite flowers.
This fragrance has floral notes from beginning to end. At the start, you’ll encounter neroli, lilac, and rosewood.
Citrusy and aromatic, neroli smells like a honeyed orange ripening on a tree. Similar to jasmine with its sweetness, lilac also lends powdery notes. Brazilian rosewood is at once woody, floral, and spicy.
As the scent evolves, tuberose, gardenia, orange blossom, jasmine, and white lily come to the fore. Continuing with citrusy floral sweetness with the addition of creamy and earthy white floral notes.
Spicy, floral carnation notes and vanilla bourbon bring this scent experience to a close. Although there are many floral notes, this scent is still light enough to wear in close-quartered environments without creating a headache for others.
Although Tuberose Gardenia’s bottle is less expensive than the House of Gucci’s Flora Gorgeous Gardenia, you’ll also be getting a third of the amount of fragrance. So, in terms of value for your dollar, this scent does not win that competition.
But this is a timeless fragrance that fits most, if not all occasions, so you can get a lot of use out of it, and its longevity is more enduring than Flora Gorgeous Gardenia.
Pros
- Captures the true essence of gardenia
- Timeless, classic fragrance
- Good longevity and long sillage
- Light scent that won’t overwhelm
Cons
- More costly per mL/oz
- Longevity could be improved
3. Most Romantic and Luxurious: Florence Eau de Parfum by TOCCA
- ABOUT FLORENCE: Florence is a classic floral fragrance that captures your effortless charm. Inspired by the style and sophistication of the city of Paris, Florence is a chic blend of bright bergamot, lush pear, and delicate gardenia.
- CLASSIC FLORAL SCENT: Sophisticated, romantic, and timeless featuring key notes of Bergamot, Pear, Gardenia; It is a timeless indulgence you’ll fall in love with again and again.
- FRAGRANCE SPRAY: Layer this beautiful fragrance with our dry body oil and hand cream
- TIMELESS: Encased in a dramatic 1920s inspired cut-glass bottle, the beautiful presentation makes this the perfect gift for someone special, even yourself!
- TOCCA: Celebrating timeless beauty and old-world European charm, TOCCA invites you to indulge and Love Yourself.
Year Released: 2006
Fragrance concentration: Eau de parfum
Fragrance family: Floral Fruity
Best seasons: Spring and summer
Ideal occasion: Day
Longevity: 5+ hours
Bottle size: 50 mL (1.7 fl oz)
Approximate price: 💲💲
Romantic charm in liquid form, primary scent notes are bergamot, gardenia, and pear. This is an indulgent fragrance that doesn’t overstep.
Poured into the traditional 1920’s style TOCCA spherical fluted glass bottle with a thick base, creamy-hued liquid peeks through. As a nod to classic charm, a decorative brushed metal oval cap embossed with low relief filigree completes the look.
Florence opens with a blend of pear, bergamot, grapefruit leaf, and apple. Although it’s fruity, the freshness of grapefruit leaf and aromatic bergamot notes make for an attractive introduction to this fragrance.
Gardenia is joined by tuberose, jasmine, violet leaf, and iris in the middle layer. Violet leaf continues to carry the freshness of the first layer and iris adds more aromatic as well as powdery notes. Jasmine and tuberose are often joined with gardenia to balance out its pungency.
Soft white woods and musk close out this elegant fragrance that will last on your skin for at least five hours, but often longer. Still, the longevity of this fragrance isn’t as strong as expected for an eau de parfum, although Florence’s sillage is quite memorable.
Pros
- A very special scent
- Perfect for warmer days
- Lovely old world fragrance
- Fruity notes add complexity
Cons
- Limited seasonal use
- Underwhelming longevity for an EDP
4. Most Fresh and Poetic Blend: Gardénia Pétale by Van Cleef & Arpels
- Increase attraction
- Long lasting fragrance
- For all skin type
Year Released: 2009
Fragrance concentration: Eau de parfum
Fragrance family: Fresh White Floral
Best seasons: Spring or summer
Ideal occasion: Day fragrance; warm evenings
Longevity: 4+ hours
Bottle size: 75 mL (2.5 fl oz)
Approximate price: 💲💲💲
It’s difficult to research gardenia fragrances without thinking of poetry. White florals have that effect on you.
Part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Collection Extraordinaire, Gardénia Pétale is a luxurious haute couture fragrance that’s best worn on warm days. Its bottle is made of soaring thick-walled clear glass and topped off with a classic black cap.
Gardénia Pétale sets off a subtle glow from within. A branded charm hangs from every bottle as a nod to the company’s high jewelry roots.
This soft love song in a bottle is a blend of fresh green and citrus notes combined with a bouquet of white florals, gardenia, jasmine, and lily-of-the-valley. It’s possible that hints of sandalwood and musk notes are included in the dry down.
Gardénia Pétale is a smooth, lovely, and fresh floral scent with intimate sillage and moderate longevity.
Pros
- Delicate gardenia fragrance
- More of a personal scent
- Well-balanced, not too sweet or strong
- Perfect for those who dislike fruity notes
Cons
- Price doesn’t seem justified
- Longevity is short for an eau de parfum
5. Economical but Accurate Option: Gardenia Eau de Parfum by Elizabeth Taylor
- Packaged in an elegant 3.3 ounce bottle
- Perfect for a romantic getaway or casual day at work
- Laced with orchid peony and musk
- Made for the feminine and alluring woman
- Swirls of floral notes
Year Released: 2018
Fragrance concentration: Eau de parfum
Fragrance family: Fresh Floral
Best seasons: Spring, summer, and early fall or winter
Ideal occasion: Day or night
Longevity: 7+ hours
Bottle size: 100 mL (3.3 fl oz)
Approximate price: 💲
Lower priced fragrances can sometimes smell artificial or simply cheap, but not so with Elizabeth Taylor’s Gardenia. This fragrance is more reminiscent of a hidden botanical garden or fresh cut flowers brought inside from your backyard garden. No artificial notes here.
First, let’s talk about the bottle, which is made of light green glass that’s angled out towards the top. Its cap is a carved white gardenia flower. The combination gives the illusion that the bottle is this flower’s stem.
Green leaves and lily-of-the-valley invite you to the white floral freshness that’s also a bit soapy and sweet.
Peony and orchid balance out gardenia notes on the middle layer. Powdery sweet musk and spicy carnation notes carry out the dry down for this fragrance.
Stronger than the previous gardenia suggestions, Elizabeth Taylor’s Gardenia offers great value for the money. The bottle is larger, the price is lower, and the scent lasts longer than all the other gardenia perfume suggestions.
Pros
- An affordable alternative
- Surprisingly pleasant fragrance
- Can be worn daily in casual or formal settings
- Generous amount of perfume
Cons
- For some, gardenia isn’t as present as desired
- For others, the notes are too strong
What Makes White Floral Fragrance Notes Different?
In the scent world there are at least five fragrance categories: floral, fresh, oriental, woody, and gourmand. And within each of these groups are subcategories.
For instance, fresh fragrances can include cut grass but also grapefruit accords. Wood notes can be moist, dry, or in between. Orientals describe a full range of spicy notes while gourmands can appeal to all taste buds.
So, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that floral scents cover a lot of ground as well. They can smell spicy, powdery, fresh (green), romantic like roses, or even fruity. White florals are their own fragrance subcategory.
How Do White Floral Fragrances Smell?
Creamy, velvety, sensual, and even narcotic are some words used to describe white floral notes. White florals share a molecule that also causes them to emit an animalistic fragrance note. Think amber, civet, or musk. Although they can smell like wet soil or fecal matter, that stench seems to release a sensual aroma as well.
That is one way that white florals stand apart. Another distinction is that they’ve literally got white petals or display as white in some phase of growth.
For instance, when I think of ylang-ylang, the color yellow immediately comes to mind. But that’s the color they turn once their blooms are mature. Early on in their growth process (early spring), their petals are actually greenish white. These perfumed beauties fit into the white floral subcategory when harvested early on.
Additional flowers that are more commonly attributed to this subcategory are
- jasmine (Sambac and Grandiflorum),
- tuberose,
- lily-of-the-valley,
- magnolia,
- lily,
- orange blossom,
- frangipani,
- osmanthus (similar to jasmine), and of course,
- gardenia
Whenever any of these flowers are at the fore of your fragrance notes (typically in the middle layer), then that perfume is considered a white floral.
Also described as “heady” white floral notes are often included in fragrances referred to as timeless, feminine, classic, sophisticated, and refined. They offer a distinct scent that’s adaptable.
How Do White Floral Notes Blend with Other Notes?
White florals are quite versatile. You can warm them up with spicy notes, and you can make them youthful with fruity notes.
Fresh notes – whether citrus fruits or green leaves – aerate the white floral aroma, which tones down their heaviness. But white florals can also be sweetened up a bit with scents like vanilla or grounded with notes like patchouli.
Their versatility also makes them ideal for daily wear whether the setting is formal or informal. But the notes they’re combined with helps determine whether the scent will be subtle or domineering.
What’s Special about Gardenia?
Over 140 different species of gardenias exist. They come in multiple colors, and there are many different varieties of white gardenias. These ornamental shrubs and trees are native to tropical and subtropical climates.
But when referring to the gardenia scent used in perfumery, it’s the common gardenia – those white irregularly-shaped petals on multiple layers that whorl from the center – that we’re talking about.
Their creaminess is tactile, and their lush green leaves are so smooth and thick and waxy that they appear to be fake.
It only takes one encounter with a gardenia flower for you to remember that fragrance indefinitely.
The gardenia scent is so memorable that even if you don’t know what the flower is called, you remember its fragrance.
Although the scent is strong and intoxicating, it’s also calming and the opposite of off-putting. Gardenia smells at once sweet and spicy, earthy and floral, heavy and light; it’s also luscious and creamy.
Some people described the sweet notes as being similar to coconut. Any of these notes can be more or less pronounced depending on the gardenia variety.
But all in all, it’s a special, sultry fragrance that no other flower can release.
Conclusion
A common theme amongst all of these gardenia scents is that its longevity leaves much to be desired, especially when paying a premium price for one bottle.
But gardenia is a white floral scent that’s unmatched when compared to floral perfumes, like those with an emphasis on rose notes. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
If you’re seeking timeless sophistication that isn’t cloying or sharp, then please add Tuberose Gardenia eau de parfum to your collection.
For a tried and true gardenia fragrance at an affordable price, you won’t be disappointed with Elizabeth Taylor’s Gardenia eau de parfum.