Cruel Gardénia – Eau de Parfum

A gardenia with a candid charm

Intensity

Need help?

Complimentary shipping on all orders

3 samples offered to discover Guerlain’s expertise in skincare, makeup and fragrance

Guerlain commits to the bee, sentinel of the environment

A delicate, musky interpretation of gardenia

Cruel Gardénia is a delightful trap. So often bewitching and almost narcotic, here the flower reveals a startling sweetness.

The gardenia accord is imbued with heady ylang ylang and dangerously charmed by enveloping musks. This vaporous aura bestows the fragrance with a tenderness that tugs at the heartstrings.

The fragrance artist’s touch

Gardenia, usually so sultry and opulent, becomes ensnared in dangerously sweet musks. Out of this sensual bodily encounter, the flower emerges deliciously cruel.

"If it were a poetry collection, The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire."

A genuine Flower of Evil, Cruel Gardénia has that same devastating allure as the writings of Baudelaire. His collections were among the favourite texts of the Guerlain Perfumers, who were particularly appreciative of the multiple olfactory references contained in his poems.

Gardenia accord

Gardenia is a powerful, sensual white flower with fruity accents. Yet, paradoxically, it stays mute in the world of Perfumery, unable to offer up its fragrance through the traditional techniques of distillation or extraction.

It must be written as an accord, as if composing a poem. For Cruel Gardénia, notes of rose, neroli, ylang ylang and peach recreate its trail.

In the Perfumer’s words

“Gardenia does not exist as an extractable essence. The Perfumer must build an illusion of its scent. The musks play their part here in casting the spell.”

Thierry Wasser,
Guerlain Master Perfumer

THE ART OF BOTTLING

Taking inspiration from the Guerlain heritage Square Bottle (1870), the L’Art & La Matière bottle is an exceptional object whose design exudes unisex sophistication steeped with modernity.
Made by Pochet du Courval—historic glassmaker of the House—it is infinitely refillable at selected Guerlain Boutiques.

THE ART OF PERSONALISATION

Customise your bottle, choosing from a host of elegant combinations to transform it into your own companion, intimately personal in each and every touch.

Personalise

ACTING FOR LIVING BEAUTY

Since 2007, Guerlain is committed to preserving biodiversity, innovating sustainably, acting for the climate and creating a positive social impact. Above all, we seek to protect one of Nature’s most precious wonders: bees.

Discover

L'ART ET LA MATIÈRE COLLECTION

CRAFTING RAW MATERIALS INTO ART

L’Art & La Matière is a collection of olfactory masterpieces for true lovers of all things beautiful, crafted by the hands of the House of Guerlain Perfumers. Every creation in the L’Art & La Matière collection is born of an artistic emotion, an indelible mark left on each Guerlain Perfumer’s memory. As artists guided by their creative genius, they shape the most beautiful materials to create daring works with talent and passion.

Discover