Gardelia 2025

Review of the 2025 version: I have spent some time with the new Gardelia to feel confident enough to give my thoughts on this latest collaboration between Antonio Gardoni and Profumeria Al Sacro Cuore. Firstly, I don't think it's worth comparing to the first version or any other Gardoni creation, although it borrows from the original and the first iterations of MAAI. Overall, I find it a standalone creation in the BOGUE universe, with little comparison to be drawn to any other perfume, even outside this space. Perhaps I could make a parallel with Lost in Flowers from Strangelove NYC due to how the floral bouquet comes across in portraying that same lush and naturalistic imagery. Gardelia 2025 is a Green-White Floral Chypre, although the green component isn't that conspicuous. It is built with plenty of high-quality materials, easy to recognize throughout its evolution, and woven into a seamless flume by Antonio. Not an easy feat when working with so many delicate and complex naturals. Like so many BOGUE perfumes, the blend is spotless, and the transitions between the top, mid, and base feel like oil brush strokes smoothly blended. The opening is short-lived, introducing a quick burst of overripe bergamot, not your usual bright and bracing type, alongside a peppery facet. This part is detectable when smelling the perfume up close, but goes almost unnoticed when applying it to the neck/chest. Shortly after, the florals come into play, and they hold the stage for a good while, partly overlapping with the base before slowly fading away. Unlike the first version, here I find the Gardenia to be not just easily detectable but the main floral note, supported by a shy Jasmine and a curious Ylang-Ylang that pops in and out sporadically. I don't think I have smelled another perfume to put Gardenia to such great use as in here. It is not only highlighted but stretched in its profile, allowing its beautiful natural facets to come through - green, milky, slightly tropical, sweet, and creamy. When I smelled Gardelia for the first time years ago, I thought, "This is the best floral perfume ever made." I believe this version does justice to its predecessor while offering something new, with emphasis placed on the Gardenia flower. The base of the fragrance is incredibly smooth with an almost velvety texture comprised of vetiver, resins, moss, and civet. It strikes a perfect balance without feeling overly stuffy, dirty/musky, bitter, sweet, or smoky. I feel this version improves on the original in the base by smoothing out the creases and upgrading the complexity. Overall, the flame still burns at Sacro Cuore with the new version of Gardelia. It is a new floral terroir by Antonio Gardoni; hence, if you like his treatment of flowers, you can't go wrong. It feels more streamlined and mature than the previous version, better quality, and more restrained than vintage MAAI. It's a white floral chypre par excellence that puts Gardenia into the limelight for those who have been searching for a perfume that focuses on this beautiful, rare, and very expensive material. It fits nicely into the BOGUE floral portfolio, one that continues to offer and expand with already so many excellent tributes. IG:@memory.of.scents

As good as it gets! The opening burst is sharp and citrusy from yuzu and bergamot; the gardenia arrives quickly and mesmerises with its creamy, exotic sweetness. I’ve tried the original version before, and as far as I can remember, this one feels lighter and airier. The heart of the composition is floral-dominant: alongside the starring gardenia, ylang-ylang and rose join the party in subtle supporting roles. In the base, vetiver arrives to enhance the fragrance’s sensual character. The transitions throughout the composition are absolutely seamless and smooth. This is a dream fragrance and, without a doubt, one of the very best floral-chypre fragrances in existence. I adore the smell of gardenia – in our language (Bengali) we call it Gondhoraj (গন্ধরাজ), which literally means “King of Fragrance”! I also own another brilliant gardenia-dominant perfume, Tahitian Gardenia by Ensar Oud, which is breathtakingly beautiful in its own right. The two are quite different in style: Gardelia 2025 is sharp, clean and airy, whereas Tahitian Gardenia is jammy and woody thanks to that gorgeous oud base. For me, though, Gardelia edges it out – it’s my absolute number-one gardenia fragrance. Performance is top-notch, and it’s incredibly versatile: suitable for any weather, any time of day. Enjoy & Stay blessed...🙏