Gardenia

In building my perfume wardrobe I sought a soliflore of each flower that I love that most accurately smells like the living flower. As a hobby perfumer myself I know that attempts to make a gardenia absolute have resulted in little success yielding an absolute that exhibits the smell of the fresh flower. I do have a pomade that was made through enfleurage that is about as close as I had experienced but it was rather weak and even fixed with natural ambergris did not last long and had poor sillage. All the gardenias on the market either do not smell like actual gardenia at all or they really are tuberose that they tried to tinker with to confuse us into thinking it is gardenia because it's a white floral and not jasmine and not quite tuberose. Estee Lauder's Tuberose Gardenia is a great perfume, but it's a great example of this. It is a beautiful tuberose with something else...but that something else that is supposed to be gardenia when it comes right down to it doesn't seem to be when you compare it next to a live gardenia flower. Well, this is one of those very few times in life where you do not get what you pay for. I do not know if this is all synthetic or how it is created but it does not matter because the result is the same: a great perfume that really smells like a living gardenia flower. For those of you who do not think so do not know what the actual flower really smells like. I have actually compared this perfume on my skin side by side with a freshly picked gardenia flower and they are identical. So in my book this perfume is a far better gardenia than all the others that cost more than ten times as much. I find that it does last a good while but it's so inexpensive and it comes in sizes that are easy to slip in a pocket or purse so there is no problem to take it with you and freshen it up if you want to kick it up a notch again. I think that others smell it as long as they are reasonably close, but you are not going to fog out an auditorium. So if you are looking for a true gardenia soliflore, nothing less and nothing more at a very affordable price then this is perfect.

This is hands down the most natural and real smelling Gardenia out of all that I've tried to date. Smells like a gardenia in bloom, just like what they sell at my local nursery. I've only recently come to like this note, disliking it in both perfume and in plants. Elie Saab's Gardenia converted me and made me really like that flower. Well, I didn't think it was possible, but I like this even more. No, actually, I love this. A full-blown, luscious, creamy, sweet gardenia blossom. I'm absolutely blown away by the realism of the florals from this brand and can't believe they are selling them at practically give away prices. If they stuck a niche label on this it would be commanding high prices. Other scents from this brand are just as realistic too. I have the Pikake, not listed in the database here, and it smells just like real blooming jasmine sambac blossoms. Simply amazing! They are also great to use for layering, and they layer well within the brand too. I layered the gardenia and jasmine together and the scent was gorgeous. Now I'm off to seek out a rollerball of the Plumeria. If the gardenia and jasmine are any indication, I'm sure it is wonderful too. Edit - 7/22 - I want to come back to add to my review here because I have actually smelled gardenia shrubs growing in the tropics when I went on vacation this year. This is it. This is the scent of those blossoms in this bottle. Zero difference to me at all. I don't know how they did it, especially considering how cheap this is, but this is that scent 100%. Simply amazing!

I have gardenias in my backyard. I have also bought a lot of perfumes I thought smelled like gardenia as it is my favorite flower. In this category EL Tuberose Gardenia, Jo Malone Gardenia and Cardamon, and the original Michael Kors Michael come to mind. However, when compared side by side with a real gardenia you quickly realize they smell nothing like the real thing and actually contain a ton of tuberose. They are still lovely but not a real gardenia scent. In doing my side by side testing each day with a real gardenia picked fresh the Forever Florals Gardenia nailed it. In a distant second place was Goutal's Gardenia Passion. I have not tried Kai yet but it is on my list for next summer. PS I notice Fostermd is doing a similar comparison and our results are pretty much the same. Just skip down to read his outstanding review.

Hands down the TRUEST Gardenia I scent I own. The only one that comes in a close second is Island Gardenia by Hawaiian Classics Perfumes by Edward Bell (not in the database but anyone who loves a true Hawaiian Floral should check it out) Typically when it comes to the Tropical Florals I like to blend but this one is best all on her own. Sometimes Gardenia in a perfume tends to get caught up in all the other sweets and swirls that are in there with her. I find all the Forever Florals to be spot on, and I would expect as much from these perfumes that are made in Hawaii. These are sold at the Gift Shops in Hawaii for a reason. I have all of their offerings in my collection and they will Forever be there. My favorite is Heavenly Leilani. It is limited edition so if you can get your hands on it stock up!

This simple soliflore gardenia fragrance does the trick and smells so realistic to the gardenia flower. It is so creamy and sweet in the right way just like the flower. Worth every penny and great for layering. I will repurchase again to remember my Gardenia bushes in Georgia. If you get the gardenia lotion and layer them together it smells even better. So happy it's still available, but better yet I can use this to layer anything I want to add that extra creaminess of true Gardenia to. What a pleasure to layer with Dior's Pure Poison Edp or Elixir.