Rosa Gardenia

Wow, this was unexpected. Floral, green, full of innocence, memories, & distinct romantic nostalgia. Very Italian. Very beautiful. It smells like the hair of a brand new Barbie doll (almond blossom), in the best possible way, but only for a moment. May rose is so distinctive, and combined with gardenia is simply brilliant. The fig leaf is also noticeable, and the creator added it with reckless abandon, which is very much appreciated by me. The last note which stands out to me is a sandalwood which works so well, rounding out the composition. This fragrance conjures the image of a tall, gleaming white Roman statue, holding a fig leaf to his unmentionables; draped in wreaths of gardenia & spring roses, wearing a thick, leafy crown of fig tree branch. Elegant, artistic, white, romantic, clean, very European. I love it- and my wish is for every person who truly loves the art of fragrance and are familiar with notes such as May Rose (vs. other roses) and Fig leaf (vs just fig) to experience this on their fragrance journey. ✨

Rosa Gardenia is a fluffy, talcum powdery, rosy sherbet delight. If you like powdery/talc-like perfumes you're going to love it! The first few minutes are not very powdery, it's almost a non-scent, takes ten mins or so for the powder to emerge. We all know now that talc can be carcinogenic, so this is the safe alternative. I actually have a Woods of Windsor box of rose-scented talcum powder that I sniff on very rare ocassions. (I mean it's not nuclear waste, a few sniffs every month or so won't kill me!) I found it at TK Max and bought it for the nostalgia factor, even though I rarely wore talc. It has that air of ritual dressing up, of pampering oneself. Makes me feel I've just had a bath and fluffed and dusted myself, like a silver screen Holywood starlet, and it's so nice on this mild spring day! Santa Maria Novella are nearly always head and shoulders above the rest for me. Big love

This is so pretty. Soft, waxy, floral, a bit sweet, a bit green, slightly powdery. When you first smell Rosa Gardenia you really get a lot of that almond blossom. It is very sweet almost a bit cloying but as that starts to fade into the background just a bit a lovely and soft rose appears followed by a slightly waxy gardenia. You kind of get the sense of candle wax as you smell this perfume but not in a bad way. Almost like flower petals preserved in an expensive scented wax of a very high quality. A slight vanillic quality w/ light woods in the dry down. The whole composition is cocooned in pillowy soft musk's. This is so feminine and so pretty. A very dainty quality throughout. Youthful, innocent, ladylike. Worn by a gentlewoman of good taste, style and refinement but w/ a youthful quality that never fades w/ age.

I tend to like classic floral scents - Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, Penhaligon's Violetta, SMN Fieno/Hay are year round favorites. So I was surprised by how much I liked this new addition to the SMN lineup. It has a sweet, cloying opening that I really do not like. But after a few minutes it settles into a very clean, skin-like, soapy, powdery fragrance. I agree with others that find it waxy and evocative of a dusting powder Marie Antoinette would have worn. It has become my new daily work perfume, so mild I don't feel like a leave a noticeable perfumey wake around the office that others might not enjoy. It's a delicate, private, old-world fragrance.

The union of rose and gardenia is exquisitely romantic. A classically feminine composition, sweet with elegant florals. It evokes images of a summer garden at a country estate, pastel dresses, and the novels of Jane Austen. The subtle sillage quickly settles into a charming, slightly woody, sweet skin scent that wraps the wearer in a refined, understated way. At this stage, it is no longer a garden, but rather dried flowers pressed between the pages of a book. A beautiful composition.

A darling floral scent. Smells like a beautiful spring garden, with powder sprinkled on top. I do agree I could see it being fashionable during the 1930s — not in a negative way as I really like the fashion of this decade, but in the way romantic aesthetics were very much in fashion. A delight! I already own Rosa Novella which is drastically different to Rosa Gardenia, and I'd love to own this one.

It smells like the wax tablet of this brand. Waxy, milky rose & gardenia scent. Luxurious, ladylike, noble, vintage, elegant, ivory colour, clean (not in cold or clear way) etc. I can't stop sniffing myself.

Rosa Gardenia is a dream, it is definitely an old world scent, vintage and feminine. I adore this one I have also purchased the body wash and lotion because it’s such a comforting scent.

What a beautiful cologne for flower fragrances lovers. The performance is rather good for what it is. I love it.

This is a very feminine and fairly nice perfume. I could imagine someone like Queen Marie Antoinette of France wearing this perfume and I find it very old-fashioned smelling, but in the way that a perfume from the 18th century would smell like. There's something very rococo and white and pastel pink about it! I can mostly smell the powdery almond blossom in the opening, with hints of the orange blossom. I don't smell the bergamot though. I am guessing that the bergamot is there just to undercut the sweetness? I can smell a small amount of citric acid in here though. I'd say this combination makes the opening very floral and light and airy. In the heart notes I can smell both the gardenia and the rose as this scent's list of notes and name would suggest, but I find the rose a bit more dominant of the two. It's like a creamy white or very pale pink rose with hints of white floralcy in the mix. I don't smell any of the jasmine or the fig leaf and I wouldn't call the heart of the fragrance or this fragrance itself indolic at all. Lastly, I can smell the musk in the base. The heart notes still permeate the whole perfume though. I don't smell any of the sandalwood, but I'm guessing this is just there to make Rosa Gardenia last longer? And I can't smell the vanilla either, but I'm guessing it's there to add a touch of sweetness? And when it comes to the sillage and staying power of this cologne, I'd say both are moderate. It lasts about 3 1⁄2 hours on the skin, which is understable for its concentration and isn't bad. I don't love this perfume and I wouldn't buy it, but I do like it. I really don't understand the hate this perfume is getting, though? I've smelt way worse. I guess I just like each of the floral notes in a perfume more pronounced? My score for this perfume is a respectable 7/10.

Gardenia stars, but with almost equal parts creamy almond and a powdery pink rose. A waxy clean bouquet of pink-tinged white florals, lightly soapy and accented by green stems. Moderate projection fades over 4-5hr, longevity 10-12hr. Conceptually not all that different from Fresia, another old-school soapy white floral scent in the SMN collection. This one has a bit more character, though, and awfully solid performance on my skin for a supposed EdC.

It’s a very clean smell of rose & gardenia without one overpowering the other. The two create a waxy clean feel that is similar to an aldehydic soap bar. I really enjoyed this as it’s very clean and feminine and for those days you want to spritz something clean that does not overwhelm. The longevity isn’t great as is expected from cologne strengths, but it’s still enough to give you that long sense of cleanliness.

Lovely. Just lovely. A breath of fresh air on this pre spring day (well it technically is Spring but you wouldn't know it) fresh lovely floral accord with lightly powdery undertrappings all smoothly delivered. The execution of Santa Maria Novella is so good I never fail to be impressed even with overtly femme and things I don't often opt to wear myself, this has been a thorough reward, an absolute joy.

It's a pleasant scent that reminds me of the scene in the garden with abundant white rich flowers in full bloom. It's a scent that reminds me of space, so I want it as a candle or diffuser. When I open the cap, it already smelled as strong and fragrant as if I was wearing this. I recommend that you spray it with a distance when you use this perfume.

This Rosa Gardenia is truly a garden in a bottle! The opening is so fresh and citrusy with the bergamot and orange blossom, then it blooms into this gorgeous rose and gardenia heart. It's sweet but not overpowering, and the musk and sandalwood base gives it a lovely warmth. I get compliments every time I wear it!

Soft, waxy, clean floral scent. I mostly get the orange blossom and almond blossom, and a light rose; for me, the gardenia and jasmine are not that prominent. It’s good for a spring day when you want to feel clean and fresh. Not quite enough oomph for me. Fairly intimate sillage.

Pleasant, gentle scent, the flower notes very harmonious. I don't recognize a rose after a while: fresia and jasmine makes the scent rich and full of impressions. It is not special, but it is easy to like. I find it dewy and refreshing, bright. Sunny rose from Florence...

For some reason I'm reminded of car air fresheners – and not unpleasantly. Very floral and powdery. There is also a feeling of temporality to it, like the smell of places you know you will only ever be once or twice in your lifetime.

I like this! It has a vintage vibe. I smell mostly gardenia, enveloped by rose. It's like a pink petaled rose with a gardenia blooming inside. The gardenia gives me definite tart and fuzzy Diamonds & Emeralds vibes.

Floral and somewhat green. Although it’s really good, I prefer SMN’s Rosa Novella. My only real criticism is that it — weirdly — smells like dill pickle when first sprayed.

Classic May rose fragrance, my favorite from this house. I wish less gardenia and little sweetness would be better.

Retested for warm weather today. Ugh, I loved this in the winter and now it's barely tolerable. In winter it was the most lovely gardenia fragrance. Now I'm getting fig leaf, which is actually an awful smell if you've ever smelled an actual fig tree on a hot day the leaves smell bad, nothing like the fruit. Fig leaf and musk. The gardenia is still there but somehow this beautiful fragrance I remember has turned nauseating and it isn't even actually that hot out yet. I really thought this would be a great hot weather frag. So glad I decided to retest all my samples for hot weather this summer before deciding what to buy.

Both rose and gardenia can be very dominant notes. Therefore, when they were put together, they fight each other. Bright for simply a few seconds. Then, cling to the skin, turning into classic, soapy, pink and white floral scent with a hint of jasmine. Belongs to those fragrance that can make you sick if someone had worn too much of it and sit in a closed space, like a cab. People who like Gucci Bloom series might fancy it.

First impressions: The gardenia and almond blossom were almost overwhelming right after spritzing. After a moment or two, it calms a bit, and I get some powderiness. Something about this makes me think 'tear free', like my childhood detangler. It seems to settle into a fruity sweetness and white-wax smell, not quite blended, as it dries down.

smells a bit medicinal at first, but then settles nicely on the skin!

I typically only wear Eue De Cologne’s during the winter? That way I’m not sweating off the scent within the hour. I do believe this EDC follows that. This scent rings traditional. I can imagine it being created in the 80-90s. It’s heavy on the initial scent of Almond—ringing true to it’s top note. However, that scent quickly transitions into a white floral, which I would give props to Jasmine for. There is a makeup powdery dry down note (base note). Which smells more of the gardenia then musk. I get the warmness of the sandlewood, with a somewhat skin-life feel (musk), but the progression isn’t as expected. I’d say it's Almond then White Florals over anything else. The balance between the two is simply not for me, but could work for those wanting a feminine yet old-timesy smell.

Rosa Gardenia features plenty of rose as you'd expect, along with a powdery, dewy floral that seems a lot like violet, not listed by SMN. A greener gardenia-like note develops that turns out, unexpectedly, to be fig flower. There's a synthetic muskiness to this one that's too bright and soapy for me (think high-end hotel soap) but it's rather lovely in the dry down. A clean floral scent of the old-fashioned variety, and a lovely balance between the fullness of rose and the cool, smoothness of gardenia. Sample-worthy

Not my favorite :( one of my roommates wears this and it smells much better on them than it does on me. I was sort of hesitant to try it because I don't love super sweet perfumes, and sadly, this smelled like cough syrup or something pharmaceutical on me :( after about an 1-2 hours of wear the florals started to come through a little but this weird medicine-like sweetness was still hanging around me and making my stomach hurt. Don't like leaving bad reviews but this one was tough for me :((

This reminded me of the Korean saunas. Not the modern upscale ones that cater to a younger crowd but the old neighbourhood bathhouses where all the local ladies would gather first thing in the morning. The little shampoo, conditioner and body wash sachets they sold at the counter smelled just like this. It smells clean and soapy but there is a generic shampoo-like quality to it that makes me feel queasy everytime I wear this

A vintage rose, with an almost acrid green aspect to it. This is an incredibly strong flower fragrance with a lovely pollen note, but smelling it up close gives me a headache. If it is sniffed from about a foot away, I find it lovely and charming in a spring time in the 1930s feel. I unfortunately cannot smell it for more than about 10 seconds before gagging a little. It reminds me of something that is expired.

It starts with a light, transparent rose - which smells fresh from the garden - with light musk and vanilla base underneath. After a while, the white floral notes become dominant (unfortunately white florals have a tendency to smell a little 'off' on my skin). Too floral and classic for my tastes, however it would be lovely for anyone who enjoys rose & classic floral fragrances.

too sweet for me. i think i'm just not a gardenia/plumeria gal because some florals go super cloying on me and i just end up smelling like a floral/powdered sugar bomb just exploded all over me. the drydown is a lot more musky/soapy and kind of nice though. longevity was pretty good!

the gardenia is too heavy, gives me a headache, unfortunately i can’t enjoy this :( i don’t agree with people saying it smells old fashioned though, just too heavy to the point you don’t get anything else other than gardenia and rose, but at least the name is fitting.

Sweet and soapy marzipan with a light waxy gardenia. Unfortunately this was a not a successful sample for me. Not a safe blind buy unless you love marzipan.

I used to dislike this harder, but I can bear with it now. Girly pinkish kind of perfume. I don’t get the hype around it though.

Super gardenia heavy. I had to scrub this one.

I got a tester from this and I can call it horrible. 2/10 The opening note is sooooo bad. After few seconds it starts smelling like a rose garden. Tbh this is how old grandmas like to smell like.

Choking white florals, no thanks

I recently purchased a Santa Maria Novella Discovery kit: Acqua della Regina - smells like my favorite Bath Roman Premium Hot Herb Bath Salts (soothing ginger, red pepper, yuzu, etc), but not much the next day, the oddball as the only sample not still shouting 24 hrs later Fresia - a very soapy freesia scent, leaves, potting soil, bright sunshine on a perfect day Rosa Gardenia - that pickled floral that I despise, May roses screeching out for justice, The Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose turned spiteful and pretentious Rosa Novella - wonderfully warm, calm, patchouli-rose. Your mom reading your favorite picture book that you got from the library, a copy that was printed in 1990, after you just did a good job dusting the heirloom hardwood furniture with lemon Pledge. Unrelated to Agent Provacateur (cool-skin rose with warm metallic saffron) or L’Agent (boozey-spicebomb rose). Angeli di Firenze - unripe cantaloupe soap, melon gives my tummy a sinking-feeling Melograno - not what I expected from “pomegranate,” and oakmoss in the ingredients surely helps this become a personal favorite. This pomegranate received the Christmas Orange Ornament treatment and smells like all the best memories. Invokes a bodily response of “everything is going to be alright.” Excellent ally to victory in the battle vs holiday anxiety and car sickness! Tabacco Toscano - delicious, quality vanilla accosted by rubbery hickory smoke Pot Pourri - I was not expecting the Noxema scent, the face cleanser which I once bought to smell simply because it was so soothing and enjoyable, knowing it’s an awful product that has no place in a skincare routine. This is the strongest of the samples and smells just as much like a fresh tub of Noxema 24 hrs later, but now with orange peel demanding attention. 48 hrs later evocative of rose and pine forest and all fae folk who live within. Beautiful, and at no point did I see where this perfume was going.

Hm i just got this in an unexpected sample. It's beautiful! The gardenia is to the fore, rose and musk sticks in the background. I love the absence of chemical notes. It's soft as a kitten. Usually I prefer florals with some edges or surprises but this, plush, predictable, sweetness is definitely worth a spot on the dressing table. Spring, summer, after a shower and before an afternoon spent reading and drinking tea, all alone in the house. Maybe a very relaxed cat purring nearby.

If you’ve used any of the SMN face creams this is that scent (I think there may be one that has a cologne scent but I believe all the rest have the rose gardenia fragrance). So, to me, it feels relaxing & smells clean because of that association. *FYI this bottle is a spray-no splash option & they have 50ml as well as their usual 100ml bottles available. I love the packaging. Right now this is only for a small selection of their scents (8 I think).

This is a very watery rose scent, with a gardenia undertone. The two notes are really well complemented here, but to me the rose overpowers the gardenia. There's something about the scent that is quite muted and watery, so it is quite fresh and musky. As someone who loves gardenia and rose, this is a nice scent, but it's not a love for me. There's something slightly medicinal about it that puts me off. I can't put my finger on it though...

Personally this one smelt amazing on the tester bottles they had at the Santa Maria Novella store but when i sprayed the actual tester, i really did. not like it. I feel like it smells like a cheap bathroom febreeze. I really did not enjoy it... Something citrusy about it is really really off putting. Would not spray

More interesting than you might think, especially with the clever addition of almond blossom and fig leaf. Unfortunately for me, I just don't like gardenia. Like the other Santa Maria Novella's I have tried, Rosa gardenia is classy, natural smelling, and soapy.

Super sweet opening that reminds me a bit of that pink amoxicillin liquid medication. An hour or so into wearing it I get mostly a soft musky floral that fades into a quite lovely soapy rose skin scent

no sillage , no projection, no longevity. literally just 15 minutes after spray and the smell already gone. this perfume really similar to dior pure poison, but has a hint of rose in the dry down.

My favourite out of all the Santa Maria Novella floral fragrances. However wouldn't purchase a bottle. Too floral but can still appreciate it as a women's fragrance.

This just smells so good, it reminds me of an iconic drug store shampoo from my motherland.

Also, it lasts very long on my skin. Smells like walking through a garden in spring time.

This is kind of awful! Smells like microplastics and the back of a wet Barbie's head.