Perfect Gardenia

Gardenia is one of my top favorite notes, so I was hopeful this would live up to my expectations of an authentic gardenia perfume. As a longtime fan of Sarah’s work, I took a risk and ordered it blind (I live in Europe so I have to occasionally make some blind purchase decisions when I go to the U.S.). The good news? Love at first sniff!! This is a creamy, delectable true gardenia scent enveloped in a comforting, powdery scent bubble. The powdery element is gorgeous, not overdone but just enough to make this one of the most snuggly, pretty and easy to wear perfumes in my collection. It’s become an unexpected favorite, and the longevity is impressive! I can apply this in the morning and still get wafts well into the afternoon— a rarity with white florals on my skin. I personally don’t get much vanilla here, and it’s quite linear - which I don’t have a problem with when something is this likable. I enjoy this one immensely and wear it often. I’d like to pick up the oil version next time I’m in the U.S. Another beautiful creation from Sarah!

Perfect Gardenia reminds me of Amouage Love Tuberose and Bvlagari Splendida Jasmine Noir. It has the creaminess of Love Tuberose and the gothic in the cemetery gardenia mushroom effect of Jasmine Noir. I do get a little bit of coconut here which makes this fragrance more "tropical" than the other 2 I mentioned. There is a fresh greenness here as well to keep the just going off gardenia in check. To me this perfume is darn near the smell of an actual gardenia. Closest I have found in a soliflore perfume. Big love for me. Going on my want shelf. For those that love creamy, lactonic and slightly animalic gardenia fragrances.

Perfect Gardenia is named appropriately; creamy, ripe gardenias in full bloom, a psychedelic feeling, collectively coming together with vanilla to make one of the most beautiful realistic gardenia scents I’ve ever worn. Hypnotic. Love it.

Perfect Gardenia. It's the perfect name for it! It's lovely. Lovely soft, fresh, creamy gardenia. Gentle and feminine, elegant and comforting. Beautiful.

I doubt I can do better than the first two reviewers. I'll just add that in my search for a realistic but wearable Gardenia scent (not a scent that just happens to include gardenia), I tested several that, although ultra-realistic, were difficult for me to wear. So I decided that what I really wanted was a realistic gardenia scent that focused on its freshness and beauty without any of the sometimes distracting qualities. Sarah Horowitz Perfect Gardenia was hands down the winner. It is a gardenia in all its glory, with the accompanying notes complementing and highlighting its beauty. I have the pure oil. The longevity is excellent; sillage is relatively close, as is true with all oils, and is my preference here. For more sillage, I would recommend that EDP spray.

I’ve had this for maybe two years now. This is a very lactonic white floral type scent. It’s kind of buttery creamy, almost milky. Also, having spent exuberant amounts of money on gardenia absolutes and enfleurage's, the mid to late dry down is very reminiscent of real gardenia materials. The late end dry down is a very lovely clean musk, cozy but not overbearing. It’s not the best representation of gardenia out there, but it’s a very solid fragrance I find myself wearing every so often.

Freesia and green notes keep this fresh. Gardenia, vanilla and musk join in. It's a collective whole that delivers a highly wearable gardenia scent..and ahead of the curve with a creamy sweetness now popular with other releases like Love Tuberose from Amouage. The musk element I believe contributed to the previous posters experience. In my wearing it isn't as pronounced to bother me. A super entry to the gardenia fragrances..which are so difficult to pull off. Beautiful Modern Gardenia.

This is very beautiful. Lighter than Black Gardenia, heavier than Kai, sensual, creamy but not cloying, fresh, but not overly clean and green. No tuberose so it works with me. A touch of vanilla and musk anchor this one. No soapy detergent like odors, no harsh edges all through drydown. No rancid suntan lotion tropicals in it. I love it.

So I dont know if I should let this macerate a bit but Ive tested mine twice now and it smells like those scented markers we had as children? I dont hate it but its not what I relate gardenia too. Will double back after a few weeks!

I’m always on the look out for a “perfect gardenia” scent- something that captures that naturally gorgeous aroma, pure, sweet and green before it turns into the overripe/ dead blossom smell that can turn people off. This, unfortunately, has that sickeningly sweet smell mixed with aftershave that is NOT a perfect or true gardenia in my opinion. The gardenia note itself is not bad, but it has been blended with something that is terrible, almost like barbershop aftershave/old spice? I really enjoy Love’s True Bluish Light by this house, but not this one. For now, Ineke Hothouse Flower and Tropical Gardenia by Lucy B remain the best, most realistic, natural gardenia fragrances I have encountered.

I have many gardenia scents in my collection and I can say none smell like this. The top note is moth balls that settles into a very indolic floral note. Not of gardenia necessarily just a flower past its prime. The last time I smelled this was as a child at a friend’s grandparents house. Also the juice is red so it will stain your clothes. The dry down is just the grandparents with not a flower in sight.

This is hand down the worst perfume I have ever tried. It smells nothing like gardenia! It smells rancid, like bad breath. It’s repulsive. But it does last forever on the skin, so there is that.

Perfect Gardenia is alive and breathing on my skin. Not like an alien that has taken control of my body, but like a real group of actual lush plants have suddenly appeared inches from my face. This is definitely one of my favorites from the Perfect collection. Thank you so much for the beautiful sample, SHP. Perfect Gardenia pure oil has a wonderfully bright green botanical garden quality, which harmonizes with the richness of the gardenia very well. This smells like the healthy white flowers with some of the outer petals just starting to turn a tiny bit brown, and some buds just opening. It lasts quite a while, but the projection is low, so you can wear it whenever you want without stinking out the whole movie theater. PG is a very light gardenia due to the lack of projection, so anyone who associates gardenias with olfactory assault, should give this one a try. Perfect Gardenia is lush plants surrounded by warm tropical humidity. It reminds me of walking around in the glass enclosure at the Botanical Garden where plants are watered from hoses that extend upward to produce "rain" at regular intervals. It also reminds me of salty sweet creamy flowers hanging over fresh grass in the long shadows of early morning. As the Sun climbs higher, all the insects are singing in the dense heat of Summer. It is being gently touched on the shoulder to wake up.

I don't know if it's the perfect gardenia but it's pretty nice in the opening and middle. Gardenias have a complex scent that changes throughout the lifecycle of the flower and even through the day/night, so it's tough to capture every aspect. This comes close and captures a lot of the dreamy, creamy facets of gardenia but I find the dry down a little too powdery for me. Still not a bad fragrance but not quite what I've been looking for. Update: Trying this again on a hot day and finding it a lot nicer/less powdery!

I am a little confused. I ordered a sample of this from Ministry of Scent and the juice arrived a deep amber color. Similarly the smell is also kind of ambery/animalic with no hint of freshness or greenery but I do pick up on some gardenia-like creamy floral elements . Do not get me wrong I enjoy it it's sexy and intriguing, maybe a bit of benzoin in there as well? I am a little confused. If any one has the bottle sample, what color is the juice?

This is a beautiful gardenia perfume! Opens with young fresh gardenia, with a little bit of a raw green quality. Underlying is a creamy accord, with what I think is a vanilla base. Possibly from some of the ingredients used to create the gardenia note. During the drydown, the vanilla is more pronounced on my skin, with the gardenia showing some of its orange blossom/jasmine roots. Gorgeous through all of its transitions!

This opens as a creamy, almost vanillic gardenia but then I start to notice the plasticky DNA that’s in most indie fragrances :(