Fragrance comparison

Clair de Lune vs Gardenia

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 16 Oct 2026 677 ratings analysed

5 wins

Clair de Lune

Marbert

4.1225 votes

Rank #25,962 Warm SpicyCinnamon

Full profile Similar & dupes

16%scent match

Clearly different

Gardenia

Penhaligon's

3.96652 votes

Rank #2,609 White FloralGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Clair de Lune takes 5 of 7 categories.

Clair de Lune
Choose it for a warm spicy and cinnamon character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
Gardenia
Choose it for a white floral and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Clair de Lune5/7

Gardenia2/7

Ratings & consensus: Gardenia
Community sentiment: Clair de Lune
Longevity: Clair de Lune
Sillage & projection: Clair de Lune
Value for money: Clair de Lune
Versatility: Clair de Lune
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Gardenia

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Clair de LuneMarbert

GardeniaPenhaligon's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.12/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 25%Had 13%Want 62%

3.96/ 5 · 652 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

Category winnerGardeniaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

28%Love

64%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

25 votes

35%Love

49%Like

3%Ok

12%Dislike

1%Hate

554 votes

Category winnerClair de LuneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityClair de Lune

SillageClair de Lune

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value40

Category winnerClair de LuneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

warm spicy100%

cinnamon92%

honey84%

sweet77%

woody69%

rose61%

white floral100%

green83%

floral65%

tuberose48%

animalic30%

Scent match16%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top20-30 mins

CinnamonMandarin Orange

Heart3-4 hrs

RoseJasmineYlang-YlangOrange Blossom

Base8-10+ hrs

HoneySandalwoodBenzoinVanilla

Top

Green NotesMagnoliaHyacinthRhuburbBergamotViolet

Heart

GardeniaTuberoseLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineOrange BlossomYlang-YlangRoseCinnamon

Base

MuskVanillaBenzoinSandalwood

InformationalShared notesCinnamon, Rose, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Clair de Lune, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring57

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day47

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter13

Day–

Night–

Category winnerClair de LuneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Date 39%Party 29%Casual 17%Work 15%

Men2

Unisex11

Women87

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,962

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#2,609

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews63

Category winnerGardeniaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Marbert Clair de Lune makes a bold, unapologetic entrance. The cinnamon hits immediately. It pricks the nose with a dry, culinary heat before sweet mandarin orange softens the edges. Give it ten minutes. Once the initial alcohol flash settles, lush honey and creamy ylang-ylang wrap around velvet rose petals. This is n…

Reviews →

Penhaligon's Gardenia is a green white floral with a fresh, soapy lift rather than a thick tropical feel. The opening reads crisp and clean, then the heart turns fuller with gardenia, tuberose and jasmine, while vanilla, musk and sandalwood soften the dry-down. It suits shoppers who want an elegant floral with presenc…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Clair de Lune or Gardenia?

Clair de Lune takes 5 of 7 categories. Clair de Lune is rated 4.12/5 from 25 votes; Gardenia is rated 3.96/5 from 652 votes. Choose Clair de Lune for a warm spicy and cinnamon character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Gardenia for a white floral and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Clair de Lune or Gardenia?

Clair de Lune lasts longest (Clair de Lune 75/100, Gardenia 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Clair de Lune or Gardenia?

Clair de Lune projects furthest (Clair de Lune 77/100, Gardenia 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Clair de Lune and Gardenia smell similar?

Clearly different: a 16% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Cinnamon, Rose, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Clair de Lune or Gardenia better for summer or winter?

For summer, Clair de Lune is the stronger pick. For winter, Clair de Lune is the stronger pick. Clair de Lune suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Clair de Lune and Gardenia?

Clair de Lune has top notes of Cinnamon and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and Orange Blossom, a base of Honey, Sandalwood, Benzoin and Vanilla. Gardenia has top notes of Green Notes, Magnolia, Hyacinth and Rhuburb, heart notes of Gardenia, Tuberose, Lily-of-the-Valley and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Vanilla, Benzoin and Sandalwood.