Fragrance comparison

Cruel Gardénia vs Beauty Red

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 1,433 ratings analysed

Cruel Gardénia

Guerlain

4.111,424 votes

Rank #5,656 PowderyWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Beauty Red

Ésika

3.789 votes

Rank #59,716 White FloralCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Beauty Red takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cruel Gardénia
Choose it for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Beauty Red
Choose it for a white floral and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Cruel Gardénia1/4

Beauty Red3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Beauty Red
Sillage & projection: Beauty Red
Value for money: Beauty Red
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Cruel Gardénia

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cruel GardéniaGuerlain

Beauty RedÉsika

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 1,424 votes

Have 42%Had 16%Want 42%

3.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 27%Had 36%Want 36%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

42%Love

40%Like

7%Ok

11%Dislike

1%Hate

1,424 votes

22%Love

56%Like

0%Ok

22%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityBeauty Red

SillageBeauty Red

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value22

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBeauty RedBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

white floral92%

musky84%

sweet77%

violet69%

woody61%

white floral100%

citrus90%

woody80%

powdery70%

rose60%

floral50%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both white floral, powdery and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

NeroliRosePeach

Heart2 to 3 hours

GardeniaVioletYlang-Ylang

Base3 to 4 hours

MuskTonka BeanSandalwoodVanille

Top

PeachGrapesNeroliMandarin OrangeOrange

Heart

JasmineGardeniaRoseVioletOrange BlossomTuberose

Base

CedarSandalwoodPatchouliMuskAmber

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Rose, Peach and Gardenia. Durations are only published for Cruel Gardénia, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer66

Fall57

Winter22

Day100

Night30

Spring25

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day20

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men3

Unisex6

Women92

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,656

PerfumerRanda Hammami, Sylvaine Delacourte

Launched—

Reviews93

Overall rank#59,716

PerfumerRafael Marano

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerCruel GardéniaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cruel Gardénia by Guerlain is a soft, powdery floral fragrance built around creamy gardenia and gentle musk. Created by perfumers Randa Hammami and Sylvaine Delacourte, it subverts expectations by presenting a clean, tender bouquet rather than a heavy or sharp white floral bomb. The scent opens with a light burst of n…

Reviews →

Beauty Red by Ésika opens with a bright burst of sweet peach, chilled purple grapes, and zesty mandarin orange that feels like stepping into a sunlit orchard. As the initial fruitiness settles on the skin, a rich floral heart unfolds with creamy gardenia, heady tuberose, and soft violet petals. The scent dries down in…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Cruel Gardénia or Beauty Red?

Beauty Red takes 3 of 4 categories. Cruel Gardénia is rated 4.11/5 from 1,424 votes; Beauty Red is rated 3.78/5 from 9 votes. Choose Cruel Gardénia for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Beauty Red for a white floral and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Cruel Gardénia or Beauty Red?

Beauty Red lasts longest (Beauty Red 85/100, Cruel Gardénia 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cruel Gardénia or Beauty Red?

Beauty Red projects furthest (Beauty Red 60/100, Cruel Gardénia 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cruel Gardénia and Beauty Red smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral, powdery and woody accords. Common notes include Neroli, Rose, Peach and Gardenia.

Is Cruel Gardénia or Beauty Red better for summer or winter?

Cruel Gardénia suits daytime wear; Beauty Red suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cruel Gardénia and Beauty Red?

Cruel Gardénia has top notes of Neroli, Rose and Peach, heart notes of Gardenia, Violet and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Musk, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood and Vanille. Beauty Red has top notes of Peach, Grapes, Neroli and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Jasmine, Gardenia, Rose and Violet, a base of Cedar, Sandalwood, Patchouli and Musk.