Cruel Gardénia vs Donna R
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
47%scent match
Some overlap
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Cruel Gardénia takes 3 of 5 categories.
Cruel GardéniaChoose it for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Donna RChoose it for a floral and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Cruel Gardénia3/5
Donna R2/5
- Ratings & consensus
- Cruel Gardénia
- Community sentiment
- Not scored
- Longevity
- Cruel Gardénia
- Sillage & projection
- Donna R
- Value for money
- Donna R
- 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 GardéniaGuerlainDonna RRoberta di CamerinoWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.11/ 5 · 1,424 votes
Have 42%Had 16%Want 42%
4.00/ 5 · 14 votes
Have 36%Had 19%Want 45%
Category winnerCruel GardéniaRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate42%Love
40%Like
7%Ok
11%Dislike
1%Hate
1,424 votes
21%Love
64%Like
7%Ok
7%Dislike
0%Hate
14 votes · too few to score
Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityCruel Gardénia
SillageDonna R
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerDonna RBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothpowdery100%
white floral92%
musky84%
sweet77%
violet69%
woody61%
floral100%
powdery92%
green84%
white floral77%
violet69%
iris61%
Scent match47%Some overlap · both powdery, white floral and violet
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop30 to 45 minutes
NeroliRosePeach
Heart2 to 3 hours
GardeniaVioletYlang-Ylang
Base3 to 4 hours
MuskTonka BeanSandalwoodVanille
Notes
IrisGalbanumRoseCyclamenJasmineBergamotVioletYlang-YlangLily-of-the-ValleyMuskNeroliSandalwood
No top / heart / base split published
InformationalShared notesNeroli, Rose, Violet and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Cruel Gardénia, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring100
Summer66
Fall57
Winter22
Day100
Night30
Spring100
Summer80
Fall80
Winter20
Day100
Night50
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#5,656
PerfumerRanda Hammami, Sylvaine Delacourte
Launched—
Reviews93
Overall rank#23,115
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews5
Category winnerCruel GardéniaHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotCruel 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 →Donna R by Roberta di Camerino is an oriental floral fragrance for women that captures the spirit of the mid-1990s. This composition opens with a crisp, green galbanum and citrus sparkle before settling into a powdery floral heart. It is a thoughtful choice for those who appreciate classic, well-structured scents that…
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.
Guided comparison
Ask about this matchup
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Cruel Gardénia or Donna R?
Cruel Gardénia takes 3 of 5 categories. Cruel Gardénia is rated 4.11/5 from 1,424 votes; Donna R is rated 4.00/5 from 14 votes. Choose Cruel Gardénia for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Donna R for a floral and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Which lasts longer, Cruel Gardénia or Donna R?
Cruel Gardénia lasts longest (Cruel Gardénia 62/100, Donna R 57/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Cruel Gardénia or Donna R?
Donna R projects furthest (Donna R 63/100, Cruel Gardénia 56/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Cruel Gardénia and Donna R smell similar?
Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, white floral and violet accords. Common notes include Neroli, Rose, Violet and Ylang-Ylang.
Is Cruel Gardénia or Donna R better for summer or winter?
Cruel Gardénia suits daytime wear; Donna R suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Cruel Gardénia and Donna R?
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. Donna R features Iris, Galbanum, Rose, Cyclamen and Jasmine.
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