Fragrance comparison

Cruel Gardénia vs L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 1,467 ratings analysed

Cruel Gardénia

Guerlain

4.111,424 votes

Rank #5,656 PowderyWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman

Nina Ricci

3.9543 votes

Rank #19,799 Warm SpicyFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman takes 4 of 7 categories.

Cruel Gardénia
Choose it for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman
Choose it for a warm spicy and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Cruel Gardénia3/7

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman4/7

Ratings & consensus: Cruel Gardénia
Community sentiment: Cruel Gardénia
Longevity: L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman
Sillage & projection: L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman
Value for money: L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman
Versatility: L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman
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

L'Air du Temps by Olivia PutmanNina Ricci

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 1,424 votes

Have 42%Had 16%Want 42%

3.95/ 5 · 43 votes

Have 29%Had 12%Want 59%

Category winnerCruel GardéniaRating 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

33%Love

49%Like

0%Ok

19%Dislike

0%Hate

43 votes

Category winnerCruel GardéniaMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityL'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman

SillageL'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value22

¤ Price value58

Category winnerL'Air du Temps by Olivia PutmanBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

white floral92%

musky84%

sweet77%

violet69%

woody61%

warm spicy100%

floral91%

woody83%

powdery74%

white floral65%

iris56%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both powdery, white floral 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

CarnationNeroliPalisander RosewoodRoseBergamotPeach

Heart

ClovesOrchidOrrisGardeniaVioletJasmineRosemaryYlang-Ylang

Base

SandalwoodMuskSpicesIrisAmberBenzoinCedarMoss

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

Spring100

Summer44

Fall100

Winter78

Day100

Night45

Category winnerL'Air du Temps by Olivia PutmanMost 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#19,799

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

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 →

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman offers a fresh modern presentation of Nina Ricci's iconic floral structure. It opens with sharp carnation and crisp neroli, softened by bright bergamot and subtle peach accents. As the scent settles, clove spice merges with gardenia, rose, and green rosemary, creating a distinctive soap…

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 L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman?

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman takes 4 of 7 categories. Cruel Gardénia is rated 4.11/5 from 1,424 votes; L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman is rated 3.95/5 from 43 votes. Choose Cruel Gardénia for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman for a warm spicy and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman?

They last about the same: L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman 64/100, Cruel Gardénia 62/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman?

L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman projects furthest (L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman 68/100, Cruel Gardénia 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, white floral and woody accords. Common notes include Neroli, Rose, Peach and Gardenia.

Is Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman better for summer or winter?

For summer, Cruel Gardénia is the stronger pick. For winter, L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman is the stronger pick. Cruel Gardénia suits daytime wear; L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman?

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. L'Air du Temps by Olivia Putman has top notes of Carnation, Neroli, Palisander Rosewood and Rose, heart notes of Cloves, Orchid, Orris and Gardenia, a base of Sandalwood, Musk, Spices and Iris.