Cruel Gardénia vs L'Air du Temps by Starck
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
44%scent match
Some overlap
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
L'Air du Temps by Starck takes 4 of 7 categories.
Cruel GardéniaChoose 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 StarckChoose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Cruel Gardénia3/7
L'Air du Temps by Starck4/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Cruel Gardénia
- Community sentiment
- Cruel Gardénia
- Longevity
- L'Air du Temps by Starck
- Sillage & projection
- L'Air du Temps by Starck
- Value for money
- L'Air du Temps by Starck
- Versatility
- L'Air du Temps by Starck
- 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 GardéniaGuerlainL'Air du Temps by StarckNina RicciWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.11/ 5 · 1,424 votes
Have 42%Had 16%Want 42%
3.71/ 5 · 85 votes
Have 37%Had 20%Want 43%
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
26%Love
46%Like
1%Ok
27%Dislike
0%Hate
85 votes
Category winnerCruel GardéniaMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityL'Air du Temps by Starck
SillageL'Air du Temps by Starck
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerL'Air du Temps by StarckBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothpowdery100%
white floral92%
musky84%
sweet77%
violet69%
woody61%
woody100%
warm spicy92%
floral84%
powdery77%
white floral69%
earthy61%
Scent match44%Some overlap · both powdery, white floral and woody
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
Top
CarnationRoseBrazilian RosewoodNeroliPeachBergamot
Heart
ClovesYlang-YlangOrris RootGardeniaJasmineVioletOrchidRosemary
Base
OakmossVetiverAmberMuskSpicesIrisSandalwoodBenzoin
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 seasonSpring100
Summer66
Fall57
Winter22
Day100
Night30
Spring92
Summer62
Fall100
Winter38
Day100
Night50
Category winnerL'Air du Temps by StarckMost 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#17,782
PerfumerFrancis Fabron
Launched—
Reviews19
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 →L'Air du Temps by Starck blends classic mid-century perfumery with a striking modern flacon redesign from 2010. The fragrance opens with a sharp burst of spicy carnation, rose, and bright bergamot that immediately sets a vintage floral tone. As the opening settles, dry cloves and creamy ylang-ylang join rich jasmine t…
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
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Starck?
L'Air du Temps by Starck takes 4 of 7 categories. Cruel Gardénia is rated 4.11/5 from 1,424 votes; L'Air du Temps by Starck is rated 3.71/5 from 85 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 Starck for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Which lasts longer, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Starck?
L'Air du Temps by Starck lasts longest (L'Air du Temps by Starck 69/100, Cruel Gardénia 62/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps by Starck?
L'Air du Temps by Starck projects furthest (L'Air du Temps by Starck 71/100, Cruel Gardénia 56/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps by Starck smell similar?
Some overlap: a 44% 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 Starck better for summer or winter?
For summer, Cruel Gardénia is the stronger pick. For winter, L'Air du Temps by Starck is the stronger pick. Cruel Gardénia suits daytime wear; L'Air du Temps by Starck suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps by Starck?
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 Starck has top notes of Carnation, Rose, Brazilian Rosewood and Neroli, heart notes of Cloves, Ylang-Ylang, Orris Root and Gardenia, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Amber and Musk.
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