Cruel Gardénia vs L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
41%scent match
Some overlap
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Cruel Gardénia takes 4 of 7 categories.
Cruel GardéniaChoose it for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.
L'Air du Temps Cristal d'OrChoose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.
Cruel Gardénia4/7
L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or3/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Cruel Gardénia
- Community sentiment
- Cruel Gardénia
- Longevity
- L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
- Sillage & projection
- L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
- Value for money
- L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
- Versatility
- Cruel Gardénia
- 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 Cristal d'OrNina RicciWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.11/ 5 · 1,424 votes
Have 42%Had 16%Want 42%
3.35/ 5 · 144 votes
Have 27%Had 34%Want 38%
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
17%Love
40%Like
3%Ok
38%Dislike
1%Hate
144 votes
Category winnerCruel GardéniaMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityL'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
SillageL'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerL'Air du Temps Cristal d'OrBest 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%
aromatic61%
Scent match41%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
CarnationBrazilian RosewoodRoseBergamotNeroliPeach
Heart
Ylang-YlangGardeniaClovesJasmineVioletOrris RootRosemaryOrchid
Base
OakmossMuskBenzoinIrisVetiverAmberSpicesCedar
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
Spring100
Summer0
Fall0
Winter65
Day–
Night–
Category winnerCruel GardéniaMost 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#29,922
PerfumerFrancis Fabron
Launched—
Reviews2
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 →Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or opens with sharp carnation, bitter bergamot, and sweet peach before settling into a cool floral heart. Clove, gardenia, and ylang-ylang create a soapy, spicy warmth that clings closely to skin. As time passes, the dry-down turns dry and woody, anchored by dark oakmoss, cedar, and…
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 Cristal d'Or?
Cruel Gardénia takes 4 of 7 categories. Cruel Gardénia is rated 4.11/5 from 1,424 votes; L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or is rated 3.35/5 from 144 votes. Choose Cruel Gardénia for a powdery and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.
Which lasts longer, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or?
L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or lasts longest (L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or 75/100, Cruel Gardénia 62/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Cruel Gardénia or L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or?
L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or projects furthest (L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or 64/100, Cruel Gardénia 56/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or smell similar?
Some overlap: a 41% 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 Cristal d'Or better for summer or winter?
For summer, Cruel Gardénia is the stronger pick. For winter, L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or is the stronger pick. Cruel Gardénia suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Cruel Gardénia and L'Air du Temps Cristal d'Or?
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 Cristal d'Or has top notes of Carnation, Brazilian Rosewood, Rose and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Gardenia, Cloves and Jasmine, a base of Oakmoss, Musk, Benzoin and Iris.
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