Excellence vs Gardenia
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
11%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.
ExcellenceChoose it for a soft spicy and anis character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.
GardeniaChoose it for a white floral and green character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Excellence2/4
Gardenia2/4
- Ratings & consensus
- Not scored
- Community sentiment
- Not scored
- Longevity
- Excellence
- Sillage & projection
- Excellence
- Value for money
- Gardenia
- Versatility
- Not scored
- Note pyramid (duration)
- Not scored
- Fragranxe ranking
- Gardenia
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
ExcellenceAlexanderGardeniaPenhaligon'sWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split3.50/ 5 · 4 votes
Have 25%Had 6%Want 69%
3.96/ 5 · 652 votes
Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%
Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate25%Love
25%Like
25%Ok
25%Dislike
0%Hate
4 votes · too few to score
35%Love
49%Like
3%Ok
12%Dislike
1%Hate
554 votes
Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityExcellence
SillageExcellence
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerGardeniaBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent familysoft spicy100%
anis92%
warm spicy84%
sweet77%
vanilla69%
leather61%
white floral100%
green83%
floral65%
tuberose48%
animalic30%
Scent match11%Clearly different
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
AniseVioletClovesYlang-Ylang
Heart
FennelPatchouliJasmineRoseSandalwood
Base
LicoriceLeatherTonka BeanVanillaBenzoin
Top
Green NotesMagnoliaHyacinthRhuburbBergamotViolet
Heart
GardeniaTuberoseLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineOrange BlossomYlang-YlangRoseCinnamon
Base
MuskVanillaBenzoinSandalwood
InformationalShared notesViolet, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring20
Summer0
Fall100
Winter100
Day100
Night75
Spring100
Summer0
Fall0
Winter13
Day–
Night–
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#54,014
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews3
Overall rank#2,832
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews63
Category winnerGardeniaHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotExcellence by Alexander is an anise and licorice led oriental floral that leans spicy, sweet, and slightly leathery. It opens with anise and clove, softened by violet and ylang ylang, then moves into a fennel and patchouli heart with jasmine, rose, and sandalwood. The dry down brings vanilla, tonka, benzoin warmth, pl…
Reviews →Penhaligon's Gardenia is a green white floral with a fresh, soapy lift rather than a thick tropical feel. The opening reads crisp and clean, then the heart turns fuller with gardenia, tuberose and jasmine, while vanilla, musk and sandalwood soften the dry-down. It suits shoppers who want an elegant floral with presenc…
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
Get a practical answer grounded in the fragrances currently selected.
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Excellence or Gardenia?
No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Excellence is rated 3.50/5 from 4 votes; Gardenia is rated 3.96/5 from 652 votes. Choose Excellence for a soft spicy and anis character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Gardenia for a white floral and green character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Which lasts longer, Excellence or Gardenia?
Excellence lasts longest (Excellence 72/100, Gardenia 68/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Excellence or Gardenia?
Projection is very close: Excellence 60/100, Gardenia 59/100 for sillage.
Do Excellence and Gardenia smell similar?
Clearly different: a 11% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Violet, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose.
Is Excellence or Gardenia better for summer or winter?
Excellence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Excellence and Gardenia?
Excellence has top notes of Anise, Violet, Cloves and Ylang-Ylang, heart notes of Fennel, Patchouli, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Licorice, Leather, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Gardenia has top notes of Green Notes, Magnolia, Hyacinth and Rhuburb, heart notes of Gardenia, Tuberose, Lily-of-the-Valley and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Vanilla, Benzoin and Sandalwood.
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