Fragrance comparison

Marc Jacobs Gardenia vs St. John by Marie Gray

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 77 ratings analysed

4 wins

Marc Jacobs Gardenia

Marc Jacobs

4.0964 votes

Rank #16,816 White FloralLactonic

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

St. John by Marie Gray

St. John

4.3113 votes

Rank #42,463 FruityPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Marc Jacobs Gardenia takes 4 of 5 categories.

Marc Jacobs Gardenia
Choose it for a white floral and lactonic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
St. John by Marie Gray
Choose it for a fruity and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Marc Jacobs Gardenia4/5

St. John by Marie Gray1/5

Ratings & consensus: St. John by Marie Gray
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Marc Jacobs Gardenia
Sillage & projection: Marc Jacobs Gardenia
Value for money: Marc Jacobs Gardenia
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Marc Jacobs Gardenia

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Marc Jacobs GardeniaMarc Jacobs

St. John by Marie GraySt. John

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.09/ 5 · 64 votes

Have 9%Had 9%Want 83%

4.31/ 5 · 13 votes

Have 47%Had 14%Want 39%

Category winnerSt. John by Marie GrayRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

45%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

14%Dislike

2%Hate

64 votes

46%Love

38%Like

15%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

13 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage44

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityMarc Jacobs Gardenia

SillageMarc Jacobs Gardenia

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value38

Category winnerMarc Jacobs GardeniaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

lactonic83%

warm spicy65%

animalic48%

fruity30%

fruity100%

powdery92%

white floral84%

lactonic77%

amber69%

woody61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both white floral, lactonic and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top15-30 mins

GardeniaHoneysuckleJasmine

Heart2-4 hrs

GingerMuskCedar

Base5-7 hrs

—

Top

oriental flower notes

Heart

HoneysuckleJasmineGardenia

Base

ApricotAmberSandalowoodMusk

InformationalShared notesGardenia, Honeysuckle, Jasmine and Musk. Durations are only published for Marc Jacobs Gardenia, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer65

Fall25

Winter25

Day100

Night37

Spring50

Summer25

Fall100

Winter25

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex20

Women80

Casual 37%Work 31%Date 22%Party 10%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#16,816

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#42,463

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerMarc Jacobs GardeniaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Marc Jacobs Gardenia opens with a vivid spray of sweet honeysuckle and green jasmine petals before settling into its star flower. Give it three minutes. The initial alcohol flash quickly burns off, letting a buttery gardenia bloom across the skin with remarkable intensity. A quiet pulse of fresh ginger keeps the petal…

Reviews →

St. John by Marie Gray is a rich 1994 vintage style floral perfume built around sweet gardenia, lush jasmine, and sunny honeysuckle blossoms. The opening introduces a golden floral bouquet that quickly folds into velvety ripe apricot, giving the white petals a creamy, almost peach-like texture on warm skin. As it sett…

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Marc Jacobs Gardenia or St. John by Marie Gray?

Marc Jacobs Gardenia takes 4 of 5 categories. Marc Jacobs Gardenia is rated 4.09/5 from 64 votes; St. John by Marie Gray is rated 4.31/5 from 13 votes. Choose Marc Jacobs Gardenia for a white floral and lactonic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose St. John by Marie Gray for a fruity and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Marc Jacobs Gardenia or St. John by Marie Gray?

They last about the same: Marc Jacobs Gardenia 65/100, St. John by Marie Gray 64/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Marc Jacobs Gardenia or St. John by Marie Gray?

Marc Jacobs Gardenia projects furthest (Marc Jacobs Gardenia 72/100, St. John by Marie Gray 44/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Marc Jacobs Gardenia and St. John by Marie Gray smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral, lactonic and fruity accords. Common notes include Gardenia, Honeysuckle, Jasmine and Musk.

Is Marc Jacobs Gardenia or St. John by Marie Gray better for summer or winter?

Marc Jacobs Gardenia suits daytime wear; St. John by Marie Gray suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Marc Jacobs Gardenia and St. John by Marie Gray?

Marc Jacobs Gardenia has top notes of Gardenia, Honeysuckle and Jasmine, heart notes of Ginger, Musk and Cedar. St. John by Marie Gray has top notes of oriental flower notes, heart notes of Honeysuckle, Jasmine and Gardenia, a base of Apricot, Amber, Sandalowood and Musk.