CHANEL
Gardenia EDP

2016

PERFUMER
Jacques Polge

green leaves

gardenia
coconut
fruity NOTES

vanilla

Chanel’s take on Gardenia may be my favorite for the flower so far. Maybe because it smells more of other florals than Gardenia. Either way, it makes for a compelling Summery scent.

A very pretty, bright petal-esque white floral. A lot of people seem to get tuberose from this; for me if anything it’s closer to a (very accessible) jasmine. You really get that dewy, moist green vibe from this that turns soapy.

Subtle sun-tan lotion base, but sticking to the dewy florals quite well. Quite crisp and not going too sweet. To me, gardenia can smell a bit dated, but this doesn’t. It does smell quite generic and very simple/minimal. Sometimes you just want something clean and fresh to wear on a warm day and I think Gardenia does that excellently (if that means it should do that at the Les Exclusifs price point is a whole different matter).

It’s well constructed, soft; almost wears like a body lotion/body milk. Hard to see any issues with this one, albeit not the most exciting fragrance in the world. Even within the Les Exclusif collection, which is not known for being eccentric, it’s an understated one. I really enjoyed wearing it nonetheless.