WHAT I SMELL: Gardenia Passion’s initial opening begins with a waxy smooth tuberose that’s tinged with pink pepper. A wonderful green lifts the bouquet from below as the floral seem to sparkle with sunshine. In a little, a light touch of earthen jasmine brings the floral to a more grounded level. So where’s the gardenia? As it further develops, a rubbery and creamy consistency comes in and give the feeling of a gardenia bloom. At the same time the green turns to more of a vegetal tomato vine. Does it smell like true gardenia? No, instead the perfume takes on a more muted tuberose, but at times it does waft towards the gardenia. The perfume overall has a light to medium touch which makes this perfect for the spring or summer months as it will not overwhelm or suffocate.
From the Annick Goutal website:
Annick Goutal’s captivating tribute to freshly-picked gardenia. A troubling reinterpretation, nuanced with the accord of mesmerizing tuberose and seductive jasmine.
Spring has sprung!
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: There is nothing frivolous about Gardenia Passion; but the perfume, combined with the ensuing warm weather has me all excited about the burgeoning Spring!
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE GARDENIA PASSION: comforting, classical, lady-like
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARDENIA PASSION: The Non-Blonde, Perfume Shrine, Perfume-Smellin Things
BOTTOM LINE: Gardenia Passion is an easy wear that is beautiful, charming and while lady-like is not stuffy or too proper and could be worn anywhere and at anytime.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral
- Classification: Feminine
- Expense: Varies. Review based on the Eau de Toilette version.
The Scented Hound 
March 28, 2016 at 6:00 am
Heya Steve,
Love Annick Goutal’s fragrances. The white florals are especially favourites, they seem perfect for almost anytime but I particularly love them in the dead of winter.
Gardenia Passion has always seemed elegantly prim rather than passionate to me, maybe you have to bring your own passion?
Portia xxx
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March 28, 2016 at 6:19 am
P – I would agree that the perfume doesn’t have a lot of “passion”. Maybe the eau de parfum version has a bit more sultriness to it? But I’m with you about white florals, they’re a good fit for any time of year. xoxoxoxo
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March 28, 2016 at 6:50 am
Where’s the gardenia? Isn’t that a common question with a lot of gardenia scents? Often I can sniff out every other white flower under the sun in gardenia perfumes and struggle to find anything that smells like gardenia. I’m okay with that though because I love white florals. I know I’ve tried this one but it was a while ago and I honestly can’t remember much other than it was a pretty floral. I don’t recall much passion either.
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March 28, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Just like Portia…yes, not a lot of passion, but very pretty. Perfect for a Spring Poodle though 🙂
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March 28, 2016 at 7:25 am
I like this one. In fact I need to get out my bottle of AG Gardenia Passion and wear it now that it’s warmer. Yes, it’s lacking in real in your face gardenia but it’s a nice tuberose and jasmine with a bit of gardenia., 3 of my favorite flowers. Take care and happy spring!
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March 28, 2016 at 6:09 pm
Hurray for warmer weather and for being able to wear the florals that will bake and grow under the sunshine!!
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April 7, 2016 at 1:14 pm
Gardenia Passion is pretty! I wore it in the 90s…do you know if it has been reformulated since then? I should give it a whirl next time I am near an AG counter……I do also love AG’s Passion….perhaps a bit more than Gardenia Passion…I like the unexpected tomato leaf note in it …(which also shows up in AG’s Folavril…another favourite
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April 7, 2016 at 8:43 pm
I have to admit that I like Gardenia Passion more than Passion myself. Passion does seem to morph and change with the temperature and humidity. I wore it last week and liked it and then again yesterday and it became rather dark and funky on me. It was weird.
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April 8, 2016 at 8:39 am
When I first tried Passion in the mid 1990s I did not like it at all…but over the years I kept going back to sampling it until eventually I grew to love it…..maybe the odd mix of the vanilla and tomato leaf notes that first made me not like it? Not sure but it is funny how our sense of smell can change literally from day to day!
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April 9, 2016 at 7:02 am
Absolutely. When I first started getting into niche perfumes, I was completely into amber…lutens ambre sultan was one of my favorites, but over time, I find the amber centric perfumes too heavy for my tastes now. Instead I gravitate to white florals.
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April 8, 2016 at 3:05 pm
I clearly remember not liking it many years ago but I’ve never retried it since. I should probably give it another try – if I can only find a sample… (the picture you used is a funny choice to describe a “classical, lady-like” perfume 😉 )
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April 9, 2016 at 7:03 am
Isn’t Princess Grace a classic? She’s just not buttoned up in that photo, but she was always refined 🙂
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