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Hortus Sanitatis Gucci 2020

7.1 / 10 25 Ratings

A perfume by Gucci for women and men, released in 2020. The scent is earthy-smoky. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by Coty.
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Main accords

Earthy

Smoky

Woody

Spicy

Leathery

Fragrance Notes

Cedarwood

Papyrus

Ginger

Vetiver

Perfumer

Alberto Morillas

Ratings

Scent

7.125 Ratings

Longevity

8.322 Ratings

Sillage

7.521 Ratings

Bottle

8.433 Ratings

Submitted by OPomone · last update on 01/28/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Origins of Nature

Megamare

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/18/2021

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Ngarcia
21 Reviews

Ngarcia

2

The big brother of Gucci Guilty Absolute

This perfume smells like a Gucci Guilty Absolute but without cypres and with something herbal instead.

Morillas sometimes doesn't declare the leather within the notes (Black Tie example) but if there isn't leather, there is some alchemy because to a earthy accord of vetiver and papyrus doesn't smell.

Linear, but pleasant, one more point of quality than Guilty Absolute, you may think that they are very similar until you have them hand by hand, the price is excessive, but it is still a full-bodied leather perfume worth trying.

01/28/2025

ManuParfum
9 Reviews

ManuParfum

1

Damp darkness

Strange smell.

It comes out with the fresh smell of ginger and herbs and spices but quickly turns into something deeply earthy, like a vetiver or a very earthy patchouli. If the name wanted to convey the smell of a medicinal garden, it is quite well achieved, it would be a waterlogged garden (papyrus) with very damp soil. The sum of notes also leads me to think of a slightly camphoric or medicinal smoke.

03/13/2020

6Scent 8Longevity 9Sillage

Gschpusi
302 Reviews

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Gschpusi

Top Review

Sometimes less is just right!

Abstinence would be fine too. So, short and sweet:
Based on the fragrance notes, I couldn't resist. I like ginger - I consume it daily. I like wood and vetiver because they are light green and fresh. I like cedarwood because it also has a fresh and spicy scent.
All in all, I was looking forward to Hortus-Sanitatis.
But what a disappointment for my expectations *sigh*
Ginger is so inconspicuous, as if it has slipped under some fruits in the fruit bowl and is just rotting there. Vetiver is very dominant. I like it and it conveys the feeling of a recovery garden, wellness oasis, and health. Cedarwood... wtf?! Where did they dig that up? Sharp, captivating, pitch black, and cold. I almost thought of incense, but the bad kind. The only thing that could save this scent would be papyrus wood. Fresh, sparkling, and a touch sour. But there is too little of that to tone down the cedar.
Earthy yes, green, mossy like after a rain shower, but unfortunately again "cold".
Definitely too sharp and above all cold for me. It reminds me a bit of medicine. The price? Almost outrageous.

04/04/2020

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Rene72
37 Reviews

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Rene72

Very helpful Review 8

The Herbal Book of 1491 - Masterfully Realized

The Hortus Sanitatis is a book of herbal medicine that was printed in Mainz in 1491 (!). And this is astonishingly well captured in this fragrance. On one hand, the herbal notes do remind one of medicine. At the same time, there is a mustiness described below; I would rather say the smell of old walls, old linen. It is likely inspired by ancient papyrus, which absorbed these scents when the Hortus Sanitatis was in its time. This is how a book smells that has been stored and breathed for a long time, perhaps in a monastery where such herbs were cultivated and processed into tinctures in the 15th century.
The scent reminds me of a visit to the dungeon in Hamburg, where visitors walk through scenes of the dark history of the Hanseatic city. To be precise, the station that reminds me is dedicated to the theme of the plague. A monk in a linen robe in a laboratory with numerous tinctures describes to the visitor how much the Hanseatic city of Hamburg suffered from the plague. That sounds worse than it is. The scent does not stink like the plague!
One can only observe a very extreme exaggeration of this scent there.
I could swear that I could smell an animalic note. Both in the dungeon, where the scent of bodily fluids was mixed with the herbal tinctures. But also, the perfume Hortus Sanitatis contains something animalic for me in its later development. A certain smokiness also emerges. The scent transforms a lot; time and again, a different herbal note seems to come through. Although not listed in the fragrance pyramid, various herbs are present. I suspect sage, which in nature also possesses a certain animalic quality, can sometimes smell like stale urine, chamomile, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, and especially bay leaf. A monastery garden with herb beds, a laboratory where tinctures simmer and smoke over an open flame, and in the midst of it, a book of recipes and effects, the Hortus Sanitatis, which absorbs these scents.
I believe Morillas has masterfully realized the theme and created a wearable perfume from this challenge (because who wants to smell like an old musty book or a medieval plague station).
I do not want to deny that this perfume is demanding. But there is so much to smell, and it does not scream for compliments. It envelops the wearer with a mysterious aura.

12/29/2020

9Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Ischgelroi
289 Reviews

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Ischgelroi

4

The Lorsch Medicine Book to spray on?

I must say right away that I am actually not a fan of Alberto Morillas' creations; most of the time, they are too linear or boring for me. Hortus Sanitatis is an exception, this fragrance is truly unique and special. However, I am still surprised that something like this comes from Gucci, as the brand has mostly been represented in Douglas or Müller until now. Hortus Sanitatis is definitely not a perfume that will receive many compliments; rather, it may even provoke negative reactions, as it is 100% not a scent for the club or anything like that. Hortus Sanitatis really reminds me of traditional herbal medicine from the Middle Ages; I imagine being in a monastery in the year 800. The healing arts have just been invented, and the whole monastery smells of the monks' homemade medicine. I must honestly say, though, I cannot answer whether I will acquire a bottle of Hortus Sanitatis, as there is almost no opportunity to wear this scent.