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Gardénia Passion Goutal 1989

6.9 / 10 61 Ratings

A perfume by Goutal for women, released in 1989. The scent is floral-sweet. It was last marketed by Amore Pacific / 아모레퍼시픽.
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Main accords

Floral

Sweet

Green

Fresh

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Mandarin orange

Petitgrain

Heart Notes

Tuberose

Gardenia

Jasmine

Tunisian neroli

Base Notes

Labdanum

Oakmoss

Vanilla

Perfumer

Annick Goutal

Ratings

Scent

6.961 Ratings

Longevity

6.544 Ratings

Sillage

6.636 Ratings

Bottle

7.448 Ratings

Submitted by Lissy · last update on 06/03/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

It is said that Annick Goutal did not like gardenia as a fragrance at all. Laurice Rahmé, who was responsible for the distribution of Goutal products in the USA at the time, says that the fragrance was created because she urged Annick Goutal to create a gardenia fragrance for American customers, who would appreciate the gardenia note. Another creation legend (represented by the Annick Goutal brand) says that the fragrance was inspired by a visit to Kyoto, where Annick Goutal experienced the intense scent of gardenias in the temple gardens during the rainy season.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Songes Eau de Toilette

Carolina Herrera (1988) Eau de Parfum

Truth or Dare

Songes Eau de Parfum

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/16/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 5

Richly scented gardenia and tuberose

I was reading Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez's opinions regarding Gardenia Passion before I went into reviewing this fragrance. They mentioned that Annick Goutal was not fond of gardenias, hence the reason as to why this fragrance is more tuberose than anything else.

I'll sum up Gardenia Passion as being a rather loud, yet beautiful white floral. I remember the moment when I first tried this fragrance some years ago. I was so very repulsed by it all. I found it much too strong, and in some ways bitter. I also felt the same way about Fracas then.

Currently I'm an avid lover of white florals, especially when they've been constructed well and come minus the synthetic components. Gardenia Passion smells natural and real to me. Almost perfection in a way. While Fracas is too buttery for my tastes, Gardenia Passion is like traipsing through a florist's shop and inhaling various floral aromas.

Gardenia Passion is rich and powdery once settled. Believe it or not, this fragrance smells absolutely divine on smokers. Despite the belief that white florals smell like 'old ladies', Gardenia Passion does not fuel this idea and instead comes across as being very seductive and elegant on the skin.

I absolutely love Passion by Annick Goutal, and in some ways Gardenia Passion is a more floral and less earthy and/or incensey version.

Despite its tendency to be rather strong, Gardenia Passion is never cloying. It has that real classic appeal, something that screams sophistication and femininity. I might also add that the lasting strength is impressive, especially for that of an EDT.

04/06/2013

6Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1240 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 4

Tubéreuse in a Green House?

It's so funny that Annick Goutal GARDENIA PASSION features tuberose only garnished with gardenia, while Estée Lauder Private Collection TUBEROSE GARDENIA is much more about gardenia than it is about tuberose! Both are obviously big white flower perfumes, so the names are a warning sign to those with issues with this genre.

The tuberose in GARDENIA PASSION is the thick, wilted kind. It smells rather dark and damp to me, as though the flowers are being held in captivity in a huge greenhouse amidst lots of other plant growth, not all of it tuberose, but not very much of it gardenia.

The first time I tried this perfume, I entertained the possibility that there had been some sort of decanting error, but now that I have a bottle, it is undeniable that this is essentially a tuberose soliflore. This of course raises all of the usual comparison questions: how does it stack up against FRACAS, BLONDE, CARNAL FLOWER, and the slew of other tuberose perfumes which continue to appear on the market, including the Histoires de Parfums trilogy?

To my nose, GARDENIA PASSION is not as good as those creations. The thick, somewhat muddled quality of the tuberose note here makes this composition seem more primitive. It actually reminds me a bit of Honore des Pres VAMP A NY, which I did not review very favorably. I won't say that GARDENIA PASSION is crude, but it is less refined. Still, on occasion it's nice to wear, just as it is nice to spend time in a stuffy and humid greenhouse every once in a while...

02/14/2011

7Scent 2.5Longevity

Ripieno
35 Reviews

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Ripieno

Very helpful Review 12

Bass Tuba and Trombones

"Light-Weakness" is a perfectly fitting neologism. Compliments to Lav! For me, however, the emphasis lies more on weakness, as the methylanthranilate, which is presumably the main contributor to the trombone choir of tuberose and orange blossom amplified by a bass tuba, pushes itself quite prominently to the forefront with its heaviness and sweetness. The trumpets of Jericho could hardly have been louder.

I would wish for the theme "Gardenia" to be distinctly greener and fresher and indeed lighter. Gardenia Concrète has a sweet undertone reminiscent of tuberose, but the green of fresh leaves is strongly accentuated. It is noticeable that Goutal has worked with synthetic flowers, and it seems to hold true that a successful gardenia imitation is rarer to find than convincing violet or lily of the valley imitations.

At least the task has been solved with a wide margin better than with Tom Ford's Velvet Gardenia, whose fecal note I find disgusting. And despite all the criticism, it should be noted that Goutal has succeeded here in creating an original and exotic union of two fragrance families, namely the green-floral and the sweet-floral, that the result has quality and the scent rightly finds its admirers.

Addendum

Tania Sanchez takes her critique a step further: Gardénia Passion is not even a gardenia at all. In reality, we have a tuberose here trying to hide behind a thin veil of green foliage - like an uninvited guest in red satin sneaking in for dinner, believing it can hide behind a fern plant. I fear I must join her.

06/17/2011

5Scent 7.5Longevity

IndianSummer
59 Reviews

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IndianSummer

Helpful Review 8

Butter-Flower

It took me a long time to dare to try a fragrance from Annick Goutal again, as Eau du Sud was quite a bitter disappointment for me. But I was indeed curious, and there were also these two samples. So yesterday I chose candidate No. 2 and tested it again today to make sure that my first impression of Gardénia Passion wasn't misleading.

It starts off very floral, but it doesn't go in the sweet direction, which I didn't expect at all. These flowers are lush and heavy, a bit intoxicating, but this is tempered by a green, fresh accord. Well... not so bad at all, this might be something for the summer. However - if only the scent note would stay like this, but of course it doesn't.

In the heart note, I perceive something that vaguely reminds me of a cream, even though orange blossom and tuberose don't suggest that. I ponder back and forth about what this scent reminds me of, and suddenly I have the revelation - but it's so far-fetched that I preferred to test Gardénia Passion again today. But the result is the same as yesterday:

The heart of this fragrance smells like butter!

Yes, you read that right. I could hardly believe it myself, but at least for my nose, this gardenia perfume develops into a butter-flower scent.

I don't want that on my skin, even though the base brings another change. There's not much left of the butter scent, now it just smells somewhat green-fresh to me. Without any recognizability.

The longevity is okay, it lasts half a day. But since I won't be purchasing this perfume anyway, I don't need to tie a knot in my handkerchief to remind me to reapply.

09/17/2010

9Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Hermessenz
246 Reviews

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Hermessenz

Very helpful Review

I am delighted

Lav, thank you so much for allowing me to experience this wonderful treasure.
In short: I was so overwhelmed with delight that I couldn't contain myself.
I find Gardenia Passion to be lushly floral, but in a very pleasant way.
It does have a certain similarity to Intense Tiaré by Montale, but where Montale comes on strong, Annick gently sways with a delicate veil. The opening is lushly floral and then the gardenia develops into a floral-vanilla veil that is simply delicious.
The scent is very long-lasting, and even after hours, the tuberose, which is likely responsible for the delicate hint of vanilla, can still be detected.
For me, the scent of gardenia always has a protective quality; it envelops me softly and gives me a cozy feeling.
I think that Gardenia Passion fits perfectly into the warm season.
A beautiful fragrance that surely has many fans and will find even more.
Try it, ladies!

More reviews

Statements

6 short views on the fragrance

dinor1

7 months ago

1

A tropical, passionate fragrance with rich gardenia and a hint of ylang-ylang.

Noureddine

9 months ago

A tropical, passionate fragrance with rich gardenia and a hint of ylang-ylang.

Yatagan

5 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

13

8

A quite intense white floral storm, but the thunder doesn't rumble for too long in typical Goutal fashion, keeping the scent suitable for everyday wear.

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