Fragrance comparison

4711 Carat vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 16 ratings analysed

2 wins

4711 Carat

Muelhens

4.339 votes

Rank #40,047 AnimalicMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

23%scent match

Clearly different

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #61,701 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

4711 Carat takes 2 of 3 categories.

4711 Carat
Choose it for a animalic and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

4711 Carat2/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Shades of Darkness
Sillage & projection: 4711 Carat
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: 4711 Carat

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

4711 CaratMuelhens

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.33/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 37%Had 9%Want 53%

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

44%Love

44%Like

11%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

14%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

57%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage79

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

Sillage4711 Carat

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value83

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

animalic100%

musky92%

powdery84%

sweet77%

floral69%

amber61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match23%Clearly different · both amber and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

VanillaAldehydesBlood OrangeSpun Sugar

Heart3-4 hrs

VioletLeatherCorianderCarnationTobaccoJasmineRose

Base8-12 hrs

Synthetic CivetMuskBalsamic NotesAmbergris

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesViolet, Carnation, Tobacco and Jasmine. Durations are only published for 4711 Carat, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer17

Fall100

Winter83

Day44

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 44%Party 28%Casual 16%Work 13%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#40,047

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#61,701

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winner4711 CaratHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

4711 Carat by Muelhens smells like a lavish artifact from 1938 brought back to life. It hits the skin with fizzy aldehydes, sweet blood orange, and a curious touch of spun sugar. The sweetness fades fast. Within twenty minutes, powdery violet, clove-tinged carnation, and dry tobacco emerge over dark leather jackets an…

Reviews →

Shades of Darkness is a dense, vintage-leaning oriental fragrance that moves from sharp galbanum greens to a deep, animalic, and resinous base. Launched in 2015, this composition offers a complex journey for those who appreciate old-school, heavy, and artistic perfumery suitable for cold weather evenings or formal aut…

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, 4711 Carat or Shades of Darkness?

4711 Carat takes 2 of 3 categories. 4711 Carat is rated 4.33/5 from 9 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose 4711 Carat for a animalic and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, 4711 Carat or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, 4711 Carat 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, 4711 Carat or Shades of Darkness?

4711 Carat projects furthest (4711 Carat 79/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do 4711 Carat and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 23% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Violet, Carnation, Tobacco and Jasmine.

Is 4711 Carat or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

4711 Carat suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in 4711 Carat and Shades of Darkness?

4711 Carat has top notes of Vanilla, Aldehydes, Blood Orange and Spun Sugar, heart notes of Violet, Leather, Coriander and Carnation, a base of Synthetic Civet, Musk, Balsamic Notes and Ambergris. Shades of Darkness has top notes of Galbanum, Carnation, Artemisia and Fig Leaf, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Narcissus, Jasmine and Iris, a base of Incense, Tolu Balsam, Civet and Castoreum.