Fragrance comparison

Abjar vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 93 ratings analysed

3 wins

Abjar

The Spirit of Dubai

4.4986 votes

Rank #23,755 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,851 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Abjar takes 3 of 3 categories.

Abjar
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Abjar3/3

Shades of Darkness0/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Abjar
Sillage & projection: Abjar
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Abjar

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AbjarThe Spirit of Dubai

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

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

72%Love

13%Like

7%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

86 votes

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

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage84

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityAbjar

SillageAbjar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value28

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

leather92%

amber84%

smoky77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both woody, amber and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CypressPineClary SageNutmegStyraxAldehydesLavenderPepper

Heart

LeatherEarthy NotesBirch LeafIncenseIndian OudResinsWoody NotesGuaiac Wood

Base

CastoreumCivetTobaccoAgarwood (Oud)AmberTolu BalsamSandalwoodBenzoin

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Incense, Castoreum and Civet. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer25

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men74

Unisex20

Women6

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,755

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,851

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerAbjarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Abjar by The Spirit of Dubai opens with a sharp burst of aromatic cypress, pine needles, and spicy nutmeg before settling into a dense heart of birch leaf and natural leather. As the composition warms on skin, smoky incense, Indian oud, and rich labdanum take control, giving the fragrance a dark resinous texture. The …

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, Abjar or Shades of Darkness?

Abjar takes 3 of 3 categories. Abjar is rated 4.49/5 from 86 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Abjar for a woody and leather character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Abjar or Shades of Darkness?

Abjar lasts longest (Abjar 91/100, Shades of Darkness 87/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Abjar or Shades of Darkness?

Abjar projects furthest (Abjar 84/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Abjar and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and aromatic accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Incense, Castoreum and Civet.

Is Abjar or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Abjar and Shades of Darkness?

Abjar has top notes of Cypress, Pine, Clary Sage and Nutmeg, heart notes of Leather, Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Incense, a base of Castoreum, Civet, Tobacco and Agarwood (Oud). 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.