Fragrance comparison

An Air Of Despair vs Shadow II pour Homme

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 152 ratings analysed

An Air Of Despair

Imaginary Authors

3.5382 votes

Rank #14,999 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Shadow II pour Homme

Ajmal

3.7770 votes

Rank #16,853 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shadow II pour Homme takes 4 of 7 categories.

An Air Of Despair
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Shadow II pour Homme
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

An Air Of Despair3/7

Shadow II pour Homme4/7

Ratings & consensus: Shadow II pour Homme
Community sentiment: Shadow II pour Homme
Longevity: Shadow II pour Homme
Sillage & projection: An Air Of Despair
Value for money: Shadow II pour Homme
Versatility: An Air Of Despair
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: An Air Of Despair

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

An Air Of DespairImaginary Authors

Shadow II pour HommeAjmal

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.53/ 5 · 82 votes

Have 18%Had 6%Want 76%

3.77/ 5 · 70 votes

Have 43%Had 28%Want 29%

Category winnerShadow II pour HommeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

32%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

30%Dislike

1%Hate

74 votes

26%Love

35%Like

30%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

57 votes

Category winnerShadow II pour HommeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityShadow II pour Homme

SillageAn Air Of Despair

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value42

¤ Price value76

Category winnerShadow II pour HommeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy88%

musky77%

powdery65%

metallic53%

leather42%

woody100%

warm spicy92%

amber84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both woody, warm spicy and musky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SaffronCedarMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

SaffronBergamot

Heart

Orange BlossomVetiverCedar

Base

AmberMuskPatchouli

InformationalShared notesSaffron, Cedar and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring43

Summer29

Fall100

Winter61

Day100

Night–

Spring90

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerAn Air Of DespairMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex20

Women40

Men84

Unisex9

Women7

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,999

PerfumerJosh Meyer

Launched—

Reviews21

Overall rank#16,853

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerAn Air Of DespairHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

An Air Of Despair is a dry, cedar-led scent with saffron adding a leathery, slightly metallic warmth and musk keeping it clean rather than fluffy. It opens sharp for some wearers, then settles into a smooth, comforting woodiness that can feel cozy, austere, and quietly distinctive. This suits someone who enjoys minima…

Reviews →

Ajmal Shadow II pour Homme is a saffron and bergamot opening that quickly turns into a warm, woody amber with a clean, slightly floral lift from orange blossom. As it dries down, vetiver, cedar and patchouli add a drier, earthier edge over musk. It reads unisex on paper, but many wearers find it leans more masculine a…

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, An Air Of Despair or Shadow II pour Homme?

Shadow II pour Homme takes 4 of 7 categories. An Air Of Despair is rated 3.53/5 from 82 votes; Shadow II pour Homme is rated 3.77/5 from 70 votes. Choose An Air Of Despair for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Shadow II pour Homme for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, An Air Of Despair or Shadow II pour Homme?

They last about the same: Shadow II pour Homme 63/100, An Air Of Despair 62/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, An Air Of Despair or Shadow II pour Homme?

An Air Of Despair projects furthest (An Air Of Despair 61/100, Shadow II pour Homme 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do An Air Of Despair and Shadow II pour Homme smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and musky accords. Common notes include Saffron, Cedar and Musk.

Is An Air Of Despair or Shadow II pour Homme better for summer or winter?

For summer, An Air Of Despair is the stronger pick. For winter, Shadow II pour Homme is the stronger pick. An Air Of Despair suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in An Air Of Despair and Shadow II pour Homme?

An Air Of Despair features Saffron, Cedar and Musk. Shadow II pour Homme has top notes of Saffron and Bergamot, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Vetiver and Cedar, a base of Amber, Musk and Patchouli.