Fragrance comparison

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 918 ratings analysed

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver

Guerlain

3.98911 votes

Rank #2,978 CitrusWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

38%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #63,819 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver
Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver1/3

Shades of Darkness2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Shades of Darkness
Sillage & projection: Shades of Darkness
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia VetiverGuerlain

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 911 votes

Have 47%Had 9%Want 45%

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

28%Like

12%Ok

12%Dislike

4%Hate

911 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

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

woody92%

green84%

aromatic77%

fresh69%

white floral61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match38%Some overlap · both woody, green and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

Fig LeafBergamotPetitgrain

Heart2 to 4 hours

NeroliFigRose

Base4 to 6 hours

VetiverCedarTonka Bean

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesFig Leaf, Bergamot, Neroli and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring95

Summer100

Fall32

Winter12

Day100

Night23

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men8

Unisex59

Women33

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#2,978

PerfumerDelphine Jelk

Launched—

Reviews100

Overall rank#63,819

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerAqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia VetiverHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver by Guerlain brings a lush, sunlight-drenched profile built around bright citrus and deep woody depth. The scent opens with bitter green fig leaf, sparkling bergamot, and crisp petitgrain. That sharp green opening quickly relaxes into a heart of floral neroli, creamy fig fruit, and …

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver is rated 3.98/5 from 911 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver for a citrus and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 38% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, green and aromatic accords. Common notes include Fig Leaf, Bergamot, Neroli and Vetiver.

Is Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver suits daytime wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver and Shades of Darkness?

Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver has top notes of Fig Leaf, Bergamot and Petitgrain, heart notes of Neroli, Fig and Rose, a base of Vetiver, Cedar and Tonka Bean. 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.