Fragrance comparison

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 571 ratings analysed

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille

Guerlain

4.08564 votes

Rank #2,725 Yellow FloralVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

20%scent match

Clearly different

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 Ylang & Vanille
Choose it for a yellow floral and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, 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 Ylang & Vanille1/3

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 Ylang & Vanille

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & VanilleGuerlain

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.08/ 5 · 564 votes

Have 37%Had 22%Want 41%

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

41%Love

41%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

564 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

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value51

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

yellow floral100%

vanilla90%

sweet80%

floral70%

woody60%

warm spicy50%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match20%Clearly different · both woody and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

Ylang-YlangCarnation

Heart2 to 3 hours

Jasmine

Base4 to 6 hours

Vanilla

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesYlang-Ylang, Carnation and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer75

Fall76

Winter58

Day100

Night51

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex7

Women91

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#2,725

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews60

Overall rank#63,819

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerAqua Allegoria Ylang & VanilleHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille by Guerlain presents a sunny, floral profile centered on ylang-ylang, jasmine, and vanilla. Launched in 1999 as part of Guerlain's garden-themed collection, it pairs creamy yellow floral richness with the clove-like warmth of spicy carnation. The heart reveals a delicate white floral pre…

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 Ylang & Vanille or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille is rated 4.08/5 from 564 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille for a yellow floral and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, 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 Ylang & Vanille or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 20% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Ylang-Ylang, Carnation and Jasmine.

Is Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille suits daytime wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille and Shades of Darkness?

Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille has top notes of Ylang-Ylang and Carnation, heart notes of Jasmine, a base of Vanilla. 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.