Fragrance comparison

Aran vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 86 ratings analysed

2 wins

Aran

Prin

4.1579 votes

Rank #13,786 WoodyEarthy

Full profile Similar & dupes

19%scent match

Clearly different

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #64,078 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Aran takes 2 of 3 categories.

Aran
Choose it for a woody and earthy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Aran2/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AranPrin

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 79 votes

Have 21%Had 7%Want 72%

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

52%Love

28%Like

8%Ok

9%Dislike

4%Hate

79 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

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageAran

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value42

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

earthy92%

musky84%

animalic77%

leather69%

fresh spicy61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match19%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Goat hair tinctureBalsam FirCastoreumMushroomOakmossOlibanumCivetCypriol Oil or NagarmothaCardamomJasmineNard Himalayan (Jatamansi)Saffron

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesCastoreum, Civet, Jasmine and Saffron. Durations are only published for Aran, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring58

Summer8

Fall100

Winter88

Day67

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men42

Unisex54

Women4

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,786

PerfumerPrin Lomros

Launched—

Reviews8

Overall rank#64,078

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerAranHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Aran by Prin is a dense, shadowy woody fragrance built on dark green needles, raw soil, and striking animalic warmth. The scent opens with cool balsam fir, earthy mushroom, and aromatic saffron before revealing a thick base of leather, smoky olibanum, and unwashed musk. Uncompromising doses of civet, castoreum, and go…

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, Aran or Shades of Darkness?

Aran takes 2 of 3 categories. Aran is rated 4.15/5 from 79 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Aran for a woody and earthy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Aran or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Aran 83/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Aran or Shades of Darkness?

Aran projects furthest (Aran 77/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Aran and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 19% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Castoreum, Civet, Jasmine and Saffron.

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

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

What are the notes in Aran and Shades of Darkness?

Aran features Goat hair tincture, Balsam Fir, Castoreum, Mushroom and Oakmoss. 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.