Fragrance comparison

Beltane vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 16 ratings analysed

2 wins

Beltane

Maison des Animaux Fragrances

4.569 votes

Rank #18,803 LeatherVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,664 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Beltane takes 2 of 3 categories.

Beltane
Choose it for a leather and vanilla 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.

Beltane2/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BeltaneMaison des Animaux Fragrances

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.56/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 39%Had 6%Want 55%

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

67%Love

22%Like

11%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

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

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate89

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageBeltane

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value80

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

vanilla92%

amber84%

warm spicy77%

smoky69%

balsamic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both amber and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

VanillaIncenseSaffron

Heart

LeatherSandalwoodBenzoin

Base

—

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesIncense, Saffron and Benzoin. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men20

Unisex60

Women20

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#18,803

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews9

Overall rank#58,664

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerBeltaneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Beltane opens with a thick haze of sweet vanilla and dry incense, spiked with a medicinal pinch of saffron. Developed as a unisex release, it settles into a dense, smoky leather base that avoids the typical burnt-wood harshness of winter scents.

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, Beltane or Shades of Darkness?

Beltane takes 2 of 3 categories. Beltane is rated 4.56/5 from 9 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Beltane for a leather and vanilla 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, Beltane or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Beltane 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Beltane or Shades of Darkness?

Beltane projects furthest (Beltane 75/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Beltane and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Incense, Saffron and Benzoin.

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

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

What are the notes in Beltane and Shades of Darkness?

Beltane has top notes of Vanilla, Incense and Saffron, heart notes of Leather, Sandalwood and Benzoin. 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.