Black Tear vs Red Shield
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
16%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Red Shield takes 4 of 7 categories.
Black TearChoose it for a fruity and tobacco character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
Red ShieldChoose it for a powdery and iris character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Black Tear3/7
Red Shield4/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Red Shield
- Community sentiment
- Black Tear
- Longevity
- Black Tear
- Sillage & projection
- Black Tear
- Value for money
- Red Shield
- Versatility
- Red Shield
- Note pyramid (duration)
- Not scored
- Fragranxe ranking
- Red Shield
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
Black TearAntonio ViscontiRed ShieldOrlov ParisWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.04/ 5 · 62 votes
Have 23%Had 21%Want 56%
4.13/ 5 · 245 votes
Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%
Category winnerRed ShieldRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate44%Love
41%Like
3%Ok
12%Dislike
0%Hate
34 votes
37%Love
42%Like
15%Ok
5%Dislike
2%Hate
172 votes
Category winnerBlack TearMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityBlack Tear
SillageBlack Tear
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerRed ShieldBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothfruity100%
tobacco92%
aromatic84%
sweet77%
green69%
woody61%
powdery100%
iris92%
vanilla84%
honey77%
floral69%
sweet61%
Scent match16%Clearly different · both sweet
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
CassisGreen AppleBlack PepperLemonBergamot
Heart
ApricotTuberoseIrisJasmineHoneyRose
Base
TobaccoPatchouliVetiverVanillaWhite Musk
Top
HoneyAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Black PepperCedar
Heart
IrisLeatherVetiverFreesia
Base
VanillaAmberTonka BeanMusk
InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Iris, Honey and Vetiver. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring33
Summer33
Fall100
Winter67
Day60
Night100
Spring56
Summer18
Fall100
Winter89
Day100
Night–
Category winnerRed ShieldMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#9,404
PerfumerAntonio Visconti
Launched—
Reviews13
Overall rank#4,478
PerfumerQuentin Bisch
Launched—
Reviews41
Category winnerRed ShieldHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotBlack Tear opens fruity and green, with cassis, apple and citrus sharpened by black pepper. As it settles, honeyed tuberose and apricot add a plush sweetness, while tobacco, patchouli and vanilla give the dry-down a darker, fuller feel. It reads like a rich fruity gourmand with a floral heart and a tobacco-toned base.…
Reviews →Red Shield is a sweet powdery leather built around honey, iris, vanilla and soft suede. On skin it can open spicy and woody, then move toward a warmer gourmand feel with amber, ambrette musk and a cherry cordial kind of sweetness mentioned by wearers. It suits people who like their leather polished, sweet and powdery …
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.
Guided comparison
Ask about this matchup
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Black Tear or Red Shield?
Red Shield takes 4 of 7 categories. Black Tear is rated 4.04/5 from 62 votes; Red Shield is rated 4.13/5 from 245 votes. Choose Black Tear for a fruity and tobacco character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Red Shield for a powdery and iris character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Which lasts longer, Black Tear or Red Shield?
Black Tear lasts longest (Black Tear 80/100, Red Shield 72/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Black Tear or Red Shield?
Black Tear projects furthest (Black Tear 71/100, Red Shield 68/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Black Tear and Red Shield smell similar?
Clearly different: a 16% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Iris, Honey and Vetiver.
Is Black Tear or Red Shield better for summer or winter?
For summer, Black Tear is the stronger pick. For winter, Red Shield is the stronger pick. Black Tear suits evening wear; Red Shield suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Black Tear and Red Shield?
Black Tear has top notes of Cassis, Green Apple, Black Pepper and Lemon, heart notes of Apricot, Tuberose, Iris and Jasmine, a base of Tobacco, Patchouli, Vetiver and Vanilla. Red Shield has top notes of Honey, Ambrette (Musk Mallow), Black Pepper and Cedar, heart notes of Iris, Leather, Vetiver and Freesia, a base of Vanilla, Amber, Tonka Bean and Musk.
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