Fragrance comparison

Britain vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

Britain

The Dua Brand

4.754 votes

Rank #35,991 WoodyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

56%scent match

Closely related

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,505 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

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

Britain1/3

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: Britain

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BritainThe Dua Brand

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.75/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 73%Had 18%Want 9%

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

75%Love

25%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 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

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate94

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value81

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

powdery92%

aromatic84%

warm spicy77%

citrus69%

amber61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match56%Closely related · both woody, warm spicy and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

juniper berryCarrot SeedsTolu BalsamGuaiac WoodMusk MallowClary SagePatchouliBergamotBenzoinJasmineLeatherViolet

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesTolu Balsam, Bergamot, Benzoin and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Britain, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day71

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Date 32%Work 28%Casual 22%Party 18%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#35,991

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#60,505

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerBritainHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Britain by The Dua Brand hits skin with serious vintage heft. Do not overspray this. A brisk snap of Calabrian bergamot and Amalfi lemon cuts through an immediate, heavy rush of powdery iris. Within twenty minutes, the citrus evaporates completely, surrendering to smoky guaiac wood, rich jacket leather, and dry oakmos…

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, Britain or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Britain is rated 4.75/5 from 4 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Britain for a woody and powdery character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening 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, Britain or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Britain 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Britain or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Britain 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Britain and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Closely related: a 56% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and amber accords. Common notes include Tolu Balsam, Bergamot, Benzoin and Jasmine.

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

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

What are the notes in Britain and Shades of Darkness?

Britain features juniper berry, Carrot Seeds, Tolu Balsam, Guaiac Wood and Musk Mallow. 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.