Fragrance comparison

CH Men vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 8 Oct 2026 6,142 ratings analysed

CH Men

Carolina Herrera

4.306,135 votes

Rank #1,284 LeatherVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,517 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

CH Men
Choose it for a leather and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

CH Men1/3

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: CH Men

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CH MenCarolina Herrera

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.30/ 5 · 6,135 votes

Have 67%Had 33%Want 0%

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

50%Love

38%Like

4%Ok

7%Dislike

1%Hate

6,135 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

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ 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

leather100%

vanilla92%

sweet84%

woody77%

powdery69%

green61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both woody, green and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

GrassBergamotGrapefruit

Heart2-3 hrs

Woodsy NotesNutmegVioletSaffronJasmine

Base5-7 hrs

SugarLeatherVanillaSuedeAmberCashmirwoodSandalwoodOakmoss

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Nutmeg, Violet and Saffron. Durations are only published for CH Men, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring92

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day77

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men89

Unisex9

Women2

Date 35%Casual 29%Work 22%Party 14%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,284

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews206

Overall rank#58,517

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCH MenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Carolina Herrera CH Men delivers a distinctive mix of fresh cut grass, spicy nutmeg, and sweet sugary leather. It starts with a brief flash of bergamot and damp lawn clippings before settling into a warm, inviting cloud of vanilla, suede, and saffron. You get an easygoing sweetness that never feels heavy or sticky. Th…

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, CH Men or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. CH Men is rated 4.30/5 from 6,135 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose CH Men for a leather and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, 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, CH Men or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, CH Men 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, CH Men or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, CH Men 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do CH Men and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, green and powdery accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Nutmeg, Violet and Saffron.

Is CH Men or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in CH Men and Shades of Darkness?

CH Men has top notes of Grass, Bergamot and Grapefruit, heart notes of Woodsy Notes, Nutmeg, Violet and Saffron, a base of Sugar, Leather, Vanilla and Suede. 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.