Fragrance comparison

Chanel N°19 vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 28 Oct 2026 5,314 ratings analysed

Chanel N°19

Chanel

4.095,307 votes

Rank #27,745 GreenEarthy

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #62,176 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Chanel N°19
Choose it for a green and earthy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Chanel N°191/3

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: Chanel N°19

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel N°19Chanel

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.09/ 5 · 5,307 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

44%Love

37%Like

2%Ok

15%Dislike

1%Hate

5,307 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

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

green100%

earthy92%

woody84%

iris77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both green, woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

GalbanumHiacynthBergamotNeroli

Heart3-4 hrs

IrisOrris RootRoseNarcissusLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineYlang-Ylang

Base7-8+ hrs

OakmossVetiverLeatherCedarMuskSandalwood

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesGalbanum, Bergamot, Neroli and Iris. Durations are only published for Chanel N°19, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter34

Day100

Night37

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men3

Unisex45

Women53

Work 44%Casual 31%Date 15%Party 10%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#27,745

PerfumerHenri Robert

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#62,176

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerChanel N°19Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel N°19 is a famously bracing green floral built around a sharp spine of bitter galbanum, powdery Florentine iris, and earthy oakmoss. The opening snaps like a broken flower stem. Crisp neroli and bergamot provide an immediate citrus flash before cold hyacinth and silvery orris root soften the edges. As the perfum…

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, Chanel N°19 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Chanel N°19 is rated 4.09/5 from 5,307 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Chanel N°19 for a green and earthy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime 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, Chanel N°19 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Chanel N°19 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chanel N°19 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Chanel N°19 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chanel N°19 and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share green, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Galbanum, Bergamot, Neroli and Iris.

Is Chanel N°19 or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Chanel N°19 suits daytime wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Chanel N°19 and Shades of Darkness?

Chanel N°19 has top notes of Galbanum, Hiacynth, Bergamot and Neroli, heart notes of Iris, Orris Root, Rose and Narcissus, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Leather and Cedar. 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.