Fragrance comparison

Chantilly vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 917 ratings analysed

Chantilly

Houbigant

3.91910 votes

Rank #23,343 Warm SpicyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

41%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,651 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Chantilly
Choose it for a warm spicy and citrus 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.

Chantilly1/3

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: Chantilly

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ChantillyHoubigant

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.91/ 5 · 910 votes

Have 59%Had 41%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

34%Love

43%Like

3%Ok

19%Dislike

1%Hate

910 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

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value73

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

citrus92%

vanilla84%

woody77%

amber69%

floral61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match41%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

LemonNeroliBergamotFruity Notes

Heart2-4 hrs

SpicesCarnationYlang-YlangOrange BlossomRoseJasmine

Base6-8+ hrs

SandalwoodVanillaBenzoinOakmossTonka BeanMusk

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Carnation and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Chantilly, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring78

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day86

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex17

Women83

Casual 37%Date 29%Work 24%Party 11%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,343

PerfumerMarcel Billot

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,651

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerChantillyHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chantilly by Houbigant delivers a crisp blast of sparkling lemon and neroli that quickly softens into clove-tinged carnation and warm benzoin resin. Created in 1941, this classic scent pairs bright citrus with a cozy, powdery base of vanilla and sandalwood. It behaves like a comforting second skin on cool mornings. T…

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, Chantilly or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Chantilly is rated 3.91/5 from 910 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Chantilly for a warm spicy and citrus 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, Chantilly or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Chantilly 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chantilly or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Chantilly 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chantilly and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 41% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and amber accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Carnation and Ylang-Ylang.

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

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

What are the notes in Chantilly and Shades of Darkness?

Chantilly has top notes of Lemon, Neroli, Bergamot and Fruity Notes, heart notes of Spices, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang and Orange Blossom, a base of Sandalwood, Vanilla, Benzoin and Oakmoss. 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.