Fragrance comparison

Cleopatra vs Luminous Darkness

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 7 ratings analysed

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #57,665 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Luminous Darkness

Abaton

4.205 votes

Rank #45,683 CitrusWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Luminous Darkness takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Best in winter, evening wear.
Luminous Darkness
Choose it for a citrus and white floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Cleopatra0/4

Luminous Darkness3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Luminous Darkness
Sillage & projection: Luminous Darkness
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Luminous Darkness

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CleopatraKesma

Luminous DarknessAbaton

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

4.20/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 17%Had 6%Want 77%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

40%Love

40%Like

20%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityLuminous Darkness

SillageLuminous Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

citrus100%

white floral92%

aromatic84%

amber77%

woody69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both woody, amber and white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

Top

ChinottoJuniper

Heart

Chinotto blossomTuberoseWormwoodJasmineIncenseAmberHoneyOrange Blossom

Base

Patchouli

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Tuberose, Jasmine and Honey. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Spring100

Summer100

Fall50

Winter25

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men40

Unisex40

Women20

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#57,665

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#45,683

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerLuminous DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cleopatra by Kesma is a dense, unapologetic oriental floral from 1983. It opens with a punch of cloves and cinnamon before settling into a rich, resinous heart of tuberose, ylang-ylang, and honey. This is a cold-weather classic that leans heavily on its base of incense, leather, and oakmoss for a deep, vintage footpri…

Reviews →

Luminous Darkness by Abaton is a fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. Luminous Darkness was launched in 2025. Top notes are and Chinotto, Juniper and Chinotto; middle notes are Chinotto blossom, Tuberose, Wormwood, Jasmine, Incense, Amber, Honey and Orange Blossom; base notes are Patchouli and Incense.

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Cleopatra or Luminous Darkness?

Luminous Darkness takes 3 of 4 categories. Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes; Luminous Darkness is rated 4.20/5 from 5 votes. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Luminous Darkness for a citrus and white floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Cleopatra or Luminous Darkness?

Luminous Darkness lasts longest (Luminous Darkness 80/100, Cleopatra 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cleopatra or Luminous Darkness?

Luminous Darkness projects furthest (Luminous Darkness 75/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cleopatra and Luminous Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and white floral accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Jasmine and Honey.

Is Cleopatra or Luminous Darkness better for summer or winter?

Cleopatra suits evening wear; Luminous Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cleopatra and Luminous Darkness?

Cleopatra has top notes of Bergamot, Cinnamon, Galbanum and Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Narcissus, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum and Wormwood. Luminous Darkness has top notes of Chinotto and Juniper, heart notes of Chinotto blossom, Tuberose, Wormwood and Jasmine, a base of Patchouli.