Fragrance comparison

Coriolan vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 533 ratings analysed

Coriolan

Guerlain

4.32526 votes

Rank #1,513 AromaticCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #62,934 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

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

Coriolan1/3

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: Coriolan

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CoriolanGuerlain

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.32/ 5 · 526 votes

Have 51%Had 22%Want 27%

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

47%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

526 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

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

citrus92%

earthy84%

soft spicy77%

woody69%

fresh spicy61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both aromatic and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

SageLemonPetitgrainBergamotNeroli

Heart2 to 3 hours

FennelCorianderNutmeg

Base4 to 7 hours

OakmossVetiverLeatherPatchouliBenzoin

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Neroli, Nutmeg and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Coriolan, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring90

Summer60

Fall100

Winter58

Day100

Night47

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men86

Unisex13

Women1

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,513

PerfumerJean-Paul Guerlain

Launched—

Reviews72

Overall rank#62,934

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCoriolanHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Coriolan by Guerlain delivers a crisp, dry take on the traditional woody chypre style. It opens with an invigorating burst of bitter bergamot, tart lemon, herbal sage, and snappy petitgrain, setting an aromatic and herbal tone from the initial spray. As the citrus freshness recedes, warm coriander, fennel, and nutmeg …

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, Coriolan or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Coriolan is rated 4.32/5 from 526 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Coriolan for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, 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, Coriolan or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Coriolan 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Coriolan or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Coriolan 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Coriolan and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic and woody accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Neroli, Nutmeg and Vetiver.

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

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

What are the notes in Coriolan and Shades of Darkness?

Coriolan has top notes of Sage, Lemon, Petitgrain and Bergamot, heart notes of Fennel, Coriander and Nutmeg, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Leather and Patchouli. 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.