Fragrance comparison

Dark vs Cervo

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 89 ratings analysed

Dark

Desigual

3.5688 votes

Rank #18,815 Warm SpicyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Cervo

Parfum de Mahzen

5.001 votes

Rank #48,945 LavenderWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cervo takes 3 of 4 categories.

Dark
Choose it for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Cervo
Choose it for a lavender and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and note pyramid duration. Best in spring, evening wear.

Dark1/4

Cervo3/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DarkDesigual

CervoParfum de Mahzen

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.56/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 57%Had 23%Want 20%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

19%Love

49%Like

2%Ok

27%Dislike

2%Hate

88 votes

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate64

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityCervo

SillageCervo

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value68

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

vanilla92%

woody84%

sweet77%

fresh spicy69%

amber61%

lavender100%

warm spicy92%

aromatic84%

amber77%

sweet69%

tobacco61%

Scent match45%Some overlap · both warm spicy, sweet and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

SaffronCinnamonGingerBlack PepperNutmeg

Heart2-3 hrs

VetiverOrange BlossomPatchouliDriftwood

Base5-7 hrs

Black Vanilla HuskTonka BeanOakmossAmberTobaccoMusk

Top20-30 mins

Spicy NotesSaffronCinnamonOrange

Heart3-4 hrs

LavenderOrange BlossomTobaccoPatchouliVetiver

Base7-9+ hrs

SandalwoodTonka BeanAmberWoody NotesCedarwoodAmbroxanVanillaMusk

Category winnerCervoLongest dry-down: 7-9+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring26

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day43

Night100

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

Winter100

Day71

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

Date 31%Casual 29%Party 24%Work 16%

Not enough votes yet

Date 31%Casual 30%Work 21%Party 17%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#18,815

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#48,945

PerfumerEren Öğütcü, Özge Öğütcü

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerDarkHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Desigual Dark is a warm, spicy oriental fragrance built around cozy sweetness and kitchen spices. It wastes no time. You get a direct punch of fiery cinnamon, zesty ginger, and pungent black pepper right after spraying. Within twenty minutes, the sharp kitchen spices calm down into an earthy heart of driftwood, orange…

Reviews →

Cervo by Parfum de Mahzen smells like cracking open a fresh orange peel beside a jar of sweet cinnamon and golden saffron, followed quickly by clean French lavender. As it warms up on your skin, you get a comforting mix of sweet pipe tobacco and dry cedarwood wrapped in smooth vanilla and warm amber. It manages to bal…

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, Dark or Cervo?

Cervo takes 3 of 4 categories. Dark is rated 3.56/5 from 88 votes; Cervo is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Dark for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Cervo for a lavender and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and note pyramid duration. Best in spring, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Dark or Cervo?

Cervo lasts longest (Cervo 80/100, Dark 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Dark or Cervo?

Cervo projects furthest (Cervo 75/100, Dark 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dark and Cervo smell similar?

Some overlap: a 45% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, sweet and amber accords. Common notes include Saffron, Cinnamon, Vetiver and Orange Blossom.

Is Dark or Cervo better for summer or winter?

Dark suits evening wear; Cervo suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dark and Cervo?

Dark has top notes of Saffron, Cinnamon, Ginger and Black Pepper, heart notes of Vetiver, Orange Blossom, Patchouli and Driftwood, a base of Black Vanilla Husk, Tonka Bean, Oakmoss and Amber. Cervo has top notes of Spicy Notes, Saffron, Cinnamon and Orange, heart notes of Lavender, Orange Blossom, Tobacco and Patchouli, a base of Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Amber and Woody Notes.