Fragrance comparison

Dark vs Marj

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 462 ratings analysed

Dark

Desigual

3.5688 votes

Rank #18,815 Warm SpicyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

7 wins

Marj

Ahmed Al Maghribi

4.23374 votes

Rank #126 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Marj takes 7 of 7 categories.

Dark
Choose it for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Best in winter, evening wear.
Marj
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Dark0/7

Marj7/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DarkDesigual

MarjAhmed Al Maghribi

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.56/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 57%Had 23%Want 20%

4.23/ 5 · 374 votes

Have 90%Had 10%Want 0%

Category winnerMarjRating 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

59%Love

23%Like

12%Ok

3%Dislike

3%Hate

182 votes

Category winnerMarjMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate64

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage86

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityMarj

SillageMarj

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value68

¤ Price value82

Category winnerMarjBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

vanilla92%

woody84%

sweet77%

fresh spicy69%

amber61%

woody100%

amber92%

sweet84%

warm spicy77%

white floral69%

animalic61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both woody, warm spicy and sweet

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

Top

HoneyOudPink PepperelemiNutmegBergamotMandarin

Heart

Cashmere WoodSaffronOrange BlossomJasmineCinnamonPatchouliVetiver

Base

AgarwoodLeatherAmberRaspberryAmbergrisOakmossSandalwoodMusk

InformationalShared notesSaffron, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Dark, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring26

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day43

Night100

Spring77

Summer41

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerMarjMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

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

Men26

Unisex67

Women7

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#18,815

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#126

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews104

Category winnerMarjHigher 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 →

Marj is a bold unisex scent built around honey, saffron, woods and oud, with white florals softening the richer edges. It opens spicy and dense, then settles into a sweet ambery leather-wood drydown with musk and a slightly animalic warmth. It is widely praised for strong projection and very long wear, but the opening…

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 Marj?

Marj takes 7 of 7 categories. Dark is rated 3.56/5 from 88 votes; Marj is rated 4.23/5 from 374 votes. Choose Dark for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Marj for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Dark or Marj?

Marj lasts longest (Marj 91/100, Dark 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Dark or Marj?

Marj projects furthest (Marj 86/100, Dark 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dark and Marj smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and sweet accords. Common notes include Saffron, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Vetiver.

Is Dark or Marj better for summer or winter?

For summer, Marj is the stronger pick. For winter, Dark is the stronger pick. Dark suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dark and Marj?

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. Marj has top notes of Honey, Oud, Pink Pepper and elemi, heart notes of Cashmere Wood, Saffron, Orange Blossom and Jasmine, a base of Agarwood, Leather, Amber and Raspberry.