Fragrance comparison

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) vs Dua’s Royal Instinct

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 36 ratings analysed

2 wins

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)

DSH Perfumes · 2016

4.2532 votes

Rank #19,633 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

Dua’s Royal Instinct

The Dua Brand

4.254 votes

Rank #50,040 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) takes 2 of 3 categories.

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Dua’s Royal Instinct
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)2/3

Dua’s Royal Instinct1/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)
Value for money: Dua’s Royal Instinct
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16)DSH Perfumes

Dua’s Royal InstinctThe Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 32 votes

Have 21%Had 6%Want 73%

4.25/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 47%Had 7%Want 47%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

34%Like

6%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

32 votes

25%Love

75%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageDark Moon (Holiday No.16)

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value75

Category winnerDua’s Royal InstinctBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

cacao77%

fresh spicy69%

sweet61%

amber100%

warm spicy86%

cacao72%

smoky58%

balsamic44%

vanilla30%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both amber, warm spicy and cacao

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Cacao PodOakNutmegMyrrhAmberHoneyLabdanumRed WineIncenseBeeswaxSandalwoodCognac

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

Cacao PodIncenseGoldBenzoinMadagascar VanillaBlack AmberLabdanumAmbretteNutmegAmberMusk

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesCacao Pod, Nutmeg, Amber and Labdanum. Durations are only published for Dark Moon (Holiday No.16), so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring36

Summer18

Fall100

Winter91

Day37

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men20

Unisex60

Women20

Date 40%Casual 30%Work 19%Party 12%

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#19,633

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched2016

Reviews10

Overall rank#50,040

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerDark Moon (Holiday No.16)Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) by DSH Perfumes offers a shadowy, grounding twist on cold-weather fragrance. The composition opens with dusty, bitter cacao pod splashed with mulled red wine and grated nutmeg. You will not find sugary vanilla frosting or cloying syrup here. Instead, the opening smells dry and rustic, evoking…

Reviews →

Dua’s Royal Instinct by The Dua Brand is a Oriental fragrance for women and men. Dua’s Royal Instinct was launched in 2021. From the way people describe wearing it, this comes across best as an easygoing style that many people can appreciate quickly.

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 Moon (Holiday No.16) or Dua’s Royal Instinct?

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) takes 2 of 3 categories. Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) is rated 4.25/5 from 32 votes; Dua’s Royal Instinct is rated 4.25/5 from 4 votes. Choose Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Dua’s Royal Instinct for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which projects more, Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) or Dua’s Royal Instinct?

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) projects furthest (Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) 57/100, Dua’s Royal Instinct 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) and Dua’s Royal Instinct smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and cacao accords. Common notes include Cacao Pod, Nutmeg, Amber and Labdanum.

Is Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) or Dua’s Royal Instinct better for summer or winter?

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) suits evening wear; Dua’s Royal Instinct suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) and Dua’s Royal Instinct?

Dark Moon (Holiday No.16) features Cacao Pod, Oak, Nutmeg, Myrrh and Amber. Dua’s Royal Instinct features Cacao Pod, Incense, Gold, Benzoin and Madagascar Vanilla.