Fragrance comparison

Dark Night vs Qessence

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 89 ratings analysed

Dark Night

By Shaik

4.001 votes

Rank #68,147 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

1 wins

Qessence

Missala

3.7988 votes

Rank #14,057 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Qessence takes 1 of 1 categories.

Dark Night
Choose it for a amber and woody character.
Qessence
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Dark Night0/1

Qessence1/1

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Dark NightBy Shaik

QessenceMissala

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 13%Had 13%Want 75%

3.79/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 25%Had 17%Want 58%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

27%Love

50%Like

2%Ok

20%Dislike

2%Hate

66 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value64

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

earthy84%

powdery77%

sweet69%

iris61%

woody100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

earthy77%

amber69%

rose61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both woody, amber and earthy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotYlang-YlangOrrisOlibanum

Heart

Pink PepperPatchouliCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

Base

AmberVanillaLabdanum

Top

ChamomileMarigoldSaffronCorianderCinnamonOrange

Heart

Damask RoseelemiYlang-YlangIrisJasmineCalamus

Base

OakmossOlibanumPatchouliAgarwood (Oud)LabdanumVirginia CedarMuskVetiver

InformationalShared notesYlang-Ylang, Olibanum, Patchouli and Labdanum. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring48

Summer26

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night94

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men10

Unisex40

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#68,147

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#14,057

PerfumerJean-Claude Astier

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerQessenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Dark Night by By Shaik is a unisex Chypre Floral perfume built around deep amber and earthy patchouli. It opens with bright bergamot and ylang-ylang before settling into a resinous, warm heart of orris and cypriol. Best suited for cooler evenings or autumn weather, this 2018 release offers a sophisticated, grounded pr…

Reviews →

Qessence is a dry, spicy rose and incense scent with an old-school oriental feel. It opens herbal and warm, then settles into a balsamic, mossy, woody base with powdery edges. It suits someone who enjoys complex, mature perfumes more than easy crowd-pleasers. The rose, resins and woods can read quite unisex, especial…

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, Dark Night or Qessence?

Qessence takes 1 of 1 categories. Dark Night is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes; Qessence is rated 3.79/5 from 88 votes. Choose Dark Night for a amber and woody character. Choose Qessence for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Do Dark Night and Qessence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and earthy accords. Common notes include Ylang-Ylang, Olibanum, Patchouli and Labdanum.

Is Dark Night or Qessence better for summer or winter?

Qessence suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dark Night and Qessence?

Dark Night has top notes of Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang, Orris and Olibanum, heart notes of Pink Pepper, Patchouli and Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, a base of Amber, Vanilla and Labdanum. Qessence has top notes of Chamomile, Marigold, Saffron and Coriander, heart notes of Damask Rose, elemi, Ylang-Ylang and Iris, a base of Oakmoss, Olibanum, Patchouli and Agarwood (Oud).