Fragrance comparison

De Toma à Zouma vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 50 ratings analysed

De Toma à Zouma

Motif Olfactif

4.0043 votes

Rank #18,344 Warm SpicyCoffee

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,745 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

De Toma à Zouma
Choose it for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

De Toma à Zouma1/3

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: De Toma à Zouma

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

De Toma à ZoumaMotif Olfactif

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 43 votes

Have 20%Had 4%Want 75%

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

53%Love

14%Like

16%Ok

12%Dislike

5%Hate

43 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

⏱ Longevity84

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ 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

warm spicy100%

coffee90%

cacao80%

vanilla70%

woody60%

amber50%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both warm spicy, woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CoffeeCacao PodCedarCardamomNutmegBenzoinVanillaTonka Bean

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesCedar, Nutmeg and Benzoin. Durations are only published for De Toma à Zouma, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer6

Fall100

Winter100

Day69

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men19

Unisex75

Women6

Date 35%Casual 32%Work 20%Party 13%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#18,344

PerfumerOswald Pare

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#60,745

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerDe Toma à ZoumaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

De Toma à Zouma by Motif Olfactif centers on the comforting smell of roasted dark coffee beans dusted with crushed green cardamom pods and raw cacao. Created by perfumer Oswald Pare, the scent opens with a burst of warm nutmeg and bittersweet chocolate nibs that feels like walking into an artisan cafe on a crisp autum…

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, De Toma à Zouma or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. De Toma à Zouma is rated 4.00/5 from 43 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose De Toma à Zouma for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening 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, De Toma à Zouma or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, De Toma à Zouma 84/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, De Toma à Zouma or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, De Toma à Zouma 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do De Toma à Zouma and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and amber accords. Common notes include Cedar, Nutmeg and Benzoin.

Is De Toma à Zouma or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

De Toma à Zouma suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in De Toma à Zouma and Shades of Darkness?

De Toma à Zouma features Coffee, Cacao Pod, Cedar, Cardamom and Nutmeg. 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.