Fragrance comparison

Durra vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 86 ratings analysed

2 wins

Durra

The Spirit of Dubai

3.7579 votes

Rank #28,181 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,851 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Durra takes 2 of 3 categories.

Durra
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Durra2/3

Shades of Darkness0/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DurraThe Spirit of Dubai

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.75/ 5 · 79 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

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

51%Love

14%Like

6%Ok

18%Dislike

11%Hate

79 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

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage82

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageDurra

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value26

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

amber84%

warm spicy77%

fresh spicy69%

sweet61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both woody, amber and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Sea NotesWatery NotesAldehydesOzonic notesClary SagePineLavenderCumin

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)Earthy NotesBirch LeafCashmere WoodWoody NotesSandalwoodIncenseVanilla

Base

CastoreumCivettaMuskImmortelleTolu BalsamPrecious WoodsTobaccoVetiver

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesIncense, Castoreum, Tolu Balsam and Tobacco. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer68

Fall72

Winter100

Day83

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men54

Unisex37

Women9

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,181

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,851

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerDurraHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Durra opens with a sharp burst of salty sea notes, cold aldehydes, and clary sage before diving into a dark heart of agarwood and smoky incense. The dry-down settles into heavy castoreum leather, amber, and bitter cumin on skin. It suits cold winter evenings, black-tie dinners, or outdoor gatherings where a dense, mar…

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, Durra or Shades of Darkness?

Durra takes 2 of 3 categories. Durra is rated 3.75/5 from 79 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Durra for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Durra or Shades of Darkness?

They last about the same: Durra 87/100, Shades of Darkness 87/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Durra or Shades of Darkness?

Durra projects furthest (Durra 82/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Durra and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and aromatic accords. Common notes include Incense, Castoreum, Tolu Balsam and Tobacco.

Is Durra or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Durra suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Durra and Shades of Darkness?

Durra has top notes of Sea Notes, Watery Notes, Aldehydes and Ozonic notes, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Cashmere Wood, a base of Castoreum, Civetta, Musk and Immortelle. 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.