Fragrance comparison

Echo vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 38 ratings analysed

2 wins

Echo

Mario Valentino

4.4531 votes

Rank #21,621 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #62,986 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Echo takes 2 of 3 categories.

Echo
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Echo2/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EchoMario Valentino

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.45/ 5 · 31 votes

Have 52%Had 14%Want 34%

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

52%Love

42%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

31 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

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageEcho

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value67

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

violet84%

floral77%

sweet69%

white floral61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both amber and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

AniseNeroliRed CurrantBergamot

Heart2 to 4 hours

VioletViolet RootYlang-YlangIrisWater JasmineRose

Base4 to 6 hours

AmbergrisBenzoinVanillaWhite Musk

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Violet and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Echo, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring71

Summer57

Fall100

Winter50

Day100

Night80

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,621

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#62,986

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerEchoHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Echo by Mario Valentino is a vintage floral fragrance released in 1989 that centers on powdery violet, lush florals, and a resinous amber base. It opens with an intriguing flash of tart red currant, citrusy bergamot, neroli, and a faint touch of herbal anise. The heart reveals a velvety bouquet where violet and violet…

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, Echo or Shades of Darkness?

Echo takes 2 of 3 categories. Echo is rated 4.45/5 from 31 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Echo for a amber and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Echo or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Echo 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Echo or Shades of Darkness?

Projection is very close: Echo 73/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100 for sillage.

Do Echo and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Violet and Ylang-Ylang.

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

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

What are the notes in Echo and Shades of Darkness?

Echo has top notes of Anise, Neroli, Red Currant and Bergamot, heart notes of Violet, Violet Root, Ylang-Ylang and Iris, a base of Ambergris, Benzoin, Vanilla and White Musk. 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.