Fragrance comparison

Essere Gentile vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 35 ratings analysed

Essere Gentile

Zanini

4.6028 votes

Rank #11,145 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,550 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Essere Gentile
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Essere Gentile1/3

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: Essere Gentile

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essere GentileZanini

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.60/ 5 · 28 votes

Have 11%Had 11%Want 78%

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

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

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

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value61

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

woody92%

amber84%

citrus77%

fresh spicy69%

vanilla61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both woody, amber and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Bitter OrangeLiquidambarCedarmossGalbanumChinottoVanillaBenzoinOakmossVetiverCypressMyrtleOlive

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesGalbanum, Benzoin and Vetiver. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,145

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews14

Overall rank#60,550

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerEssere GentileHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Essere Gentile by Zanini balances the bitter kick of chinotto with earthy green cypress and a balsamic, warm base. The scent shifts from a bright, sharp Italian citrus opening into a deep, mossy forest floor that hugs the skin during cool autumn days.

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, Essere Gentile or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Essere Gentile is rated 4.60/5 from 28 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Essere Gentile for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night 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, Essere Gentile or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Essere Gentile 83/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essere Gentile or Shades of Darkness?

Projection is very close: Shades of Darkness 72/100, Essere Gentile 70/100 for sillage.

Do Essere Gentile and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and aromatic accords. Common notes include Galbanum, Benzoin and Vetiver.

Is Essere Gentile or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Essere Gentile suits day or night wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essere Gentile and Shades of Darkness?

Essere Gentile features Bitter Orange, Liquidambar, Cedarmoss, Galbanum and Chinotto. 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.