Fragrance comparison

Exotic 1 vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 6 Nov 2026 7 ratings analysed

Exotic 1

The Dua Brand

—0 votes

Rank #79,046 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

1 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #63,819 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 1 of 1 categories.

Exotic 1
Choose it for a woody and amber character.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Exotic 10/1

Shades of Darkness1/1

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: Shades of Darkness

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Exotic 1The Dua Brand

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 67%Had 0%Want 33%

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

Not enough votes yet

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

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hateN/A

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

vanilla77%

powdery69%

leather61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both woody, amber and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Tolu BalsamGuaiac WoodTonka BeanPatchouliCastoreumBergamotLabdanumVanillaBenzoinSaffronVetiverPapyrus

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesTolu Balsam, Castoreum, Bergamot and Benzoin. Durations are only published for Exotic 1, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#79,046

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#63,819

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerShades of DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Exotic 1 by The Dua Brand is a dense oriental woody fragrance that centers on rich resins, dark woods, and warm spices. It opens with an immediate contrast of sharp bergamot and warm clove, which quickly gives way to a deep heart of benzoin, labdanum, tolu balsam, and dry papyrus. The base settles into a heavy mix of …

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Do Exotic 1 and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Tolu Balsam, Castoreum, Bergamot and Benzoin.

Is Exotic 1 or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Exotic 1 and Shades of Darkness?

Exotic 1 features Tolu Balsam, Guaiac Wood, Tonka Bean, Patchouli and Castoreum. 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.