Fragrance comparison

Explorer Black vs Night Show

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 20 ratings analysed

4 wins

Explorer Black

Aurora Scents

4.3010 votes

Rank #43,217 Warm SpicySoft Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

Night Show

Joaquin Cortes

4.0010 votes

Rank #38,416 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Explorer Black takes 4 of 5 categories.

Explorer Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and soft spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Night Show
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.

Explorer Black4/5

Night Show1/5

Ratings & consensus: Explorer Black
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Explorer Black
Sillage & projection: Explorer Black
Value for money: Explorer Black
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Night Show

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Explorer BlackAurora Scents

Night ShowJoaquin Cortes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.30/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 25%Had 3%Want 73%

4.00/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 42%Had 21%Want 37%

Category winnerExplorer BlackRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

60%Love

30%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

10%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

10%Love

80%Like

10%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage44

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityExplorer Black

SillageExplorer Black

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value67

Category winnerExplorer BlackBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

soft spicy92%

aromatic84%

amber77%

vanilla69%

ozonic61%

warm spicy100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

vanilla77%

cinnamon69%

citrus61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both warm spicy, aromatic and vanilla

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CardamomPink PepperViolet Leaf

Heart

Sage

Base

ChestnutVanillaAmberwood

Top15-30 mins

CinnamonBergamotCardamom

Heart2-3 hrs

Orange BlossomSageViolet Leaf

Base4-6 hrs

VanillaCedarSandalwood

InformationalShared notesCardamom, Violet Leaf, Sage and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Night Show, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer50

Fall100

Winter83

Day100

Night86

Spring100

Summer50

Fall83

Winter33

Day85

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men67

Unisex33

Women0

Casual 37%Date 28%Work 21%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#43,217

PerfumerLorenzo De Mosici, M.H Gerashi

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#38,416

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerNight ShowHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Explorer Black by Aurora Scents delivers a striking, aromatic presence built on a foundation of spicy cardamom and warm chestnut. Designed for the modern man, this oriental woody scent creates an immediate impression of confidence during autumn evenings. Its blend of warm spices and sweet vanilla ensures it remains a …

Reviews →

Joaquin Cortes released Night Show in 2009 as an accessible, spicy oriental designed for evening casual wear. The scent kicks off with bright bergamot and a sharp flash of sweet cinnamon, quickly joined by peppery cardamom. Within fifteen minutes, the citrus settles into a fresh floral heart of orange blossom, clean c…

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, Explorer Black or Night Show?

Explorer Black takes 4 of 5 categories. Explorer Black is rated 4.30/5 from 10 votes; Night Show is rated 4.00/5 from 10 votes. Choose Explorer Black for a warm spicy and soft spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Night Show for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Explorer Black or Night Show?

Explorer Black lasts longest (Explorer Black 69/100, Night Show 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Explorer Black or Night Show?

Explorer Black projects furthest (Explorer Black 58/100, Night Show 44/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Explorer Black and Night Show smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, aromatic and vanilla accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Violet Leaf, Sage and Vanilla.

Is Explorer Black or Night Show better for summer or winter?

Explorer Black suits daytime wear; Night Show suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Explorer Black and Night Show?

Explorer Black has top notes of Cardamom, Pink Pepper and Violet Leaf, heart notes of Sage, a base of Chestnut, Vanilla and Amberwood. Night Show has top notes of Cinnamon, Bergamot and Cardamom, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Sage and Violet Leaf, a base of Vanilla, Cedar and Sandalwood.