Fragrance comparison

Fou d’Opium vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 27 ratings analysed

Fou d’Opium

DSH Perfumes

4.3520 votes

Rank #20,822 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,505 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 3 categories split 1–1.

Fou d’Opium
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Fou d’Opium1/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Fou d’OpiumDSH Perfumes

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.35/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 32%Had 7%Want 62%

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

55%Love

30%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

20 votes · 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

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber92%

woody84%

powdery77%

floral69%

white floral61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

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

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SpicesCarnationTolu BalsamLabdanumCivetCinnamonNeroliIncenseVanilaAldehydesAmbergrisAustralian Sandalwood

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Tolu Balsam, Civet and Neroli. Durations are only published for Fou d’Opium, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer82

Fall100

Winter100

Day32

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex78

Women22

Date 45%Party 32%Casual 13%Work 11%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,822

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#60,505

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerFou d’OpiumHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Fou d'Opium by DSH Perfumes is a fiery, resinous spicy oriental that revives the opulent spirit of vintage 1970s perfumery. The scent opens with a sharp flash of aldehydes, bergamot, and ripe plum before unleashing a dense swirl of clove bud, cinnamon bark, and powdery carnation. Warm tolu balsam, golden labdanum, and…

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, Fou d’Opium or Shades of Darkness?

No clear winner: the 3 categories split 1–1. Fou d’Opium is rated 4.35/5 from 20 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Fou d’Opium for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Fou d’Opium or Shades of Darkness?

They last about the same: Fou d’Opium 87/100, Shades of Darkness 87/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Fou d’Opium or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Fou d’Opium 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Fou d’Opium and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

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

Is Fou d’Opium or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Fou d’Opium suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Fou d’Opium and Shades of Darkness?

Fou d’Opium features Spices, Carnation, Tolu Balsam, Labdanum and Civet. 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.