Fragrance comparison

Handbook For The Recently Deceased vs Darkwood Rose

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 24 ratings analysed

Handbook For The Recently Deceased

DS&Durga · 2021

2.789 votes

Rank #23,052 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

Darkwood Rose

Alexandria Fragrances

4.5315 votes

Rank #35,965 AromaticWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Darkwood Rose
Choose it for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased2/4

Darkwood Rose2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Sillage & projection: Darkwood Rose
Value for money: Darkwood Rose
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Handbook For The Recently Deceased

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Handbook For The Recently DeceasedDS&Durga

Darkwood RoseAlexandria Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

2.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 91%

4.53/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 32%Had 7%Want 61%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

22%Love

11%Like

22%Ok

11%Dislike

33%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

67%Love

27%Like

0%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate44

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityHandbook For The Recently Deceased

SillageDarkwood Rose

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value64

Category winnerDarkwood RoseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

beeswax77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

aromatic100%

warm spicy92%

oud84%

fresh spicy77%

woody69%

musky61%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both woody and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

IncenseChalk

Heart2-4 hrs

Woody NotesArtemisia

Base6-8 hrs

BeeswaxPaperPatchouli

Top

CorianderCardamomLemon

Heart

Bulgarian RoseArtemisiaCypressGeranium

Base

Agarwood (Oud)MuskPatchouliIncenseRum

InformationalShared notesIncense, Artemisia and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Handbook For The Recently Deceased, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter80

Day69

Night100

Spring75

Summer50

Fall88

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men57

Unisex43

Women0

Casual 41%Work 26%Date 22%Party 11%

Men29

Unisex71

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,052

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2021

Reviews7

Overall rank#35,965

PerfumerHany Hafez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerHandbook For The Recently DeceasedHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

DS&Durga Handbook For The Recently Deceased brings an eerie, atmospheric character to life through dry incense, blackboard chalk, and aged paper. The initial spray releases a cool mineral breeze that feels like striking cold limestone inside a shadowed chapel. Within twenty minutes, the mineral edge softens as green a…

Reviews →

Darkwood Rose is a dry, aromatic rose-oud scent with a spicy green opening and a darker, smoky base. The rose feels less jammy than many oud-rose fragrances, while cypress, incense, musk, and patchouli keep it brisk and woody. It suits wearers who want rose with structure rather than sweetness. Projection can feel str…

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, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Darkwood Rose?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Handbook For The Recently Deceased is rated 2.78/5 from 9 votes; Darkwood Rose is rated 4.53/5 from 15 votes. Choose Handbook For The Recently Deceased for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Darkwood Rose for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Darkwood Rose?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased lasts longest (Handbook For The Recently Deceased 73/100, Darkwood Rose 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Darkwood Rose?

Darkwood Rose projects furthest (Darkwood Rose 64/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Darkwood Rose smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Incense, Artemisia and Patchouli.

Is Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Darkwood Rose better for summer or winter?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased suits evening wear; Darkwood Rose suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Darkwood Rose?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased has top notes of Incense and Chalk, heart notes of Woody Notes and Artemisia, a base of Beeswax, Paper and Patchouli. Darkwood Rose has top notes of Coriander, Cardamom and Lemon, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Artemisia, Cypress and Geranium, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Musk, Patchouli and Incense.