Fragrance comparison

Iris 39 vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 1,340 ratings analysed

Iris 39

Le Labo

3.861,333 votes

Rank #1,627 PowderyViolet

Full profile Similar & dupes

25%scent match

Clearly different

2 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 2 of 3 categories.

Iris 39
Choose it for a powdery and violet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Iris 391/3

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: Iris 39

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Iris 39Le Labo

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 1,333 votes

Have 38%Had 18%Want 44%

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

38%Love

34%Like

8%Ok

19%Dislike

2%Hate

1,333 votes

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

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value33

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

violet92%

iris84%

woody77%

musky69%

patchouli61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match25%Clearly different · both woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

IrisPatchouliVioletMuskCivetYlang-YlangGingerLimeCardamomRose

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesIris, Violet, Civet and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Iris 39, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer52

Fall80

Winter48

Day100

Night46

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex49

Women45

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,627

PerfumerFrank Voelkl

Launched—

Reviews176

Overall rank#63,819

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerIris 39Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Iris 39 by Le Labo strips away the sweet cosmetic powder often found in floral scents, focusing instead on the raw, vegetal root of the flower. Created by perfumer Frank Voelkl in 2006, the fragrance opens with an unexpected bite of fresh lime and pungent ginger. That brisk citrus quickly gives way to a heart of rooty…

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.

Which is better, Iris 39 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Iris 39 is rated 3.86/5 from 1,333 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Iris 39 for a powdery and violet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime 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, Iris 39 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Iris 39 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Iris 39 or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Iris 39 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Iris 39 and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Iris, Violet, Civet and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Iris 39 or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Iris 39 suits daytime wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Iris 39 and Shades of Darkness?

Iris 39 features Iris, Patchouli, Violet, Musk 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.