Fragrance comparison

King’s Holy Grail Oud vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

2 wins

King’s Holy Grail Oud

The Dua Brand

3.002 votes

Rank #65,138 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,550 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

King’s Holy Grail Oud takes 2 of 3 categories.

King’s Holy Grail Oud
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

King’s Holy Grail Oud2/3

Shades of Darkness1/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: King’s Holy Grail Oud
Sillage & projection: King’s Holy Grail Oud
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

King’s Holy Grail OudThe Dua Brand

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 57%Had 0%Want 43%

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

50%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

50%Hate

2 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

⏱ Longevity100

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityKing’s Holy Grail Oud

SillageKing’s Holy Grail Oud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

fresh spicy77%

warm spicy69%

aromatic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both amber, woody and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Bourbon VetiverTurkish RoseSandalwoodCarnationPatchouliBergamotLabdanumOpoponaxAgarwoodOakmossJasmineLeather

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBourbon Vetiver, Carnation, Bergamot and Jasmine. Durations are only published for King’s Holy Grail Oud, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day30

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Date 36%Party 33%Casual 21%Work 11%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#65,138

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#60,550

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerShades of DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

King’s Holy Grail Oud by The Dua Brand is an audacious Extrait de Parfum that collides bold, smoky resin with smooth floral luxury. Opening with an eye-opening burst of herbal oregano, zesty bergamot, and cracked black pepper, the scent quickly softens into a plush heart of powdery iris, Turkish rose, and gentle peach…

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, King’s Holy Grail Oud or Shades of Darkness?

King’s Holy Grail Oud takes 2 of 3 categories. King’s Holy Grail Oud is rated 3.00/5 from 2 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose King’s Holy Grail Oud for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, King’s Holy Grail Oud or Shades of Darkness?

King’s Holy Grail Oud lasts longest (King’s Holy Grail Oud 100/100, Shades of Darkness 87/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, King’s Holy Grail Oud or Shades of Darkness?

King’s Holy Grail Oud projects furthest (King’s Holy Grail Oud 100/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do King’s Holy Grail Oud and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Bourbon Vetiver, Carnation, Bergamot and Jasmine.

Is King’s Holy Grail Oud or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

King’s Holy Grail Oud suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in King’s Holy Grail Oud and Shades of Darkness?

King’s Holy Grail Oud features Bourbon Vetiver, Turkish Rose, Sandalwood, Carnation and Patchouli. 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.