Fragrance comparison

Love At Your Darkest vs Icon Racing Red

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 292 ratings analysed

Love At Your Darkest

Gucci

3.75125 votes

Rank #17,017 Fresh SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

57%scent match

Closely related

6 wins

Icon Racing Red

Alfred Dunhill

3.98167 votes

Rank #7,539 Fresh SpicyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Icon Racing Red takes 6 of 7 categories.

Love At Your Darkest
Choose it for a fresh spicy and woody character. Wins on versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Icon Racing Red
Choose it for a fresh spicy and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring.

Love At Your Darkest1/7

Icon Racing Red6/7

Ratings & consensus: Icon Racing Red
Community sentiment: Icon Racing Red
Longevity: Icon Racing Red
Sillage & projection: Icon Racing Red
Value for money: Icon Racing Red
Versatility: Love At Your Darkest
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Icon Racing Red

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Love At Your DarkestGucci

Icon Racing RedAlfred Dunhill

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.75/ 5 · 125 votes

Have 28%Had 4%Want 67%

3.98/ 5 · 167 votes

Have 42%Had 13%Want 45%

Category winnerIcon Racing RedRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

34%Love

32%Like

16%Ok

13%Dislike

6%Hate

125 votes

35%Love

37%Like

19%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

145 votes

Category winnerIcon Racing RedMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage45

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityIcon Racing Red

SillageIcon Racing Red

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value19

¤ Price value69

Category winnerIcon Racing RedBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fresh spicy100%

woody83%

amber65%

warm spicy48%

aromatic30%

fresh spicy100%

citrus90%

aromatic80%

amber70%

woody60%

warm spicy50%

Scent match57%Closely related · both fresh spicy, woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

Black Pepper

Heart1 to 2 hours

Olibanum

Base3 to 5 hours

Cedar

Top

OrangeBlack PepperMandarin OrangeSolar NotesPetitgrainGrapefruit

Heart

FernGeraniumPepperOlibanum

Base

CedarAmberVetiverTonka BeanMuskMoss

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Olibanum and Cedar. Durations are only published for Love At Your Darkest, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring85

Summer47

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer91

Fall0

Winter56

Day–

Night–

Category winnerLove At Your DarkestMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men46

Unisex46

Women8

Men95

Unisex4

Women1

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#17,017

PerfumerAlberto Morillas

Launched—

Reviews16

Overall rank#7,539

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews22

Category winnerIcon Racing RedHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Love At Your Darkest by Gucci is a minimalist woody spicy fragrance from The Alchemist's Garden collection. Despite a dramatic title, the composition is surprisingly transparent, airy, and restrained on the skin. It opens with an immediate burst of dry black pepper that feels brisk rather than heavy. As the initial sp…

Reviews →

Icon Racing Red by Alfred Dunhill is a Oriental Woody fragrance for men. Icon Racing Red was launched in 2021. Top notes are Orange, Black Pepper, Mandarin Orange, Solar Notes, Petitgrain and Grapefruit; middle notes are Fern, Geranium, Pepper and Olibanum; base notes are Cedar, Amber, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Musk and Mo…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Ho Hang ClubBalenciagaWINNER vs

Jil Sander Man IIIJil SanderRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Very ValentinoValentinoRUNNER-UP vs

Sonia RykielSonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Poseidon VictoriaInstituto EspañolRUNNER-UP vs

Guipure & SilkJeanne ArthesWINNER

1 person compared this today

Mrs. Sultan's Elixir 56The Dua BrandWINNER vs

ZafafiAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Love At Your Darkest or Icon Racing Red?

Icon Racing Red takes 6 of 7 categories. Love At Your Darkest is rated 3.75/5 from 125 votes; Icon Racing Red is rated 3.98/5 from 167 votes. Choose Love At Your Darkest for a fresh spicy and woody character. Wins on versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Icon Racing Red for a fresh spicy and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Love At Your Darkest or Icon Racing Red?

Icon Racing Red lasts longest (Icon Racing Red 70/100, Love At Your Darkest 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Love At Your Darkest or Icon Racing Red?

Icon Racing Red projects furthest (Icon Racing Red 60/100, Love At Your Darkest 45/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Love At Your Darkest and Icon Racing Red smell similar?

Closely related: a 57% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, woody and amber accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Olibanum and Cedar.

Is Love At Your Darkest or Icon Racing Red better for summer or winter?

For summer, Icon Racing Red is the stronger pick. For winter, Love At Your Darkest is the stronger pick. Love At Your Darkest suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Love At Your Darkest and Icon Racing Red?

Love At Your Darkest has top notes of Black Pepper, heart notes of Olibanum, a base of Cedar. Icon Racing Red has top notes of Orange, Black Pepper, Mandarin Orange and Solar Notes, heart notes of Fern, Geranium, Pepper and Olibanum, a base of Cedar, Amber, Vetiver and Tonka Bean.