Fragrance comparison

Love At Your Darkest vs Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 134 ratings analysed

Love At Your Darkest

Gucci

3.75125 votes

Rank #17,017 Fresh SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017

Paul Smith

4.569 votes

Rank #34,218 Fresh SpicyFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 takes 3 of 4 categories.

Love At Your Darkest
Choose it for a fresh spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017
Choose it for a fresh spicy and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Love At Your Darkest1/4

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 20173/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017
Sillage & projection: Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017
Value for money: Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Love At Your Darkest

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Love At Your DarkestGucci

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017Paul Smith

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.75/ 5 · 125 votes

Have 28%Had 4%Want 67%

4.56/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 40%Had 17%Want 43%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

56%Love

44%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage45

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate89

Category winners

LongevityPaul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017

SillagePaul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value19

¤ Price value100

Category winnerPaul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fresh spicy100%

woody83%

amber65%

warm spicy48%

aromatic30%

fresh spicy100%

fruity92%

woody84%

aromatic77%

tropical69%

citrus61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both fresh spicy, woody and aromatic

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

Coriander LeafGrapefruitBlack Pepper

Heart

Carambola (Star Fruit)CorianderNutmeg

Base

CedarOlibanumMoss

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

Summer100

Fall67

Winter33

Day100

Night25

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men46

Unisex46

Women8

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#17,017

PerfumerAlberto Morillas

Launched—

Reviews16

Overall rank#34,218

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerLove At Your DarkestHigher 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 →

A bright, spicy summer woody with grapefruit, coriander leaf and black pepper up top, then a juicy star fruit twist through the heart. It smells fresh and lightly tropical rather than sugary. As it settles, cedar, olibanum and moss keep it dry, clean and masculine-leaning. It suits warm days best, though it can still …

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, Love At Your Darkest or Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017?

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 takes 3 of 4 categories. Love At Your Darkest is rated 3.75/5 from 125 votes; Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 is rated 4.56/5 from 9 votes. Choose Love At Your Darkest for a fresh spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 for a fresh spicy and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Love At Your Darkest or Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017?

They last about the same: Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 55/100, Love At Your Darkest 54/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Love At Your Darkest or Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017?

Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 projects furthest (Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 68/100, Love At Your Darkest 45/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Love At Your Darkest and Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Olibanum and Cedar.

Is Love At Your Darkest or Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 better for summer or winter?

Love At Your Darkest suits day or night wear; Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Love At Your Darkest and Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017?

Love At Your Darkest has top notes of Black Pepper, heart notes of Olibanum, a base of Cedar. Paul Smith Sunshine For Men 2017 has top notes of Coriander Leaf, Grapefruit and Black Pepper, heart notes of Carambola (Star Fruit), Coriander and Nutmeg, a base of Cedar, Olibanum and Moss.