Fragrance comparison

Mystes vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 17 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

Mystes

Diadema Exclusif

5.002 votes

Rank #40,304 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,342 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Mystes
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Mystes1/3

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: Mystes

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MystesDiadema Exclusif

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

5.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 29%Had 0%Want 71%

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

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%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

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate100

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value69

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

balsamic84%

aromatic77%

powdery69%

vanilla61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both amber, woody and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

PineVioletIrisEgyptian Jasmine

Heart2-4 hrs

IncenseMyrrhCedarAmber

Base6-9 hrs

VanillaHaitian VetiverWhite Musk

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesViolet, Iris, Egyptian Jasmine and Incense. Durations are only published for Mystes, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer67

Fall100

Winter100

Day92

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 31%Casual 29%Work 28%Party 13%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#40,304

PerfumerPier Luigi Salvi

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#60,342

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerMystesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mystes opens with a surprising snap of evergreen needles. You get sharp green pine sap immediately, tempered by powdery iris root and a soft touch of Egyptian jasmine. Do not rush to judge the opening. Give it ten minutes on bare skin. Once the initial alcohol and volatile aromatics lift, deep church resins step forwa…

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, Mystes or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Mystes is rated 5.00/5 from 2 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Mystes for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening 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, Mystes or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Mystes 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mystes or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Mystes 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Mystes and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Violet, Iris, Egyptian Jasmine and Incense.

Is Mystes or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Mystes suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mystes and Shades of Darkness?

Mystes has top notes of Pine, Violet, Iris and Egyptian Jasmine, heart notes of Incense, Myrrh, Cedar and Amber, a base of Vanilla, Haitian Vetiver and White Musk. 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.