Fragrance comparison

Oud vs Shanghai Shades

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 168 ratings analysed

Oud

The Spirit of Dubai

4.22160 votes

Rank #23,646 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

25%scent match

Clearly different

Shanghai Shades

Destino Paris

4.388 votes

Rank #21,658 Fresh SpicyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Oud
Choose it for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Shanghai Shades
Choose it for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Oud2/4

Shanghai Shades2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Oud
Sillage & projection: Oud
Value for money: Shanghai Shades
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Shanghai Shades

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

OudThe Spirit of Dubai

Shanghai ShadesDestino Paris

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.22/ 5 · 160 votes

Have 79%Had 21%Want 0%

4.38/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 28%Had 5%Want 67%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

59%Love

21%Like

9%Ok

4%Dislike

6%Hate

160 votes

38%Love

63%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityOud

SillageOud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value85

Category winnerShanghai ShadesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

oud92%

warm spicy84%

amber77%

sweet69%

fresh spicy61%

fresh spicy100%

aromatic92%

powdery84%

citrus77%

amber69%

white floral61%

Scent match25%Clearly different · both fresh spicy and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

SaffronPineappleLimePineBlack PepperDamask RoseIncenseCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)JasmineGuaiac WoodResinsOlibanumRed RoseRoseEarthy Notes

Base

Indian OudPatchouliSandalwoodLeatherCedarWoodsy NotesAmbergrisTobacco

Notes

VioletRoseAmbergrisBergamotJasminePatchouliCorianderBlack PepperVanilla

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Rose, Jasmine and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Shanghai Shades, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring47

Summer33

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring57

Summer43

Fall100

Winter86

Day71

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men69

Unisex25

Women6

Men56

Unisex11

Women33

Date 32%Work 26%Casual 23%Party 20%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,646

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#21,658

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Category winnerShanghai ShadesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Spirit of Dubai Oud opens with a sharp burst of bitter lime, pungent saffron, and prickly black pepper before dropping straight into dense Indian agarwood. The wood here smells raw and medicinal at first, heavily saturated with dark leather, smoky incense, and dry cypriol oil. As the initial sharpness burns off, s…

Reviews →

Shanghai Shades by Destino Paris opens with a burst of bright bergamot and cracked black pepper before settling into an earthy, semi-sweet floral core. Violet takes center stage here, lending a clean, powdery texture that balances against velvety rose and rich vanilla. The spice from coriander gives the fragrance an e…

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, Oud or Shanghai Shades?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Oud is rated 4.22/5 from 160 votes; Shanghai Shades is rated 4.38/5 from 8 votes. Choose Oud for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Shanghai Shades for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Oud or Shanghai Shades?

Oud lasts longest (Oud 86/100, Shanghai Shades 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Oud or Shanghai Shades?

Oud projects furthest (Oud 78/100, Shanghai Shades 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Oud and Shanghai Shades smell similar?

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy and amber accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Rose, Jasmine and Patchouli.

Is Oud or Shanghai Shades better for summer or winter?

Shanghai Shades suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Oud and Shanghai Shades?

Oud has top notes of Saffron, Pineapple, Lime and Pine, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Jasmine, Guaiac Wood and Resins, a base of Indian Oud, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Leather. Shanghai Shades features Violet, Rose, Ambergris, Bergamot and Jasmine.