Fragrance comparison

Penumbra Fever vs Viola

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 7 ratings analysed

4 wins

Penumbra Fever

Karakash Perfume

3.805 votes

Rank #49,347 SmokyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

Viola

Varzi Artisanal Perfume

4.002 votes

Rank #60,669 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Penumbra Fever takes 4 of 4 categories.

Penumbra Fever
Choose it for a smoky and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.
Viola
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Penumbra Fever4/4

Viola0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Penumbra FeverKarakash Perfume

ViolaVarzi Artisanal Perfume

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.80/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 27%Had 7%Want 67%

4.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 33%Had 0%Want 67%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

40%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

20%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

50%Love

0%Like

50%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage83

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ Longevity40

〰 Sillage25

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityPenumbra Fever

SillagePenumbra Fever

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value83

¤ Price value0

Category winnerPenumbra FeverBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

smoky100%

oud88%

amber77%

leather65%

balsamic53%

woody42%

warm spicy100%

amber92%

leather84%

rose77%

animalic69%

smoky61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both amber, smoky and leather

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Agarwood (Oud)

Heart

RaspberryRoseGeranium

Base

IncenseBirchSaffron

Top15-30 mins

Agarwood (Oud)Rose

Heart2-4 hrs

LeatherAmbergris

Base6-8+ hrs

SaffronRaspberryIncense

InformationalShared notesAgarwood (Oud), Raspberry, Rose and Incense. Durations are only published for Viola, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring50

Summer50

Fall100

Winter50

Day35

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men25

Unisex75

Women0

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 37%Party 24%Casual 21%Work 18%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#49,347

PerfumerAmandine Galliano

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#60,669

PerfumerBernardo Vecoli, Ignazio Presutti, Leopoldo Jilani

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerPenumbra FeverHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Penumbra Fever by Karakash Perfume centers on a dark wood and fruit contrast. Launched in 2023 and composed by Amandine Galliano, it pairs dry agarwood with sweet raspberry and rose. Saffron and incense ground the base, making it ideal for cool evenings.

Reviews →

Viola by Varzi Artisanal Perfume cuts against typical sweet crowd-pleasers with an uncompromising, dry profile. The first spray releases a pungent burst of medicinal agarwood and dark rose petals, accompanied by a quick flash of solvent alcohol that settles within three minutes. Soon, the texture shifts toward raw jac…

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, Penumbra Fever or Viola?

Penumbra Fever takes 4 of 4 categories. Penumbra Fever is rated 3.80/5 from 5 votes; Viola is rated 4.00/5 from 2 votes. Choose Penumbra Fever for a smoky and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear. Choose Viola for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Penumbra Fever or Viola?

Penumbra Fever lasts longest (Penumbra Fever 87/100, Viola 40/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Penumbra Fever or Viola?

Penumbra Fever projects furthest (Penumbra Fever 83/100, Viola 25/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Penumbra Fever and Viola smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, smoky and leather accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud), Raspberry, Rose and Incense.

Is Penumbra Fever or Viola better for summer or winter?

Penumbra Fever suits day or night wear; Viola suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Penumbra Fever and Viola?

Penumbra Fever has top notes of Agarwood (Oud), heart notes of Raspberry, Rose and Geranium, a base of Incense, Birch and Saffron. Viola has top notes of Agarwood (Oud) and Rose, heart notes of Leather and Ambergris, a base of Saffron, Raspberry and Incense.