Fragrance comparison

Rio vs The Shadow

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 18 ratings analysed

Rio

Varriale Profumi

5.001 votes

Rank #44,614 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

78%scent match

Very similar

4 wins

The Shadow

FA Paris Niche

4.5917 votes

Rank #18,478 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

The Shadow takes 4 of 4 categories.

Rio
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.
The Shadow
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Rio0/4

The Shadow4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

RioVarriale Profumi

The ShadowFA Paris Niche

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 80%Had 0%Want 20%

4.59/ 5 · 17 votes

Have 35%Had 3%Want 62%

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

1 vote · too few to score

59%Love

41%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate100

⏱ Longevity84

〰 Sillage82

♥ Love / hate90

Category winners

LongevityThe Shadow

SillageThe Shadow

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value75

Category winnerThe ShadowBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber92%

rose84%

smoky77%

leather69%

fresh spicy61%

amber100%

warm spicy92%

oud84%

rose77%

leather69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match78%Very similar · both warm spicy, amber and rose

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

RaspberryGeraniumAgarwoodRoseOud

Heart2-4 hrs

BenzoinBirch

Base6-10+ hrs

SaffronIncense

Top

RoseRaspberryGeranium

Heart

SaffronBirchAmber

Base

OudBenzoin

InformationalShared notesRaspberry, Geranium, Rose and Oud. Durations are only published for Rio, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day29

Night100

Spring30

Summer10

Fall60

Winter100

Day40

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 37%Party 32%Casual 16%Work 14%

Men92

Unisex8

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#44,614

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#18,478

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerThe ShadowHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Rio by Varriale Profumi pairs sweet tart raspberry with dark smoky woods right out of the gate. You get a sharp burst of red berry fruit, quickly deepened by geranium and velvety rose petals. Within ten minutes, rich agarwood and tarry birch push through to create a dark, leather-jacket backbone. Sweet benzoin resin a…

Reviews →

The Shadow by FA Paris Niche is a rich, smoky rose and oud fragrance that delivers dark Middle Eastern flair without overwhelming your nose. It opens with a burst of tart, sweet raspberry, fresh geranium, and velvety red rose petals before settling into a warm core of golden amber, spicy saffron, and charred birch woo…

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, Rio or The Shadow?

The Shadow takes 4 of 4 categories. Rio is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes; The Shadow is rated 4.59/5 from 17 votes. Choose Rio for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose The Shadow for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Rio or The Shadow?

The Shadow lasts longest (The Shadow 84/100, Rio 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Rio or The Shadow?

The Shadow projects furthest (The Shadow 82/100, Rio 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Rio and The Shadow smell similar?

Very similar: a 78% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, amber and rose accords. Common notes include Raspberry, Geranium, Rose and Oud.

Is Rio or The Shadow better for summer or winter?

Rio suits evening wear; The Shadow suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Rio and The Shadow?

Rio has top notes of Raspberry, Geranium, Agarwood and Rose, heart notes of Benzoin and Birch, a base of Saffron and Incense. The Shadow has top notes of Rose, Raspberry and Geranium, heart notes of Saffron, Birch and Amber, a base of Oud and Benzoin.