Fragrance comparison

Sailing to Byzantium vs Book of Shadows

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 129 ratings analysed

4 wins

Sailing to Byzantium

Alkemia Perfumes

3.9338 votes

Rank #21,185 AromaticWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

Book of Shadows

Alkemia Perfumes

3.5691 votes

Rank #10,113 LeatherSmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Sailing to Byzantium takes 4 of 7 categories.

Sailing to Byzantium
Choose it for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Book of Shadows
Choose it for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Sailing to Byzantium4/7

Book of Shadows2/7

Ratings & consensus: Sailing to Byzantium
Community sentiment: Tie
Longevity: Book of Shadows
Sillage & projection: Sailing to Byzantium
Value for money: Sailing to Byzantium
Versatility: Sailing to Byzantium
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Book of Shadows

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Sailing to ByzantiumAlkemia Perfumes

Book of ShadowsAlkemia Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.93/ 5 · 38 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 50%

3.56/ 5 · 91 votes

Have 23%Had 7%Want 70%

Category winnerSailing to ByzantiumRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

24%Love

45%Like

12%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

33 votes

29%Love

38%Like

18%Ok

11%Dislike

5%Hate

66 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityBook of Shadows

SillageSailing to Byzantium

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value82

¤ Price value74

Category winnerSailing to ByzantiumBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

warm spicy92%

leather84%

mossy77%

woody69%

amber61%

leather100%

smoky90%

amber80%

animalic70%

balsamic60%

aromatic50%

Scent match45%Some overlap · both leather, aromatic and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

LeatherOakmossInkIvyCardamomIncenseTonka BeanLotusLavenderPaper

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

LeatherIncenseInkPaper

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesLeather, Ink, Incense and Paper. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring58

Summer58

Fall100

Winter83

Day100

Night100

Spring10

Summer14

Fall100

Winter76

Day100

Night–

Category winnerSailing to ByzantiumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex60

Women0

Men26

Unisex65

Women9

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,185

PerfumerSharra Lamoureaux

Launched—

Reviews11

Overall rank#10,113

PerfumerSharra Lamoureaux

Launched—

Reviews33

Category winnerBook of ShadowsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Sailing to Byzantium by Alkemia Perfumes is a fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Sharra Lamoureaux.

Reviews →

Book of Shadows by Alkemia Perfumes is a fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Sharra Lamoureaux.

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, Sailing to Byzantium or Book of Shadows?

Sailing to Byzantium takes 4 of 7 categories. Sailing to Byzantium is rated 3.93/5 from 38 votes; Book of Shadows is rated 3.56/5 from 91 votes. Choose Sailing to Byzantium for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Book of Shadows for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Sailing to Byzantium or Book of Shadows?

Book of Shadows lasts longest (Book of Shadows 78/100, Sailing to Byzantium 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Sailing to Byzantium or Book of Shadows?

Sailing to Byzantium projects furthest (Sailing to Byzantium 69/100, Book of Shadows 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sailing to Byzantium and Book of Shadows smell similar?

Some overlap: a 45% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share leather, aromatic and amber accords. Common notes include Leather, Ink, Incense and Paper.

Is Sailing to Byzantium or Book of Shadows better for summer or winter?

For summer, Sailing to Byzantium is the stronger pick. For winter, Sailing to Byzantium is the stronger pick. Sailing to Byzantium suits day or night wear; Book of Shadows suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.