Fragrance comparison

Shades of Darkness vs Spiritueuse Double Vanille

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 4,877 ratings analysed

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #63,534 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

44%scent match

Some overlap

Spiritueuse Double Vanille

Guerlain · 2016

4.404,870 votes

Rank #1,656 VanillaAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Spiritueuse Double Vanille
Choose it for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Shades of Darkness2/3

Spiritueuse Double Vanille1/3

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: Spiritueuse Double Vanille

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Spiritueuse Double VanilleGuerlain

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

4.40/ 5 · 4,870 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 61%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

14%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

57%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

59%Love

29%Like

6%Ok

5%Dislike

1%Hate

4,870 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value21

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

vanilla100%

amber92%

woody84%

warm spicy77%

balsamic69%

sweet53%

Scent match44%Some overlap · both amber, woody and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

Top30 to 45 minutes

IncensePink PepperBergamot

Heart2 to 3 hours

CedarYlang-YlangRoseJasmine

Base6 to 8 hours

VanillaBenzoinRum

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Incense. Durations are only published for Spiritueuse Double Vanille, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring33

Summer18

Fall98

Winter100

Day80

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men4

Unisex49

Women46

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#63,534

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#1,656

PerfumerJean-Paul Guerlain

Launched2016

Reviews209

Category winnerSpiritueuse Double VanilleHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain delivers a mature, boozy interpretation of vanilla bean supported by dark rum and smoky incense. The fragrance opens with a brief lift of bergamot and pink pepper before shifting toward a heart of cedar, soft rose, ylang-ylang, and jasmine. Resinous benzoin anchors the base, givi…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Shades of Darkness or Spiritueuse Double Vanille?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes; Spiritueuse Double Vanille is rated 4.40/5 from 4,870 votes. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Spiritueuse Double Vanille for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Shades of Darkness or Spiritueuse Double Vanille?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Spiritueuse Double Vanille 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Shades of Darkness or Spiritueuse Double Vanille?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Spiritueuse Double Vanille 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Shades of Darkness and Spiritueuse Double Vanille smell similar?

Some overlap: a 44% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Incense.

Is Shades of Darkness or Spiritueuse Double Vanille better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear; Spiritueuse Double Vanille suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shades of Darkness and Spiritueuse Double Vanille?

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. Spiritueuse Double Vanille has top notes of Incense, Pink Pepper and Bergamot, heart notes of Cedar, Ylang-Ylang, Rose and Jasmine, a base of Vanilla, Benzoin and Rum.