Fragrance comparison

Shades of Darkness vs Sylvan Song

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

Updated 31 Oct 2026 31 ratings analysed

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #62,986 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

Sylvan Song

Grossmith

4.6724 votes

Rank #25,827 WoodyAmber

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.
Sylvan Song
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Shades of Darkness2/3

Sylvan Song1/3

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: Sylvan Song

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Sylvan SongGrossmith

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

4.67/ 5 · 24 votes

Have 27%Had 3%Want 69%

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

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate92

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value25

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

woody100%

amber92%

white floral84%

rose77%

warm spicy69%

yellow floral61%

Scent match45%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

Top15 to 30 minutes

Bergamot

Heart2 to 4 hours

JasmineRoseYlang-Ylang

Base6 to 10+ hours

PatchouliVetiverBenzoinIncenseTonka BeanMuskGuaiac Wood

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Incense. Durations are only published for Sylvan Song, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter50

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men18

Unisex55

Women27

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#62,986

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#25,827

PerfumerCeline Guivarch

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerSylvan SongHigher 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 →

Sylvan Song by Grossmith delivers a classic floral woody profile centered on rich textures and deep resinous woods. The fragrance opens with a sharp burst of bergamot that quickly softens into an opulent bouquet of jasmine, rose, and creamy ylang-ylang. As the florals settle, an earthy base of patchouli, guaiac wood, …

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 Sylvan Song?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes; Sylvan Song is rated 4.67/5 from 24 votes. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Sylvan Song for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Shades of Darkness or Sylvan Song?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Sylvan Song 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Shades of Darkness or Sylvan Song?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Sylvan Song 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Shades of Darkness and Sylvan Song smell similar?

Some overlap: a 45% 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 Sylvan Song better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear; Sylvan Song suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shades of Darkness and Sylvan Song?

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. Sylvan Song has top notes of Bergamot, heart notes of Jasmine, Rose and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Patchouli, Vetiver, Benzoin and Incense.