Fragrance comparison

Shades of Darkness vs Tabac Blond Parfum

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

Updated 17 Oct 2026 211 ratings analysed

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,342 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

Tabac Blond Parfum

Caron

4.53204 votes

Rank #5,347 WoodyPowdery

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.
Tabac Blond Parfum
Choose it for a woody and powdery character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Shades of Darkness2/3

Tabac Blond Parfum1/3

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: Tabac Blond Parfum

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Tabac Blond ParfumCaron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

4.53/ 5 · 204 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

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

66%Love

27%Like

1%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

204 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value43

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%

powdery92%

leather84%

floral77%

iris69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both woody, powdery 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

Top15-30 mins

LeatherCarnationLime

Heart2-4 hrs

IrisYlang-YlangVetiver

Base8-12+ hrs

MuskVanillaCedarPatchouli

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Ylang-Ylang, Iris and Cedar. Durations are only published for Tabac Blond Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring60

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men8

Unisex50

Women42

Date 38%Party 29%Casual 18%Work 16%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#60,342

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#5,347

PerfumerErnest Daltroff

Launched—

Reviews11

Category winnerTabac Blond ParfumHigher 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 →

Caron Tabac Blond Parfum opens with an unapologetic clash of bitter lime, sharp leather, and clove-spiced carnation. The initial spray delivers an oily sheen and a crisp alcohol lift. Give it five minutes. As the top notes settle, earthy vetiver and creamy ylang-ylang emerge alongside a cool, powdery iris root. It sme…

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, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Blond Parfum?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes; Tabac Blond Parfum is rated 4.53/5 from 204 votes. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Tabac Blond Parfum for a woody and powdery character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Blond Parfum?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Tabac Blond Parfum 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Blond Parfum?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Tabac Blond Parfum 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Shades of Darkness and Tabac Blond Parfum smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, powdery and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Iris and Cedar.

Is Shades of Darkness or Tabac Blond Parfum better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear; Tabac Blond Parfum suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shades of Darkness and Tabac Blond Parfum?

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. Tabac Blond Parfum has top notes of Leather, Carnation and Lime, heart notes of Iris, Ylang-Ylang and Vetiver, a base of Musk, Vanilla, Cedar and Patchouli.