Fragrance comparison

Shades of Darkness vs Winter crocus

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #61,028 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

Winter crocus

fūm

4.004 votes

Rank #53,772 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1.

Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Winter crocus
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Shades of Darkness1/2

Winter crocus1/2

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Shades of Darkness
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Winter crocus

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winter crocusfūm

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

4.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 11%Had 0%Want 89%

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

25%Love

50%Like

25%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

amber100%

warm spicy90%

cacao80%

sweet70%

woody60%

balsamic50%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both amber, warm spicy and woody

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

Notes

CacaoBenzoinMyrrhLabdanumVetiverOpoponaxCardamomOakmossTobaccoPimentoFrankincenseChampaca

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesTobacco, Champaca, Vetiver and Benzoin. Durations are only published for Winter crocus, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring50

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day44

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Date 36%Casual 31%Work 18%Party 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#61,028

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#53,772

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerWinter crocusHigher 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 →

Winter crocus by fūm is a rich, artisanal amber perfume that captures the contrast of cold snow and deep hearth warmth. The scent opens with a lively dash of pimento and dry green cardamom, offering an initial kick before relaxing into bittersweet cacao and smooth champaca petals. As it settles onto the skin, golden l…

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 Winter crocus?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1. Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes; Winter crocus is rated 4.00/5 from 4 votes. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Winter crocus for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which projects more, Shades of Darkness or Winter crocus?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Winter crocus 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Shades of Darkness and Winter crocus smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Tobacco, Champaca, Vetiver and Benzoin.

Is Shades of Darkness or Winter crocus better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear; Winter crocus suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shades of Darkness and Winter crocus?

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. Winter crocus features Cacao, Benzoin, Myrrh, Labdanum and Vetiver.