Fragrance comparison

Shanghai Shades vs Violet Leather

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

2 wins

Shanghai Shades

Destino Paris

4.388 votes

Rank #21,658 Fresh SpicyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

Violet Leather

Mauzan

4.001 votes

Rank #58,510 PowderyAnimalic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shanghai Shades takes 2 of 2 categories.

Shanghai Shades
Choose it for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Violet Leather
Choose it for a powdery and animalic character.

Shanghai Shades2/2

Violet Leather0/2

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Shanghai ShadesDestino Paris

Violet LeatherMauzan

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.38/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 28%Had 5%Want 67%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

63%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value85

¤ Price value50

Category winnerShanghai ShadesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fresh spicy100%

aromatic92%

powdery84%

citrus77%

amber69%

white floral61%

powdery100%

animalic92%

floral84%

fresh spicy77%

leather69%

violet61%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both powdery and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

VioletRoseAmbergrisBergamotJasminePatchouliCorianderBlack PepperVanilla

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Black PepperCorianderIncenseCumin

Heart

HeliotropeNarcissusLeatherViolet

Base

Animal notesTonka BeanSuedeIrisFlower Petals

InformationalShared notesViolet, Coriander and Black Pepper. Durations are only published for Shanghai Shades, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring57

Summer43

Fall100

Winter86

Day71

Night100

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men56

Unisex11

Women33

Date 32%Work 26%Casual 23%Party 20%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,658

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#58,510

PerfumerMoellhausen

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerShanghai ShadesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Shanghai Shades by Destino Paris opens with a burst of bright bergamot and cracked black pepper before settling into an earthy, semi-sweet floral core. Violet takes center stage here, lending a clean, powdery texture that balances against velvety rose and rich vanilla. The spice from coriander gives the fragrance an e…

Reviews →

Violet Leather reads as a powdery floral leather with a spicy, smoky opening and a softer, more cosmetic dry-down. Pepper, cumin and incense give the first spray some bite, then violet, heliotrope and iris smooth it into a plush suede effect. This looks best suited to someone who enjoys floral leather with an animalic…

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, Shanghai Shades or Violet Leather?

Shanghai Shades takes 2 of 2 categories. Shanghai Shades is rated 4.38/5 from 8 votes; Violet Leather is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Shanghai Shades for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Violet Leather for a powdery and animalic character.

Do Shanghai Shades and Violet Leather smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Violet, Coriander and Black Pepper.

Is Shanghai Shades or Violet Leather better for summer or winter?

Shanghai Shades suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shanghai Shades and Violet Leather?

Shanghai Shades features Violet, Rose, Ambergris, Bergamot and Jasmine. Violet Leather has top notes of Black Pepper, Coriander, Incense and Cumin, heart notes of Heliotrope, Narcissus, Leather and Violet, a base of Animal notes, Tonka Bean, Suede and Iris.