Fragrance comparison

Spirit vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 18 ratings analysed

Spirit

Max Philip

3.5511 votes

Rank #57,159 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #59,578 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Spirit
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Spirit1/3

Shades of Darkness2/3

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: Spirit

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

SpiritMax Philip

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.55/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 23%Had 10%Want 67%

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

9%Love

73%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

18%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

14%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

57%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage35

♥ Love / hate64

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value42

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber90%

smoky80%

balsamic70%

iris60%

powdery50%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both woody, amber and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

IncenseIris

Heart

CedarSandalwood

Base

Dry WoodAmbergris

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesIncense, Iris, Cedar and Ambergris. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer20

Fall100

Winter40

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#57,159

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#59,578

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerSpiritHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Spirit is a dry, smoky wood fragrance built around incense, iris, cedar and sandalwood. It opens cool and slightly powdery, then settles into a smooth ambery wood trail with a quiet animalic touch. It reads unisex, though the drier woody side may feel more masculine to some wearers. With soft to moderate projection, i…

Reviews →

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 →

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, Spirit or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Spirit is rated 3.55/5 from 11 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Spirit for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Spirit or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Spirit 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Spirit or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Spirit 35/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Spirit and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Incense, Iris, Cedar and Ambergris.

Is Spirit or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Spirit and Shades of Darkness?

Spirit has top notes of Incense and Iris, heart notes of Cedar and Sandalwood, a base of Dry Wood and Ambergris. 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.