Fragrance comparison

Voilette de Madame vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 27 ratings analysed

Voilette de Madame

Guerlain

4.1520 votes

Rank #41,804 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #64,515 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Voilette de Madame
Choose it for a powdery and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Voilette de Madame1/3

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: Voilette de Madame

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Voilette de MadameGuerlain

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 6%Had 3%Want 91%

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

40%Love

45%Like

5%Ok

10%Dislike

0%Hate

20 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

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

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

powdery100%

woody90%

violet80%

yellow floral70%

iris60%

floral50%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

VioletYlang-YlangIrisSandalwoodNarcissus

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesViolet, Ylang-Ylang, Iris and Narcissus. Durations are only published for Voilette de Madame, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer33

Fall83

Winter100

Day36

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#41,804

PerfumerJacques Guerlain

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#64,515

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerVoilette de MadameHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Voilette de Madame by Guerlain is an early twentieth-century floral built on powdery violet, cool iris, and creamy sandalwood. Composed in 1901 by Jacques Guerlain, its name translates to madam's veil, reflecting the soft, cosmetic aura it leaves in the air. The fragrance opens with a rich floral bouquet where sweet y…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Voilette de Madame or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Voilette de Madame is rated 4.15/5 from 20 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Voilette de Madame for a powdery and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening 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, Voilette de Madame or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Voilette de Madame 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Voilette de Madame or Shades of Darkness?

Projection is very close: Shades of Darkness 72/100, Voilette de Madame 70/100 for sillage.

Do Voilette de Madame and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Violet, Ylang-Ylang, Iris and Narcissus.

Is Voilette de Madame or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Voilette de Madame suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Voilette de Madame and Shades of Darkness?

Voilette de Madame features Violet, Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Sandalwood and Narcissus. 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.