Fragrance comparison

Winter crocus vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

Winter crocus

fūm

4.004 votes

Rank #53,772 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #61,028 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

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

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

Winter crocus1/2

Shades of Darkness1/2

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

Winter crocusfūm

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 11%Had 0%Want 89%

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

25%Love

50%Like

25%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 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

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

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%

warm spicy90%

cacao80%

sweet70%

woody60%

balsamic50%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

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

Notes

CacaoBenzoinMyrrhLabdanumVetiverOpoponaxCardamomOakmossTobaccoPimentoFrankincenseChampaca

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

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

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day44

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

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

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#53,772

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#61,028

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerWinter crocusHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

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, Winter crocus or Shades of Darkness?

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

Which projects more, Winter crocus or Shades of Darkness?

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

Do Winter crocus and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

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

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

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

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

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