Fragrance comparison

Abjar vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 265 ratings analysed

5 wins

Abjar

The Spirit of Dubai

4.4986 votes

Rank #23,909 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #23,997 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Abjar takes 5 of 7 categories.

Abjar
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

Abjar5/7

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne2/7

Ratings & consensus: Abjar
Community sentiment: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Longevity: Abjar
Sillage & projection: Abjar
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Versatility: Abjar
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Abjar

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AbjarThe Spirit of Dubai

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerAbjarRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

72%Love

13%Like

7%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

86 votes

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage84

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityAbjar

SillageAbjar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value28

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

leather92%

amber84%

smoky77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CypressPineClary SageNutmegStyraxAldehydesLavenderPepper

Heart

LeatherEarthy NotesBirch LeafIncenseIndian OudResinsWoody NotesGuaiac Wood

Base

CastoreumCivetTobaccoAgarwood (Oud)AmberTolu BalsamSandalwoodBenzoin

Top

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesLeather, Resins, Civet and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer25

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerAbjarMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men74

Unisex20

Women6

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,909

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#23,997

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerAbjarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Abjar by The Spirit of Dubai opens with a sharp burst of aromatic cypress, pine needles, and spicy nutmeg before settling into a dense heart of birch leaf and natural leather. As the composition warms on skin, smoky incense, Indian oud, and rich labdanum take control, giving the fragrance a dark resinous texture. The …

Reviews →

Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles Eau de Cologne is a warm, powdery floral that brings a dry, skin-like animalic musk to the forefront. This 1962 composition opens with orange blossom and rosemary, shifting to a heart of leather and sandalwood before settling into a deep civet base. It is a fragrance built for cold winter…

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, Abjar or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Abjar takes 5 of 7 categories. Abjar is rated 4.49/5 from 86 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Abjar for a woody and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Abjar or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Abjar lasts longest (Abjar 91/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Abjar or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Abjar projects furthest (Abjar 84/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Abjar and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and amber accords. Common notes include Leather, Resins, Civet and Amber.

Is Abjar or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne better for summer or winter?

For summer, Abjar is the stronger pick. For winter, Abjar is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Abjar and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Abjar has top notes of Cypress, Pine, Clary Sage and Nutmeg, heart notes of Leather, Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Incense, a base of Castoreum, Civet, Tobacco and Agarwood (Oud). Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne has top notes of Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Cassia and Neroli, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Orris Root, a base of Civet, Amber, Tolu Balsam and Musk.