Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Chanel No 5 L'Eau

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 8,951 ratings analysed

5 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,120 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

Chanel

4.136,695 votes

Rank #29,439 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles5/7

Chanel No 5 L'Eau2/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Bal à Versailles

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Chanel No 5 L'EauChanel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.13/ 5 · 6,695 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

Category winnerBal à VersaillesRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

43%Love

40%Like

6%Ok

9%Dislike

2%Hate

6,695 votes

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value38

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

citrus100%

aldehydic91%

fresh83%

woody74%

powdery65%

yellow floral56%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLemonNeroliBergamotMandarin OrangeLimeOrange

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineMay Rose

Base4-6 hrs

White MuskOrris RootCedarVanila

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Neroli, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot. Durations are only published for Chanel No 5 L'Eau, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter40

Day100

Night26

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men1

Unisex15

Women84

Work 40%Casual 37%Date 16%Party 7%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,120

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#29,439

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Bal a Versailles opens with a dense puff of orange blossom and powdery rose before shifting into a heavy, lived-in leather. This vintage classic suits collectors who crave dramatic, animalic warmth rather than modern clean scents. Wear it on cold winter nights when you want a rich envelope of resins and civet to cling…

Reviews →

Chanel No 5 L'Eau strips away the heavy antique powder of the original 1921 icon to reveal a crystal clear, sunlight-drenched citrus floral. The opening bursts with crisp lemon, zesty mandarin, and sparkling aldehydes that fizz like chilled club soda on warm skin. Within thirty minutes, dewy May rose and clean jasmine…

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, Bal à Versailles or Chanel No 5 L'Eau?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Chanel No 5 L'Eau is rated 4.13/5 from 6,695 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Chanel No 5 L'Eau?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Chanel No 5 L'Eau?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Chanel No 5 L'Eau smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Neroli, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot.

Is Bal à Versailles or Chanel No 5 L'Eau better for summer or winter?

For summer, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Chanel No 5 L'Eau suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Chanel No 5 L'Eau?

Bal à Versailles has top notes of Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom and Jasmine, heart notes of Leather, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood and Orris Root, a base of Civet, Resins, Tolu Balsam and Amber. Chanel No 5 L'Eau has top notes of Aldehydes, Lemon, Neroli and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and May Rose, a base of White Musk, Orris Root, Cedar and Vanila.