Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 3,167 ratings analysed

6 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,244 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum

Chanel

4.11911 votes

Rank #28,064 LeatherSmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum
Choose it for a leather and smoky character. Wins on versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles6/7

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum1/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Bal à Versailles
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum
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

Cuir de Russie Eau de ParfumChanel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.11/ 5 · 911 votes

Have 76%Had 24%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

48%Love

29%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

2%Hate

911 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value33

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

leather100%

smoky92%

white floral84%

yellow floral77%

woody69%

sweet61%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both woody

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

Orange BlossomMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineTobaccoRose

Base6-8+ hrs

LeatherBirchResins

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Mandarin Orange. Durations are only published for Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring64

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day100

Night91

Category winnerCuir de Russie Eau de ParfumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men13

Unisex59

Women28

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,244

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#28,064

PerfumerNot listed

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 Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum delivers a bold contrast between crisp citrus and dark, smoky leather. The first spray hits hard. A bright flash of bergamot and mandarin quickly yields to authentic Russian leather soaked in birch tar. Sweet pipe tobacco and warm resins slowly cushion the smoky bite. It never turns…

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 Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum is rated 4.11/5 from 911 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum for a leather and smoky character. Wins on versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles or Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum better for summer or winter?

For summer, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum?

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. Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum has top notes of Orange Blossom, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Tobacco and Rose, a base of Leather, Birch and Resins.