Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Desirable

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 2,269 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #25,912 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

Desirable

Amado

3.3513 votes

Rank #24,597 CitrusPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.
Desirable
Choose it for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles3/5

Desirable2/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

DesirableAmado

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

3.35/ 5 · 13 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

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

25%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

0%Dislike

25%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityDesirable

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

citrus100%

powdery92%

floral84%

woody77%

white floral69%

vanilla61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both powdery and 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

Top

Mandarin OrangeNeroliCinnamonStar Anise

Heart

RoseEgyptian JasmineOrris RootPeony

Base

CedarSandalwoodVanillaMuskAmberTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Neroli and Mandarin Orange. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring25

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day25

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men50

Unisex0

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,912

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,597

PerfumerChristian Provenzano

Launched—

Reviews13

Category winnerDesirableHigher 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 →

Desirable by Amado is a bright citrus and neroli opening dusted with cinnamon and star anise, quickly turning powdery and floral. Rose, jasmine and orris give it a soft, cosmetic texture, then the dry-down settles into vanilla, tonka and ambered woods. It suits people who like elegant, slightly spicy florals with a s…

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, Bal à Versailles or Desirable?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Desirable is rated 3.35/5 from 13 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Desirable for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Desirable?

They last about the same: Desirable 77/100, Bal à Versailles 76/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Desirable?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Desirable 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Desirable smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and woody accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Neroli and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles or Desirable better for summer or winter?

Desirable suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Desirable?

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. Desirable has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Neroli, Cinnamon and Star Anise, heart notes of Rose, Egyptian Jasmine, Orris Root and Peony, a base of Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Musk.