Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Giovanni’s No.8

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 2,257 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,460 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

23%scent match

Clearly different

Giovanni’s No.8

Twist · 2022

4.001 votes

Rank #58,096 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 4 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Giovanni’s No.8
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles3/4

Giovanni’s No.81/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Giovanni’s No.8
Versatility: Not scored
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

Giovanni’s No.8Twist

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 50%Had 17%Want 33%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value75

Category winnerGiovanni’s No.8Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

woody100%

citrus92%

fresh84%

aromatic77%

fresh spicy69%

white floral61%

Scent match23%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

BergamotNeroliCaloneMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

RosemaryJasmineHedione

Base5-7 hrs

PatchouliCedarwoodLabdanumMusk

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Rosemary, Neroli and Mandarin Orange. Durations are only published for Giovanni’s No.8, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer100

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night35

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Casual 39%Work 31%Date 17%Party 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,460

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,096

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2022

Reviews1

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 →

Giovanni’s No.8 by Twist delivers a direct splash of sharp Italian bergamot, zesty mandarin orange, and a salty calone ocean breeze. The opening solvent bite flashes off quickly. Within fifteen minutes, green rosemary and airy hedione soften the marine edge, keeping the blend crisp and clean. Dry cedarwood, earthy pat…

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 Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 4 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Giovanni’s No.8 is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Giovanni’s No.8 for a woody and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Giovanni’s No.8 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Giovanni’s No.8 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Giovanni’s No.8 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 23% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Rosemary, Neroli and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles or Giovanni’s No.8 better for summer or winter?

Giovanni’s No.8 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Giovanni’s No.8?

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. Giovanni’s No.8 has top notes of Bergamot, Neroli, Calone and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Rosemary, Jasmine and Hedione, a base of Patchouli, Cedarwood, Labdanum and Musk.