Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Hien Le No1

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 2,307 ratings analysed

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,145 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

25%scent match

Clearly different

Hien Le No1

Verduu

4.0651 votes

Rank #33,128 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 7 categories split 3–3.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Hien Le No1
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles3/7

Hien Le No13/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Hien Le No1
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Hien Le No1
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Hien Le No1
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

Hien Le No1Verduu

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.06/ 5 · 51 votes

Have 47%Had 19%Want 34%

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

33%Love

51%Like

6%Ok

8%Dislike

2%Hate

51 votes

Category winnerHien Le No1Most positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageHien Le No1

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

aromatic100%

woody83%

citrus65%

fresh spicy48%

earthy30%

Scent match25%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

Top20-30 mins

RosemaryLemonGreen MandarinOrange BlossomMint

Heart2-4 hrs

ThymeMagnoliaSandalwoodMangoLily-of-the-Valley

Base6-8 hrs

VetiverCedarGuaiac WoodMuskPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Rosemary, Sandalwood and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Hien Le No1, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer67

Fall57

Winter24

Day100

Night24

Category winnerHien Le No1Most year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men58

Unisex42

Women0

Casual 40%Work 36%Date 16%Party 8%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,145

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#33,128

PerfumerMark Buxton

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 →

Hien Le No1 opens with an invigorating slap of crushed mint, sharp green mandarin, and sour lemon peel. The initial solvent burst flashes off within three minutes, revealing an aromatic core of garden thyme and dry rosemary. It smells remarkably clean. You get crisp white tennis apparel dried under warm California sun…

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 Hien Le No1?

No clear winner: the 7 categories split 3–3. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Hien Le No1 is rated 4.06/5 from 51 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Hien Le No1 for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Hien Le No1?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Hien Le No1 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Hien Le No1?

Projection is very close: Hien Le No1 67/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100 for sillage.

Do Bal à Versailles and Hien Le No1 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Rosemary, Sandalwood and Patchouli.

Is Bal à Versailles or Hien Le No1 better for summer or winter?

For summer, Hien Le No1 is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Hien Le No1 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Hien Le No1?

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. Hien Le No1 has top notes of Rosemary, Lemon, Green Mandarin and Orange Blossom, heart notes of Thyme, Magnolia, Sandalwood and Mango, a base of Vetiver, Cedar, Guaiac Wood and Musk.