Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Light

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 2,262 ratings analysed

4 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #25,845 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

10%scent match

Clearly different

Light

MetaScent

4.336 votes

Rank #35,182 FloralFresh

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 4 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.
Light
Choose it for a floral and fresh character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles4/4

Light0/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
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

LightMetaScent

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.33/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 38%Had 8%Want 54%

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

50%Love

33%Like

17%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value50

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

floral100%

fresh90%

white floral80%

green70%

citrus60%

fruity50%

Scent match10%Clearly different

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

BergamotRoseMandarin Orange

Heart

LilacJasmine

Base

Green AppleVanillaCherry

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot. 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–

Spring100

Summer80

Fall40

Winter20

Day100

Night17

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,845

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#35,182

PerfumerJanelle Donnelly

Launched—

Reviews2

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 →

Light opens with bright mandarin and bergamot, then settles into a soft lilac, jasmine and rose heart with a crisp green-fruity backdrop. It reads clean, fresh and floral rather than sweet, with a spring-ready, slightly feminine lean despite the unisex label. This looks best for daytime wear and easy, low-pressure set…

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 Light?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 4 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Light is rated 4.33/5 from 6 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Light for a floral and fresh character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Light?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Light 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Light?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Light 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Light smell similar?

Clearly different: a 10% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot.

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

Light suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Light?

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. Light has top notes of Bergamot, Rose and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Lilac and Jasmine, a base of Green Apple, Vanilla and Cherry.