Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 2,321 ratings analysed

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,290 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence

Marc Jacobs

4.2265 votes

Rank #12,515 White FloralAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence takes 3 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in winter.
Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence
Choose it for a white floral and amber character. Wins on community sentiment, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles2/7

Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Marc Jacobs Perfume EssenceMarc Jacobs

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.22/ 5 · 65 votes

Have 50%Had 50%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

46%Love

40%Like

5%Ok

8%Dislike

2%Hate

65 votes

Category winnerMarc Jacobs Perfume EssenceMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageTie

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 · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

white floral100%

amber92%

powdery84%

warm spicy77%

floral69%

citrus61%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both amber and powdery

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

FreesiaSpicesBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

GardeniaRoseOrange BlossomIris

Base6-8+ hrs

BenzoinTolu BalsamMuskSandalwoodCassia

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Bergamot and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer60

Fall73

Winter60

Day100

Night47

Category winnerMarc Jacobs Perfume EssenceMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex17

Women83

Work 34%Casual 29%Date 25%Party 12%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,290

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#12,515

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews11

Category winnerMarc Jacobs Perfume EssenceHigher 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 →

Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence takes the crisp gardenia profile of the 2001 original and wraps it in warm, golden resin. The spray opens with a quick flash of peppery freesia and bergamot citrus. Within ten minutes, lush gardenia petals take over alongside sweet orange blossom. The real shift happens in the base. Thick b…

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 Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence?

Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence takes 3 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence is rated 4.22/5 from 65 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence for a white floral and amber character. Wins on community sentiment, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence?

They last about the same: Bal à Versailles 76/100, Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence 76/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence?

Projection is very close: Bal à Versailles 66/100, Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence 66/100 for sillage.

Do Bal à Versailles and Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Bergamot and Sandalwood.

Is Bal à Versailles or Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence better for summer or winter?

For summer, Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence?

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. Marc Jacobs Perfume Essence has top notes of Freesia, Spices and Bergamot, heart notes of Gardenia, Rose, Orange Blossom and Iris, a base of Benzoin, Tolu Balsam, Musk and Sandalwood.