Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Narcisse Noir

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

Updated 17 Oct 2026 2,334 ratings analysed

4 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,353 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

Narcisse Noir

Caron · 1911

4.5578 votes

Rank #23,155 White FloralMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Narcisse Noir
Choose it for a white floral and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles4/7

Narcisse Noir3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Narcisse NoirCaron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.55/ 5 · 78 votes

Have 40%Had 11%Want 50%

Category winnerNarcisse NoirRating 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

56%Love

27%Like

2%Ok

13%Dislike

2%Hate

48 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value37

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%

musky92%

powdery84%

woody77%

citrus61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both powdery, woody and musky

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

Orange BlossomNeroli

Heart2-4 hrs

JasmineRose

Base8-12 hrs

MuskSandalwood

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Neroli. Durations are only published for Narcisse Noir, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring83

Summer83

Fall100

Winter92

Day35

Night100

Category winnerNarcisse NoirMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex29

Women71

Date 42%Party 27%Casual 18%Work 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,353

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#23,155

PerfumerErnest Daltroff

Launched1911

Reviews4

Category winnerNarcisse NoirHigher 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 →

Caron Narcisse Noir offers a bold contrast to bright, sugary white florals. The first spritz unleashes bitter orange blossom and sharp neroli, cutting through the air with a brisk citrus snap. Within twenty minutes, that initial bite yields to a dense heart of velvety rose and heady jasmine. A dark, powdery veil wraps…

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 Narcisse Noir?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Narcisse Noir is rated 4.55/5 from 78 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Narcisse Noir for a white floral and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Narcisse Noir?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Narcisse Noir 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Narcisse Noir?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Narcisse Noir 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Narcisse Noir smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, woody and musky accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Neroli.

Is Bal à Versailles or Narcisse Noir better for summer or winter?

For summer, Narcisse Noir is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Narcisse Noir suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Narcisse Noir?

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. Narcisse Noir has top notes of Orange Blossom and Neroli, heart notes of Jasmine and Rose, a base of Musk and Sandalwood.