Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Nocturnes de Caron Parfum

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 2,409 ratings analysed

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #22,899 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum

Caron

4.54153 votes

Rank #8,592 White FloralWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum takes 5 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter.
Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Choose it for a white floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles2/7

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum5/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Nocturnes de Caron ParfumCaron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.54/ 5 · 153 votes

Have 55%Had 45%Want 0%

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumRating 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

65%Love

27%Like

7%Ok

2%Dislike

0%Hate

153 votes

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate89

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageNocturnes de Caron Parfum

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value48

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%

woody92%

fresh84%

aldehydic77%

powdery69%

amber61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both woody, 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

Top20-30 mins

AldehydesFruity NotesGreen NotesBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart3-4 hrs

JasmineLily-of-the-ValleyLilyRoseOrris RootCyclamen

Base8-12 hrs

VetiverSandalwoodBenzoinVanillaAmberMusk

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot. Durations are only published for Nocturnes de Caron Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter93

Day44

Night100

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex9

Women91

Date 47%Work 23%Party 20%Casual 10%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#22,899

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#8,592

PerfumerGerard Lefort

Launched—

Reviews5

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumHigher 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 →

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum delivers an unmistakable golden-era presence that feels completely detached from today's sugar-heavy department store scents. Created by perfumer Gerard Lefort in 1981, this pure parfum opens with a fizzy blast of crisp aldehydes alongside bright bergamot and green notes. Give it ten minutes.…

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 Nocturnes de Caron Parfum?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum takes 5 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Nocturnes de Caron Parfum is rated 4.54/5 from 153 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Nocturnes de Caron Parfum for a white floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Nocturnes de Caron Parfum?

They last about the same: Bal à Versailles 76/100, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum 74/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Nocturnes de Caron Parfum?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum projects furthest (Nocturnes de Caron Parfum 70/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Nocturnes de Caron Parfum smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot.

Is Bal à Versailles or Nocturnes de Caron Parfum better for summer or winter?

For summer, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Nocturnes de Caron Parfum suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Nocturnes de Caron Parfum?

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. Nocturnes de Caron Parfum has top notes of Aldehydes, Fruity Notes, Green Notes and Bergamot, heart notes of Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Lily and Rose, a base of Vetiver, Sandalwood, Benzoin and Vanilla.