Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 2,461 ratings analysed

6 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #22,781 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret

Houbigant

3.98205 votes

Rank #26,239 CitrusFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret
Choose it for a citrus and floral character. Wins on versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles6/7

Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret1/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Bal à Versailles
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret
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

Quelques Fleurs Jardin SecretHoubigant

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

3.98/ 5 · 205 votes

Have 37%Had 14%Want 49%

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

36%Love

40%Like

11%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

205 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value34

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

citrus100%

floral92%

white floral84%

powdery77%

musky69%

yellow floral61%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both powdery 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

Top20-30 mins

NeroliBergamotYellow Mandarin

Heart3-4 hrs

Orris RootMagnoliaNarcissusOrange BlossomYlang-YlangJasmineRose

Base6-8 hrs

Ambrette (Musk Mallow)White MuskMuskSandalwood

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Neroli. Durations are only published for Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer79

Fall0

Winter16

Day100

Night32

Category winnerQuelques Fleurs Jardin SecretMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex15

Women85

Work 39%Casual 34%Date 19%Party 8%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#22,781

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#26,239

PerfumerLuca Maffei

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 →

Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret begins with a vivid burst of yellow mandarin, crisp bergamot, and sunlit neroli. It feels immediate and bright. The sharp citrus fizz mellows within twenty minutes into a luminous heart of magnolia, creamy jasmine, and earthy orris root. It does not smell like a vintage museum p…

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 Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret is rated 3.98/5 from 205 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret for a citrus and floral character. Wins on versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and musky accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Neroli.

Is Bal à Versailles or Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret better for summer or winter?

For summer, Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret?

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. Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret has top notes of Neroli, Bergamot and Yellow Mandarin, heart notes of Orris Root, Magnolia, Narcissus and Orange Blossom, a base of Ambrette (Musk Mallow), White Musk, Musk and Sandalwood.