Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Sable d'Orient

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 2,277 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #25,781 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

18%scent match

Clearly different

Sable d'Orient

Adopt Parfums

4.3821 votes

Rank #34,200 Yellow FloralVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Sable d'Orient
Choose it for a yellow floral and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Bal à Versailles3/5

Sable d'Orient2/5

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

Sable d'OrientAdopt Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.38/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 40%Had 9%Want 51%

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

52%Love

33%Like

14%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageSable d'Orient

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value71

Category winnerSable d'OrientBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

yellow floral100%

vanilla90%

sweet80%

warm spicy70%

floral60%

amber50%

Scent match18%Clearly different · both amber

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

Ylang-YlangMandarin Orange

Heart

Spicy NotesFloral NotesRose

Base

VanillaBenzoinMusk

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Mandarin Orange, Ylang-Ylang and Benzoin. 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

Summer75

Fall100

Winter75

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex13

Women88

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,781

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#34,200

PerfumerDominique Monlun

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 →

Sable d'Orient by Adopt Parfums is a Oriental fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Dominique Monlun. Top notes are Ylang-Ylang and Mandarin Orange; middle notes are Spicy Notes, Floral Notes and Rose; base notes are Vanilla, Benzoin and Musk.

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 Sable d'Orient?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Sable d'Orient is rated 4.38/5 from 21 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Sable d'Orient for a yellow floral and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Sable d'Orient?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Sable d'Orient 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Sable d'Orient?

Projection is very close: Sable d'Orient 68/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100 for sillage.

Do Bal à Versailles and Sable d'Orient smell similar?

Clearly different: a 18% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Mandarin Orange, Ylang-Ylang and Benzoin.

Is Bal à Versailles or Sable d'Orient better for summer or winter?

Sable d'Orient suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Sable d'Orient?

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. Sable d'Orient has top notes of Ylang-Ylang and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Spicy Notes, Floral Notes and Rose, a base of Vanilla, Benzoin and Musk.