Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Sublime

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 2,370 ratings analysed

4 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,427 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

Sublime

Ulric de Varens · 2014

3.68114 votes

Rank #17,866 White FloralSweet

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 ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Sublime
Choose it for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on value for money, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles4/7

Sublime3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

SublimeUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

3.68/ 5 · 114 votes

Have 56%Had 44%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

21%Love

50%Like

6%Ok

21%Dislike

2%Hate

114 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity53

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate67

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value75

Category winnerSublimeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

white floral100%

sweet83%

citrus65%

vanilla48%

powdery30%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both 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

NeroliMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

Orange BlossomJasmine

Base4-6 hrs

MarshmallowVanilla

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Jasmine, Neroli and Mandarin Orange. Durations are only published for Sublime, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer57

Fall0

Winter81

Day100

Night41

Category winnerSublimeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Casual 40%Work 25%Date 21%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,427

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#17,866

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2014

Reviews17

Category winnerSublimeHigher 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 →

Sublime by Ulric de Varens greets you with a crisp burst of zesty mandarin orange and bright neroli. The citrus sparks immediately before mellowing into sweet orange blossom petals and light jasmine. At the base, confectioner sugar blends into soft vanilla and pillowy marshmallow, creating an airy sweetness that stays…

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 Sublime?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Sublime is rated 3.68/5 from 114 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Sublime for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on value for money, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Sublime?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Sublime 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Sublime?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Sublime 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Sublime smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Neroli and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles or Sublime better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Sublime?

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. Sublime has top notes of Neroli and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Orange Blossom and Jasmine, a base of Marshmallow and Vanilla.