Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs Giovanni’s No.8

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 180 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #24,545 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

Giovanni’s No.8

Twist · 2022

4.001 votes

Rank #58,096 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 4 categories.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Giovanni’s No.8
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne3/4

Giovanni’s No.81/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Value for money: Giovanni’s No.8
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Giovanni’s No.8Twist

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 50%Had 17%Want 33%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

SillageBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value75

Category winnerGiovanni’s No.8Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

woody100%

citrus92%

fresh84%

aromatic77%

fresh spicy69%

white floral61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both woody, citrus and white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

Top15-30 mins

BergamotNeroliCaloneMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

RosemaryJasmineHedione

Base5-7 hrs

PatchouliCedarwoodLabdanumMusk

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Neroli, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange. Durations are only published for Giovanni’s No.8, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer100

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night35

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Casual 39%Work 31%Date 17%Party 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,545

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,096

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2022

Reviews1

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles Eau de Cologne is a warm, powdery floral that brings a dry, skin-like animalic musk to the forefront. This 1962 composition opens with orange blossom and rosemary, shifting to a heart of leather and sandalwood before settling into a deep civet base. It is a fragrance built for cold winter…

Reviews →

Giovanni’s No.8 by Twist delivers a direct splash of sharp Italian bergamot, zesty mandarin orange, and a salty calone ocean breeze. The opening solvent bite flashes off quickly. Within fifteen minutes, green rosemary and airy hedione soften the marine edge, keeping the blend crisp and clean. Dry cedarwood, earthy pat…

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 Eau de Cologne or Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 4 categories. Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes; Giovanni’s No.8 is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Giovanni’s No.8 for a woody and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne lasts longest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Giovanni’s No.8 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne projects furthest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, Giovanni’s No.8 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and Giovanni’s No.8 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, citrus and white floral accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Neroli, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Giovanni’s No.8 better for summer or winter?

Giovanni’s No.8 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and Giovanni’s No.8?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne has top notes of Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Cassia and Neroli, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Orris Root, a base of Civet, Amber, Tolu Balsam and Musk. Giovanni’s No.8 has top notes of Bergamot, Neroli, Calone and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Rosemary, Jasmine and Hedione, a base of Patchouli, Cedarwood, Labdanum and Musk.