Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs Nutcracker

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 180 ratings analysed

1 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #26,946 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

Nutcracker

Candy Bulsara

5.001 votes

Rank #68,356 White FloralFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 1 of 1 categories.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Nutcracker
Choose it for a white floral and floral character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne1/1

Nutcracker0/1

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Not scored
Value for money: Not scored
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

NutcrackerCandy Bulsara

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

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

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

white floral100%

floral92%

amber84%

iris77%

oud69%

patchouli61%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both amber 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

Notes

HoneysuckleOrris RootPatchouliAgarwoodBenzoinBoroniaNeroli

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Orris Root, Patchouli and Benzoin. Durations are only published for Nutcracker, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,946

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#68,356

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

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 →

Nutcracker by Candy Bulsara opens with sweet honeysuckle petals and crisp neroli, offering an energetic white floral greeting before revealing its deeper woody foundations. Within twenty minutes, powdery orris root and rich boronia step forward, giving the floral heart a velvety softness that feels both classic and di…

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 Eau de Cologne or Nutcracker?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 1 of 1 categories. Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes; Nutcracker is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Nutcracker for a white floral and floral character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Do Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and Nutcracker smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and white floral accords. Common notes include Neroli, Orris Root, Patchouli and Benzoin.

Is Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Nutcracker better for summer or winter?

Nutcracker suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and Nutcracker?

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. Nutcracker features Honeysuckle, Orris Root, Patchouli, Agarwood and Benzoin.