Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs Pure Lemon

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 187 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #24,209 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

38%scent match

Some overlap

Pure Lemon

Hej:Pure

3.388 votes

Rank #53,835 CitrusAromatic

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.
Pure Lemon
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne3/4

Pure Lemon1/4

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: Pure Lemon
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

Pure LemonHej:Pure

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

3.38/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 29%Had 2%Want 69%

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

13%Love

63%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

25%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate59

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 value71

Category winnerPure LemonBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

citrus100%

aromatic83%

woody65%

fresh spicy48%

white floral30%

Scent match38%Some overlap · both citrus, woody 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

Top

LemonBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart

Orange Blossom

Base

Cedar

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Bergamot, Lemon and Mandarin Orange. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring67

Summer100

Fall33

Winter33

Day100

Night20

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men0

Unisex86

Women14

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,209

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#53,835

PerfumerAlexandra Monet

Launched—

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 →

Pure Lemon by Hej:Pure opens with a mouthwatering burst of freshly sliced lemon, tart Italian bergamot, and sweet mandarin orange juice. As the initial splash settles, dewy orange blossom petals emerge to soften the zesty edges with a gentle floral breeze. The drydown rests on clean, pencil-shaving cedar wood that kee…

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 Pure Lemon?

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; Pure Lemon is rated 3.38/5 from 8 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 Pure Lemon for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Pure Lemon?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne lasts longest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Pure Lemon 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Pure Lemon?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne projects furthest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, Pure Lemon 43/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and Pure Lemon smell similar?

Some overlap: a 38% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, woody and white floral accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Bergamot, Lemon and Mandarin Orange.

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

Pure Lemon suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

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

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. Pure Lemon has top notes of Lemon, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Orange Blossom, a base of Cedar.