Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs Retrospection

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 213 ratings analysed

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #23,768 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Retrospection

JMP Artisan Perfumes

3.5934 votes

Rank #18,017 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Retrospection takes 4 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.
Retrospection
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne3/7

Retrospection4/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

RetrospectionJMP Artisan Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

3.59/ 5 · 34 votes

Have 30%Had 12%Want 57%

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneRating 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

24%Love

35%Like

24%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

34 votes

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityRetrospection

SillageRetrospection

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value61

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

aromatic100%

woody92%

animalic84%

fresh spicy77%

white floral69%

green61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both 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

Top15-30 mins

GalbanumAldehydesBergamotWormwoodLavenderRosemaryPetitgrain

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange BlossomLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineGeraniumCorianderRoseClary SageCloves

Base8-10+ hrs

OakmossCivetLeatherBeeswaxMuskOrris RootVetiverSandalwood

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Jasmine, Bergamot and Bulgarian Rose. Durations are only published for Retrospection, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring86

Summer21

Fall100

Winter71

Day73

Night100

Category winnerRetrospectionMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men65

Unisex23

Women12

Date 31%Work 28%Casual 23%Party 18%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,768

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#18,017

PerfumerJakub Pietrynka

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerRetrospectionHigher 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 →

Retrospection by JMP Artisan Perfumes resurrects the bold, unapologetic swagger of traditional masculine perfumery from the late twentieth century. Created by Polish independent perfumer Jakub Pietrynka, this composition opens with a sharp burst of bitter galbanum, soapy aldehydes, and zesty bergamot. Within minutes, …

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 Retrospection?

Retrospection takes 4 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes; Retrospection is rated 3.59/5 from 34 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Retrospection for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

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

Retrospection lasts longest (Retrospection 80/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Retrospection projects furthest (Retrospection 71/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and white floral accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Bergamot and Bulgarian Rose.

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

For summer, Retrospection is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is the stronger pick. Retrospection suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

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

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. Retrospection has top notes of Galbanum, Aldehydes, Bergamot and Wormwood, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine and Geranium, a base of Oakmoss, Civet, Leather and Beeswax.