Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs Riverwalk

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 189 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #27,050 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

Riverwalk

Exaltatum

4.4010 votes

Rank #47,654 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 5 categories.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Riverwalk
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne3/5

Riverwalk2/5

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Riverwalk
Sillage & projection: Riverwalk
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
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

RiverwalkExaltatum

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

4.40/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 19%Had 12%Want 69%

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

40%Love

60%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityRiverwalk

SillageRiverwalk

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value58

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%

woody100%

citrus92%

earthy84%

herbal77%

aromatic69%

green61%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both woody and citrus

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

Top20-30 mins

Fig LeafBergamotLemon

Heart3-4 hrs

ChrysanthemumNeroliCedarwoodArtemisiaYlang-YlangBalsam Fir

Base6-8 hrs

oak mossPatchouliVetiverCoumarinBenzoin

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Lemon and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Riverwalk, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring86

Summer29

Fall100

Winter43

Day100

Night40

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men20

Unisex60

Women20

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#27,050

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#47,654

PerfumerEglija Vaitkevice

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 →

Riverwalk by Exaltatum captures the crisp air of a brisk morning stroll along the River Thames. The scent opens immediately with a blast of crushed fig leaf, zesty lemon, and bright bergamot that smells like snapped green stems and dewy citrus peel. As the initial sharpness settles, a distinctive white chrysanthemum n…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Fancy NightsJessica SimpsonRUNNER-UP vs

Nino Cerruti Pour FemmeCerrutiWINNER

3 people compared this today

Sweet DreamsHouse Of SillageWINNER vs

Safari ElixirAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PrometheuNecalliWINNER vs

Bruno ImperialAnfar LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Super CedarByredoRUNNER-UP vs

NorthMendittorosaWINNER

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne or Riverwalk?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 5 categories. Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes; Riverwalk is rated 4.40/5 from 10 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Riverwalk for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

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

Riverwalk lasts longest (Riverwalk 73/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Riverwalk projects furthest (Riverwalk 63/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Lemon and Ylang-Ylang.

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

Riverwalk suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

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

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. Riverwalk has top notes of Fig Leaf, Bergamot and Lemon, heart notes of Chrysanthemum, Neroli, Cedarwood and Artemisia, a base of oak moss, Patchouli, Vetiver and Coumarin.