Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne vs White Horse

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 182 ratings analysed

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #24,545 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

White Horse

FUMparFUM

2.673 votes

Rank #66,429 MuskyAnimalic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
White Horse
Choose it for a musky and animalic character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne2/4

White Horse2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: White Horse
Sillage & projection: White Horse
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

White HorseFUMparFUM

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

2.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 4%Had 0%Want 96%

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

33%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

33%Dislike

33%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate42

Category winners

LongevityWhite Horse

SillageWhite Horse

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value50

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%

musky100%

animalic91%

powdery83%

leather74%

rose65%

earthy56%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both powdery and musky

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

Pink PepperWhite Grapefruit

Heart2-3 hrs

Dried RoseJasmine

Base8-10+ hrs

CostusCivetSuedeLeatherOrris RootMuskPatchouliWoody Notes

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Orris Root, Leather and Patchouli. Durations are only published for White Horse, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring50

Summer50

Fall100

Winter50

Day35

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 36%Party 28%Casual 24%Work 12%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,545

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#66,429

PerfumerAistis Mickevičius

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 →

FUMparFUM White Horse opens with an energetic prickle of pink pepper and tart white grapefruit before revealing its true, theatrical nature. Within minutes, the bright citrus burns away, exposing a haunting floral heart of dried rose petals and chalky orris root. It does not smell like a conventional department store …

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 White Horse?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes; White Horse is rated 2.67/5 from 3 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose White Horse for a musky and animalic character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

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

White Horse lasts longest (White Horse 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 White Horse?

White Horse projects furthest (White Horse 75/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne and White Horse smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and musky accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Orris Root, Leather and Patchouli.

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

White Horse suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

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

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. White Horse has top notes of Pink Pepper and White Grapefruit, heart notes of Dried Rose and Jasmine, a base of Costus, Civet, Suede and Leather.