Fragrance comparison

Balance vs Cle De La Vie

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 77 ratings analysed

Balance

Symétrie

3.1476 votes

Rank #22,951 FloralWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Cle De La Vie

Manzana Paris

5.001 votes

Rank #42,520 VanillaWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cle De La Vie takes 3 of 4 categories.

Balance
Choose it for a floral and white floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Cle De La Vie
Choose it for a vanilla and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Balance1/4

Cle De La Vie3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Cle De La Vie
Sillage & projection: Cle De La Vie
Value for money: Cle De La Vie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Balance

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BalanceSymétrie

Cle De La VieManzana Paris

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.14/ 5 · 76 votes

Have 33%Had 27%Want 40%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

7%Love

32%Like

37%Ok

20%Dislike

5%Hate

76 votes

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage42

♥ Love / hate54

⏱ Longevity100

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityCle De La Vie

SillageCle De La Vie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value79

¤ Price value100

Category winnerCle De La VieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

floral100%

white floral92%

musky84%

citrus77%

fresh69%

green61%

vanilla100%

woody92%

floral84%

fruity77%

patchouli69%

rose61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both floral

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

FreesiaBergamotBlack Currant

Heart

Lily-of-the-ValleyBulgarian RoseYlang-Ylang

Base

MuskAmberSandalwoodWhite Woods

Top15-30 mins

Black Currant

Heart2-4 hrs

RoseFreesia

Base6-8+ hrs

VanillaPatchouliWhite WoodsAmber

InformationalShared notesFreesia, Black Currant, Bulgarian Rose and Amber. Durations are only published for Cle De La Vie, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer77

Fall27

Winter12

Day100

Night26

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex10

Women90

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#22,951

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews22

Overall rank#42,520

PerfumerMarc Antoine

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerBalanceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Balance by Symétrie arrived in 2017 as a bright Floral Woody Musk aimed at women who appreciate a clean, professional scent profile. It opens with a crisp combination of Italian bergamot and freesia, quickly transitioning into a heart of soapy lily-of-the-valley and Bulgarian rose. This fragrance settles into a soft m…

Reviews →

Cle De La Vie by Manzana Paris centers on a sweet, juicy burst of dark black currant that grabs your attention right away. As the initial fruitiness settles on skin, a crisp heart of delicate freesia and dewy rose emerges to add balance and brightness. The foundation stays grounded in warm Madagascar vanilla, earthy p…

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, Balance or Cle De La Vie?

Cle De La Vie takes 3 of 4 categories. Balance is rated 3.14/5 from 76 votes; Cle De La Vie is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Balance for a floral and white floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Cle De La Vie for a vanilla and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Balance or Cle De La Vie?

Cle De La Vie lasts longest (Cle De La Vie 100/100, Balance 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Balance or Cle De La Vie?

Cle De La Vie projects furthest (Cle De La Vie 100/100, Balance 42/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Balance and Cle De La Vie smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share floral accords. Common notes include Freesia, Black Currant, Bulgarian Rose and Amber.

Is Balance or Cle De La Vie better for summer or winter?

Balance suits daytime wear; Cle De La Vie suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Balance and Cle De La Vie?

Balance has top notes of Freesia, Bergamot and Black Currant, heart notes of Lily-of-the-Valley, Bulgarian Rose and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Musk, Amber, Sandalwood and White Woods. Cle De La Vie has top notes of Black Currant, heart notes of Rose and Freesia, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli, White Woods and Amber.