Fragrance comparison

Carnet de Bal vs Palimpsest

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 42 ratings analysed

Carnet de Bal

Ava Luxe

4.679 votes

Rank #39,595 FruityMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Palimpsest

Aftelier

3.5333 votes

Rank #18,927 SweetYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Palimpsest takes 2 of 3 categories.

Carnet de Bal
Choose it for a fruity and musky character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.
Palimpsest
Choose it for a sweet and yellow floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, day or night wear.

Carnet de Bal1/3

Palimpsest2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Carnet de Bal
Sillage & projection: Palimpsest
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Palimpsest

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Carnet de BalAva Luxe

PalimpsestAftelier

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 27%Had 7%Want 67%

3.53/ 5 · 33 votes

Have 24%Had 7%Want 70%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

33%Love

38%Like

0%Ok

25%Dislike

4%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityCarnet de Bal

SillagePalimpsest

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value0

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

musky92%

powdery84%

sweet77%

mossy69%

earthy61%

sweet100%

yellow floral92%

white floral84%

citrus77%

woody69%

vanilla61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

PeachApricotBergamot

Heart

Ylang-YlangChamomileCyclamenJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyRose

Base

MuskOakmossAmbergrisVanillaPatchouli

Notes

JasmineYlang-YlangPeachYuzuVanillaAmbergrisWoody Notes

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesPeach, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Ambergris. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Spring67

Summer100

Fall33

Winter67

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#39,595

PerfumerSerena Ava Franco

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#18,927

PerfumerMandy Aftel

Launched—

Reviews13

Category winnerPalimpsestHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Carnet de Bal is a fruity, musky oriental from Ava Luxe built around peach, apricot, soft florals, moss, musk and vanilla. It reads sweet and powdery rather than bright and sparkling, with a plush fruit opening that settles into a warmer, earthier base. The style suits someone who likes vintage-leaning fruit, floral s…

Reviews →

Palimpsest opens with bright yuzu and quickly turns stranger, richer, and more intimate. Peach, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vanilla, ambergris, and woods create a floral-fruity scent that can feel creamy, salty, leathery, and animalic at once. This is not an easy blind buy. It suits wearers who enjoy natural perfumes with t…

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, Carnet de Bal or Palimpsest?

Palimpsest takes 2 of 3 categories. Carnet de Bal is rated 4.67/5 from 9 votes; Palimpsest is rated 3.53/5 from 33 votes. Choose Carnet de Bal for a fruity and musky character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Palimpsest for a sweet and yellow floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Carnet de Bal or Palimpsest?

They last about the same: Carnet de Bal 70/100, Palimpsest 69/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Carnet de Bal or Palimpsest?

Palimpsest projects furthest (Palimpsest 65/100, Carnet de Bal 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Carnet de Bal and Palimpsest smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet accords. Common notes include Peach, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Ambergris.

Is Carnet de Bal or Palimpsest better for summer or winter?

Carnet de Bal suits evening wear; Palimpsest suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Carnet de Bal and Palimpsest?

Carnet de Bal has top notes of Peach, Apricot and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Chamomile, Cyclamen and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Oakmoss, Ambergris and Vanilla. Palimpsest features Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Peach, Yuzu and Vanilla.