Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 8,951 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

Chanel

4.136,695 votes

Rank #29,439 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,120 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau2/7

Bal à Versailles5/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Bal à Versailles

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 L'EauChanel

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 6,695 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

Category winnerBal à VersaillesRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

40%Like

6%Ok

9%Dislike

2%Hate

6,695 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic91%

fresh83%

woody74%

powdery65%

yellow floral56%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLemonNeroliBergamotMandarin OrangeLimeOrange

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineMay Rose

Base4-6 hrs

White MuskOrris RootCedarVanila

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Chanel No 5 L'Eau, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter40

Day100

Night26

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex15

Women84

Work 40%Casual 37%Date 16%Party 7%

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#29,439

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,120

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel No 5 L'Eau strips away the heavy antique powder of the original 1921 icon to reveal a crystal clear, sunlight-drenched citrus floral. The opening bursts with crisp lemon, zesty mandarin, and sparkling aldehydes that fizz like chilled club soda on warm skin. Within thirty minutes, dewy May rose and clean jasmine…

Reviews →

Bal a Versailles opens with a dense puff of orange blossom and powdery rose before shifting into a heavy, lived-in leather. This vintage classic suits collectors who crave dramatic, animalic warmth rather than modern clean scents. Wear it on cold winter nights when you want a rich envelope of resins and civet to cling…

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, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau is rated 4.13/5 from 6,695 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Chanel No 5 L'Eau suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Bal à Versailles?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau has top notes of Aldehydes, Lemon, Neroli and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and May Rose, a base of White Musk, Orris Root, Cedar and Vanila. Bal à Versailles has top notes of Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom and Jasmine, heart notes of Leather, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood and Orris Root, a base of Civet, Resins, Tolu Balsam and Amber.