Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 6,874 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

Chanel

4.136,695 votes

Rank #29,439 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

7 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #25,228 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 7 of 7 categories.

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

Chanel No 5 L'Eau0/7

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne7/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Longevity: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Versatility: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
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

Chanel No 5 L'EauChanel

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 6,695 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.41/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneRating 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

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

SillageBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic91%

fresh83%

woody74%

powdery65%

yellow floral56%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both citrus, 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

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesLemon, Neroli, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange. 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

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex15

Women84

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

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#29,439

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#25,228

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneHigher 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 →

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 →

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 Eau de Cologne?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 7 of 7 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau is rated 4.13/5 from 6,695 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau for a citrus and aldehydic character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne lasts longest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 56/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne projects furthest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 50/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Lemon, Neroli, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange.

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

For summer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 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 Eau de Cologne?

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 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.