Fragrance comparison

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 3,167 ratings analysed

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum

Chanel

4.11911 votes

Rank #28,064 LeatherSmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

6 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,244 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories.

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum
Choose it for a leather and smoky character. Wins on versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum1/7

Bal à Versailles6/7

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

Cuir de Russie Eau de ParfumChanel

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 911 votes

Have 76%Had 24%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

48%Love

29%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

2%Hate

911 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value33

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

smoky92%

white floral84%

yellow floral77%

woody69%

sweet61%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Orange BlossomMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineTobaccoRose

Base6-8+ hrs

LeatherBirchResins

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Mandarin Orange, Bergamot and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring64

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day100

Night91

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerCuir de Russie Eau de ParfumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men13

Unisex59

Women28

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,064

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,244

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum delivers a bold contrast between crisp citrus and dark, smoky leather. The first spray hits hard. A bright flash of bergamot and mandarin quickly yields to authentic Russian leather soaked in birch tar. Sweet pipe tobacco and warm resins slowly cushion the smoky bite. It never turns…

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, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles takes 6 of 7 categories. Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum is rated 4.11/5 from 911 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum for a leather and smoky character. Wins on versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Mandarin Orange, Bergamot and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum is the stronger pick. For winter, Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum is the stronger pick. Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum and Bal à Versailles?

Cuir de Russie Eau de Parfum has top notes of Orange Blossom, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Tobacco and Rose, a base of Leather, Birch and Resins. 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.