Fragrance comparison

Hafa vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 2,285 ratings analysed

4 wins

Hafa

Ajmal

4.2829 votes

Rank #26,216 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

25%scent match

Clearly different

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #25,963 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Hafa takes 4 of 7 categories.

Hafa
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Hafa4/7

Bal à Versailles3/7

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

HafaAjmal

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.28/ 5 · 29 votes

Have 23%Had 16%Want 61%

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

41%Love

48%Like

7%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

29 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerHafaMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityHafa

SillageHafa

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy92%

patchouli84%

chocolate77%

vanilla69%

sweet61%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match25%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Woody NotesDark ChocolatePatchouliVanillaAmberBulgarian RoseMuskJasmineYlang-YlangNeroli

No top / heart / base split published

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesPatchouli, Vanilla, Amber and Bulgarian Rose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring86

Summer43

Fall86

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerHafaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex0

Women60

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,216

PerfumerAbdulla Ajmal

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#25,963

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ajmal Hafa is a bold, sweet woody scent built around patchouli and dark chocolate, softened with vanilla and amber. On skin it reads warm and spicy with a slightly powdery, balsamic feel, plus floral hints (rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang) and a touch of neroli. It usually suits cooler weather and evening wear best. If you…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Hafa or Bal à Versailles?

Hafa takes 4 of 7 categories. Hafa is rated 4.28/5 from 29 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Hafa for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Hafa or Bal à Versailles?

Hafa lasts longest (Hafa 83/100, Bal à Versailles 76/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hafa or Bal à Versailles?

Hafa projects furthest (Hafa 70/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hafa and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Patchouli, Vanilla, Amber and Bulgarian Rose.

Is Hafa or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, Hafa is the stronger pick. For winter, Hafa is the stronger pick. Hafa suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hafa and Bal à Versailles?

Hafa features Woody Notes, Dark Chocolate, Patchouli, Vanilla and Amber. 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.