Fragrance comparison

Hafa vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 208 ratings analysed

4 wins

Hafa

Ajmal

4.2829 votes

Rank #26,216 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #27,135 AmberWoody

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 longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in winter.

Hafa4/7

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne2/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment: Tie
Longevity: Hafa
Sillage & projection: Hafa
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Versatility: Hafa
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Hafa

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

HafaAjmal

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.28/ 5 · 29 votes

Have 23%Had 16%Want 61%

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

41%Love

48%Like

7%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

29 votes

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityHafa

SillageHafa

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy92%

patchouli84%

chocolate77%

vanilla69%

sweet61%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match24%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

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesPatchouli, Amber, Bulgarian Rose and Musk. 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

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerHafaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex0

Women60

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,216

PerfumerAbdulla Ajmal

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#27,135

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerHafaHigher 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 →

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Saffron AmberIlluminumRUNNER-UP vs

Septieme Sens (7e Sens)Sonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Fancy NightsJessica SimpsonRUNNER-UP vs

Nino Cerruti Pour FemmeCerrutiWINNER

3 people compared this today

Sweet DreamsHouse Of SillageWINNER vs

Safari ElixirAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PrometheuNecalliWINNER vs

Bruno ImperialAnfar LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Hafa or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Hafa takes 4 of 7 categories. Hafa is rated 4.28/5 from 29 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Hafa for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Hafa or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Hafa lasts longest (Hafa 83/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hafa or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Hafa projects furthest (Hafa 70/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hafa and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Patchouli, Amber, Bulgarian Rose and Musk.

Is Hafa or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 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 Eau de Cologne?

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