Fragrance comparison

Hien Le No1 vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 230 ratings analysed

Hien Le No1

Verduu

4.0651 votes

Rank #33,128 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #24,234 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 5 of 7 categories.

Hien Le No1
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. 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.

Hien Le No12/7

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne5/7

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: Hien Le No1
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Versatility: Hien Le No1
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

Hien Le No1Verduu

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.06/ 5 · 51 votes

Have 47%Had 19%Want 34%

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

33%Love

51%Like

6%Ok

8%Dislike

2%Hate

51 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

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

SillageHien Le No1

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

woody83%

citrus65%

fresh spicy48%

earthy30%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both woody and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

RosemaryLemonGreen MandarinOrange BlossomMint

Heart2-4 hrs

ThymeMagnoliaSandalwoodMangoLily-of-the-Valley

Base6-8 hrs

VetiverCedarGuaiac WoodMuskPatchouliAmber

Top

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesLemon, Orange Blossom, Sandalwood and Lily-of-the-Valley. Durations are only published for Hien Le No1, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer67

Fall57

Winter24

Day100

Night24

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerHien Le No1Most year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men58

Unisex42

Women0

Casual 40%Work 36%Date 16%Party 8%

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,128

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,234

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hien Le No1 opens with an invigorating slap of crushed mint, sharp green mandarin, and sour lemon peel. The initial solvent burst flashes off within three minutes, revealing an aromatic core of garden thyme and dry rosemary. It smells remarkably clean. You get crisp white tennis apparel dried under warm California sun…

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, Hien Le No1 or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 5 of 7 categories. Hien Le No1 is rated 4.06/5 from 51 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Hien Le No1 for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. 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, Hien Le No1 or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

They last about the same: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Hien Le No1 63/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Hien Le No1 or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Hien Le No1 projects furthest (Hien Le No1 67/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hien Le No1 and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Lemon, Orange Blossom, Sandalwood and Lily-of-the-Valley.

Is Hien Le No1 or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne better for summer or winter?

For summer, Hien Le No1 is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is the stronger pick. Hien Le No1 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hien Le No1 and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Hien Le No1 has top notes of Rosemary, Lemon, Green Mandarin and Orange Blossom, heart notes of Thyme, Magnolia, Sandalwood and Mango, a base of Vetiver, Cedar, Guaiac Wood and Musk. 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.