Fragrance comparison

Joy of Amber vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 2,268 ratings analysed

Joy of Amber

House of Matriarch

3.9212 votes

Rank #54,316 AmberBalsamic

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #22,812 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 5 categories.

Joy of Amber
Choose it for a amber and balsamic character. Best in fall, evening wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Joy of Amber0/5

Bal à Versailles5/5

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Not scored
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

Joy of AmberHouse of Matriarch

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.92/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 36%Had 0%Want 64%

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

25%Love

58%Like

8%Ok

0%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

balsamic86%

vanilla72%

sweet58%

fresh spicy44%

powdery30%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both amber, balsamic and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

White PepperShisoTonka BeanCistus IncanusMace

Heart3-4 hrs

LeatherMuskFrankincenseBroomNeroli

Base6-8+ hrs

AmberOpoponaxMadagascar VanillaResins

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesLeather, Musk, Neroli and Amber. Durations are only published for Joy of Amber, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men33

Unisex33

Women33

Date 38%Casual 30%Work 19%Party 14%

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,316

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#22,812

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

House of Matriarch Joy of Amber approaches resinous warmth from an artisanal, botanical angle. The opening delivers a sharp snap of white pepper and herbal shiso before melting into rich tonka bean and sticky cistus incanus. It smells ancient yet cozy. Rather than leaning on synthetic amber chemicals, perfumer Christi…

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, Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 5 categories. Joy of Amber is rated 3.92/5 from 12 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Joy of Amber for a amber and balsamic character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, Joy of Amber 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, Joy of Amber 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Joy of Amber and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, balsamic and powdery accords. Common notes include Leather, Musk, Neroli and Amber.

Is Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

Joy of Amber suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Joy of Amber and Bal à Versailles?

Joy of Amber has top notes of White Pepper, Shiso, Tonka Bean and Cistus Incanus, heart notes of Leather, Musk, Frankincense and Broom, a base of Amber, Opoponax, Madagascar Vanilla 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.