Fragrance comparison

Joy of Amber vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 191 ratings analysed

Joy of Amber

House of Matriarch

3.9212 votes

Rank #54,316 AmberBalsamic

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #23,757 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

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

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

Joy of Amber0/5

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne5/5

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

Joy of AmberHouse of Matriarch

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.92/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 36%Had 0%Want 64%

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

25%Love

58%Like

8%Ok

0%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

SillageBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

balsamic86%

vanilla72%

sweet58%

fresh spicy44%

powdery30%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both amber 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

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

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

Spring61

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%

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,316

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#23,757

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneHigher 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 →

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, Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 5 of 5 categories. Joy of Amber is rated 3.92/5 from 12 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Joy of Amber for a amber and balsamic character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne lasts longest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Joy of Amber 60/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne projects furthest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, Joy of Amber 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Joy of Amber and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Leather, Musk, Neroli and Amber.

Is Joy of Amber or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 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 Eau de Cologne?

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 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.