Fragrance comparison

L’Homme Idéal vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 8,361 ratings analysed

L’Homme Idéal

Guerlain

4.176,105 votes

Rank #4,915 AlmondCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

16%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,705 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories.

L’Homme Idéal
Choose it for a almond and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

L’Homme Idéal2/5

Bal à Versailles3/5

Ratings & consensus: L’Homme Idéal
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: L’Homme Idéal

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

L’Homme IdéalGuerlain

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.17/ 5 · 6,105 votes

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

Category winnerL’Homme IdéalRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

Not enough votes yet

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

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hateN/A

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

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

almond100%

citrus92%

aromatic84%

sweet77%

woody69%

nutty61%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match16%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20 to 45 minutes

CitrusesOrange BlossomBitter OrangeRosemary

Heart2 to 4 hours

AlmondTonka Bean

Base4 to 7 hours

LeatherCedarVetiver

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Rosemary, Leather and Cedar. Durations are only published for L’Homme Idéal, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men85

Unisex13

Women2

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,915

PerfumerThierry Wasser

Launched—

Reviews210

Overall rank#24,705

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerL’Homme IdéalHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

L’Homme Idéal by Guerlain introduces an unconventional balance of crisp orchard freshness and warm, edible sweetness. Crafted under perfumer Thierry Wasser in 2014, the composition starts with a lively spray of bitter orange, sharp citruses, aromatic rosemary, and clean orange blossom. This zesty opening quickly settl…

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, L’Homme Idéal or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles takes 3 of 5 categories. L’Homme Idéal is rated 4.17/5 from 6,105 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose L’Homme Idéal for a almond and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, L’Homme Idéal or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, L’Homme Idéal 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, L’Homme Idéal or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, L’Homme Idéal 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do L’Homme Idéal and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 16% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Rosemary, Leather and Cedar.

What are the notes in L’Homme Idéal and Bal à Versailles?

L’Homme Idéal has top notes of Citruses, Orange Blossom, Bitter Orange and Rosemary, heart notes of Almond and Tonka Bean, a base of Leather, Cedar and Vetiver. 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.