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FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

L’Homme Idéal vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 6,284 ratings analysed
Clearly different
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 5 categories.

  • L’Homme Idéal

    Choose it for a almond and citrus character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking.

  • Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

    Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

L’Homme Idéal2/5
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne3/5
Ratings & consensus
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment
Not scored
Longevity
L’Homme Idéal
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
L’Homme Idéal

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance
L’Homme IdéalGuerlain
Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
4.17/ 5 · 6,105 votes
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

Not enough votes yet

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
⏱ Longevity67
〰 Sillage56
♥ Love / hateN/A
⏱ Longevity64
〰 Sillage58
♥ Love / hate85
Category winners

LongevityL’Homme Idéal

SillageBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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
almond100%
citrus92%
aromatic84%
sweet77%
woody69%
nutty61%
amber100%
woody92%
powdery84%
white floral77%
citrus69%
musky61%
Scent match25%Clearly different · both citrus and 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
Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange
Heart
Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli
Base
CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar
InformationalShared notesOrange Blossom, Leather, Cedar and Vetiver. 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

Spring61
Summer0
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men85
Unisex13
Women2
Men5
Unisex61
Women34
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,915

PerfumerThierry Wasser

Launched—

Reviews210

Overall rank#25,835

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 →

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

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, L’Homme Idéal or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 3 of 5 categories. L’Homme Idéal is rated 4.17/5 from 6,105 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose L’Homme Idéal for a almond and citrus character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

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

L’Homme Idéal lasts longest (L’Homme Idéal 67/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Projection is very close: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, L’Homme Idéal 56/100 for sillage.

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

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus and woody accords. Common notes include Orange Blossom, Leather, Cedar and Vetiver.

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

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 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.

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