Fragrance comparison

N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 2,434 ratings analysed

N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition

Chanel

4.16178 votes

Rank #33,890 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,120 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories.

N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition2/7

Bal à Versailles5/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Bal à Versailles
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition
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

N°5 L’EAU – Limited EditionChanel

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.16/ 5 · 178 votes

Have 57%Had 6%Want 37%

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

44%Love

37%Like

10%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

178 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerN°5 L’EAU – Limited EditionMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage45

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value30

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic88%

fresh77%

woody65%

powdery53%

sweet42%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLimeLemonOrangeBergamotMandarin OrangeNeroli

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangMay RoseJasmine

Base4-6 hrs

White MuskOrris RootCedarVanila

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Mandarin Orange, Neroli and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer100

Fall51

Winter35

Day100

Night26

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerN°5 L’EAU – Limited EditionMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex17

Women82

Casual 41%Work 37%Date 16%Party 7%

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,890

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,120

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel N°5 L'EAU Limited Edition strips away the heavy powder of the original 1921 formula in favor of sheer sunshine. A burst of sharp lemon, juicy mandarin orange, and bubbly aldehydes hits first with immediate sparkle. It smells like a chilled glass of citrus tonic water poured over fresh white flower petals. Withi…

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, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles takes 5 of 7 categories. N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition is rated 4.16/5 from 178 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime 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, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles lasts longest (Bal à Versailles 76/100, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition or Bal à Versailles?

Bal à Versailles projects furthest (Bal à Versailles 66/100, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition 45/100), based on community performance votes.

Do N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Neroli and Ylang-Ylang.

Is N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition and Bal à Versailles?

N°5 L’EAU – Limited Edition has top notes of Aldehydes, Lime, Lemon and Orange, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, May Rose and Jasmine, a base of White Musk, Orris Root, Cedar and Vanila. 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.