Fragrance comparison

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 2,409 ratings analysed

5 wins

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum

Caron

4.54153 votes

Rank #8,592 White FloralWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #22,899 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum takes 5 of 7 categories.

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Choose it for a white floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter.

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum5/7

Bal à Versailles2/7

Ratings & consensus: Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Community sentiment: Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Nocturnes de Caron Parfum
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Nocturnes de Caron Parfum

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Nocturnes de Caron ParfumCaron

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.54/ 5 · 153 votes

Have 55%Had 45%Want 0%

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

65%Love

27%Like

7%Ok

2%Dislike

0%Hate

153 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate89

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageNocturnes de Caron Parfum

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value48

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

woody92%

fresh84%

aldehydic77%

powdery69%

amber61%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both woody, powdery and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

AldehydesFruity NotesGreen NotesBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart3-4 hrs

JasmineLily-of-the-ValleyLilyRoseOrris RootCyclamen

Base8-12 hrs

VetiverSandalwoodBenzoinVanillaAmberMusk

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley. Durations are only published for Nocturnes de Caron Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter93

Day44

Night100

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex9

Women91

Date 47%Work 23%Party 20%Casual 10%

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#8,592

PerfumerGerard Lefort

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#22,899

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerNocturnes de Caron ParfumHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum delivers an unmistakable golden-era presence that feels completely detached from today's sugar-heavy department store scents. Created by perfumer Gerard Lefort in 1981, this pure parfum opens with a fizzy blast of crisp aldehydes alongside bright bergamot and green notes. Give it ten minutes.…

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, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum takes 5 of 7 categories. Nocturnes de Caron Parfum is rated 4.54/5 from 153 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Nocturnes de Caron Parfum for a white floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

They last about the same: Bal à Versailles 76/100, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum 74/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum or Bal à Versailles?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum projects furthest (Nocturnes de Caron Parfum 70/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Nocturnes de Caron Parfum and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, powdery and amber accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley.

Is Nocturnes de Caron Parfum or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, Nocturnes de Caron Parfum is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Nocturnes de Caron Parfum suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Nocturnes de Caron Parfum and Bal à Versailles?

Nocturnes de Caron Parfum has top notes of Aldehydes, Fruity Notes, Green Notes and Bergamot, heart notes of Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Lily and Rose, a base of Vetiver, Sandalwood, Benzoin and Vanilla. 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.