Fragrance comparison

OE vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 2,539 ratings analysed

4 wins

Bogue

3.89283 votes

Rank #3,742 AromaticCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,397 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

OE takes 4 of 7 categories.

OE
Choose it for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in spring.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

OE4/7

Bal à Versailles3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

OEBogue

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.89/ 5 · 283 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

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

42%Love

34%Like

12%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

158 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerBal à VersaillesMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityOE

SillageOE

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value60

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

citrus83%

woody65%

fresh spicy48%

camphor30%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

GrapefruitBergamotLemonCamphorJuniperPineTobaccoCedarRosemaryBlack PepperCypressThyme

No top / heart / base split published

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Cedar and Rosemary. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter37

Day–

Night–

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerOEMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men60

Unisex38

Women1

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,742

PerfumerAntonio Gardoni

Launched—

Reviews60

Overall rank#23,397

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerOEHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

OE opens with a sharp burst of grapefruit, bergamot and lemon, then quickly turns greener and more resinous. Pine, juniper, rosemary and cypress keep it brisk and aromatic, while tobacco, woods and benzoin give the dry-down a dry, slightly smoky warmth. It reads clearly unisex, though many wearers may find it leans tr…

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, OE or Bal à Versailles?

OE takes 4 of 7 categories. OE is rated 3.89/5 from 283 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose OE for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in spring. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, OE or Bal à Versailles?

They last about the same: OE 78/100, Bal à Versailles 76/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, OE or Bal à Versailles?

Projection is very close: OE 68/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100 for sillage.

Do OE and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Cedar and Rosemary.

Is OE or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, OE is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in OE and Bal à Versailles?

OE features Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lemon, Camphor and Juniper. 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.