Fragrance comparison

OE vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 462 ratings analysed

Bogue

3.89283 votes

Rank #3,742 AromaticCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #24,496 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 4 of 7 categories.

OE
Choose it for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

OE3/7

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne4/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Longevity: OE
Sillage & projection: OE
Value for money: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Versatility: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
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 Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.89/ 5 · 283 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

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

42%Love

34%Like

12%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

158 votes

58%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

4%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityOE

SillageOE

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

citrus83%

woody65%

fresh spicy48%

camphor30%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both woody and citrus

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

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Lemon and Cedar. 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–

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men60

Unisex38

Women1

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,742

PerfumerAntonio Gardoni

Launched—

Reviews60

Overall rank#24,496

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 →

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, OE or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 4 of 7 categories. OE is rated 3.89/5 from 283 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose OE for a aromatic and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, OE or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

OE lasts longest (OE 78/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, OE or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

OE projects furthest (OE 68/100, Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do OE and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Lemon and Cedar.

Is OE or Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in OE and Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne?

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