Fragrance comparison

Real vs Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 241 ratings analysed

Real

American Eagle · 2006

4.5062 votes

Rank #30,604 CitrusWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Jean Desprez

4.41179 votes

Rank #27,084 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

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

Real
Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Real0/5

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne5/5

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne
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: Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

RealAmerican Eagle

Bal à Versailles Eau de CologneJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 62 votes

Have 19%Had 54%Want 28%

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

64%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

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

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

SillageBal à Versailles Eau de Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value63

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus92%

woody69%

warm spicy53%

amber100%

woody92%

powdery84%

white floral77%

citrus69%

musky61%

Scent match45%Some overlap · both citrus and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Green LeavesWatery NotesMandarin OrangeLemonBergamotSea Notes

Heart

CardamomRoseOrange BlossomLily-of-the-Valley

Base

AmberVetiverSandalwoodMossResinsPatchouli

Top

Orange BlossomJasmineCassiaNeroliBergamotBulgarian RoseLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

Ylang-YlangSandalwoodVetiverOrris RootLeatherLily-of-the-ValleyLilacPatchouli

Base

CivetAmberTolu BalsamMuskResinsBenzoinVanilaCedar

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Lemon, Bergamot and Rose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night75

Spring61

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men5

Unisex61

Women34

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#30,604

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2006

Reviews0

Overall rank#27,084

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBal à Versailles Eau de CologneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Real by American Eagle is an approachable woody spicy fragrance for men. It opens with a crisp, refreshing blend of green leaves and citrus notes before moving into a warm heart of cardamom and rose. The base of sandalwood and amber provides a clean, reliable finish that is perfect for daily office or casual wear thro…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne takes 5 of 5 categories. Real is rated 4.50/5 from 62 votes; Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne is rated 4.41/5 from 179 votes. Choose Real for a citrus and woody character. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne lasts longest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 64/100, Real 55/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne projects furthest (Bal à Versailles Eau de Cologne 58/100, Real 53/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Some overlap: a 45% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus and woody accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Lemon, Bergamot and Rose.

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

Real suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

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

Real has top notes of Green Leaves, Watery Notes, Mandarin Orange and Lemon, heart notes of Cardamom, Rose, Orange Blossom and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of Amber, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Moss. 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.