Fragrance comparison

Route Mandarine vs Bal à Versailles

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 2,324 ratings analysed

5 wins

Route Mandarine

Manuel Canovas

4.1568 votes

Rank #13,169 Warm SpicyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

36%scent match

Some overlap

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #24,120 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Route Mandarine takes 5 of 7 categories.

Route Mandarine
Choose it for a warm spicy and citrus character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Route Mandarine5/7

Bal à Versailles2/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Route MandarineManuel Canovas

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 68 votes

Have 48%Had 12%Want 40%

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

41%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

68 votes

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

Category winnerRoute MandarineMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityRoute Mandarine

SillageBal à Versailles

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value60

Category winnerRoute MandarineBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

citrus92%

amber84%

woody77%

white floral69%

rose61%

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match36%Some overlap · both amber and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

Madagascar ClovesOrangeCeylon CinnamonMadagascar Ylang-YlangItalian MandarinEgyptian PelargoniumLemonBergamot

Heart3-4 hrs

Bulgarian RosePatchouliSandalwoodOrange BlossomEgyptian JasmineTahitian VetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base8-12 hrs

IncenseAmberSpanish LabdanumWhite MuskMadagascar Vanilla

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesMadagascar Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot, Bulgarian Rose and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Route Mandarine, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring48

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day77

Night100

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerRoute MandarineMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 35%Casual 28%Party 20%Work 18%

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,169

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews17

Overall rank#24,120

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRoute MandarineHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Route Mandarine by Manuel Canovas smells like a traditional winter pomander brought to life. You get an immediate burst of juicy Italian mandarin, bitter bergamot, and pungent Madagascar clove. Do not overspray this. The spice hits fast. Within twenty minutes, the bright citrus flash fades into a warm heart of Bulgari…

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, Route Mandarine or Bal à Versailles?

Route Mandarine takes 5 of 7 categories. Route Mandarine is rated 4.15/5 from 68 votes; Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes. Choose Route Mandarine for a warm spicy and citrus character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Route Mandarine or Bal à Versailles?

They last about the same: Route Mandarine 77/100, Bal à Versailles 76/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Route Mandarine or Bal à Versailles?

Projection is very close: Bal à Versailles 66/100, Route Mandarine 65/100 for sillage.

Do Route Mandarine and Bal à Versailles smell similar?

Some overlap: a 36% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and woody accords. Common notes include Madagascar Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot, Bulgarian Rose and Patchouli.

Is Route Mandarine or Bal à Versailles better for summer or winter?

For summer, Route Mandarine is the stronger pick. For winter, Route Mandarine is the stronger pick. Route Mandarine suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Route Mandarine and Bal à Versailles?

Route Mandarine has top notes of Madagascar Cloves, Orange, Ceylon Cinnamon and Madagascar Ylang-Ylang, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Orange Blossom, a base of Incense, Amber, Spanish Labdanum and White Musk. 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.