Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette vs Paloma Picasso

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

Updated 28 Oct 2026 13,121 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette

Chanel

4.025,822 votes

Rank #28,769 WoodyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

52%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Paloma Picasso

3.977,299 votes

Rank #440 WoodyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Paloma Picasso takes 4 of 7 categories.

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette
Choose it for a woody and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear.
Paloma Picasso
Choose it for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette2/7

Paloma Picasso4/7

Ratings & consensus: Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette
Community sentiment: Tie
Longevity: Paloma Picasso
Sillage & projection: Paloma Picasso
Value for money: Paloma Picasso
Versatility: Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Paloma Picasso

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 Eau de ToiletteChanel

Paloma PicassoPaloma Picasso

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.02/ 5 · 5,822 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

3.97/ 5 · 7,299 votes

Have 58%Had 42%Want 0%

Category winnerChanel No 5 Eau de ToiletteRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

44%Love

34%Like

4%Ok

17%Dislike

1%Hate

5,822 votes

41%Love

38%Like

3%Ok

17%Dislike

2%Hate

6,815 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage74

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityPaloma Picasso

SillagePaloma Picasso

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value44

¤ Price value66

Category winnerPaloma PicassoBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

powdery92%

aldehydic84%

fresh77%

iris69%

earthy61%

woody100%

musky92%

floral84%

earthy77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match52%Some overlap · both woody, powdery and earthy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesYlang-YlangNeroliAmalfi LemonBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

IrisJasmineRoseOrris RootLily-of-the-Valley

Base5-8 hrs

CivettaMuskSandalwoodoak mossVetiverAmberVanillePatchouli

Top

CarnationCorianderRoseAngelicaNeroliBergamotAmalfi Lemon

Heart

PatchouliHyacinthJasmineYlang-YlangMimosa

Base

oak mossCivettaCastoreumVetiverSandalwoodMuskAmber

InformationalShared notesYlang-Ylang, Neroli, Amalfi Lemon and Bergamot. Durations are only published for Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring79

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring38

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerChanel No 5 Eau de ToiletteMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex25

Women74

Work 40%Casual 30%Date 20%Party 10%

Men3

Unisex31

Women66

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,769

PerfumerErnest Beaux

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#440

PerfumerFrancis Bocris

Launched—

Reviews342

Category winnerPaloma PicassoHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette offers an airy, sparkling interpretation of the world's most famous scent profile. It pops open with a bright blast of fizzy aldehydes, tart amalfi lemon, and sweet ylang-ylang petals. The alcohol lift gives off a brisk champagne sparkle that feels noticeably lighter than the dense Eau de P…

Reviews →

Paloma Picasso opens with an assertive, bitter flash of carnation, coriander, and green angelica before revealing its heavy floral core. Top notes of bergamot and neroli quickly vanish beneath dense hyacinth, sweet ylang-ylang, and indolic jasmine. The dry-down grounds the entire structure in dark oakmoss, raw civet, …

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, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette or Paloma Picasso?

Paloma Picasso takes 4 of 7 categories. Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette is rated 4.02/5 from 5,822 votes; Paloma Picasso is rated 3.97/5 from 7,299 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette for a woody and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and versatility. Best in winter, daytime wear. Choose Paloma Picasso for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette or Paloma Picasso?

Paloma Picasso lasts longest (Paloma Picasso 81/100, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette or Paloma Picasso?

Paloma Picasso projects furthest (Paloma Picasso 74/100, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette and Paloma Picasso smell similar?

Some overlap: a 52% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, powdery and earthy accords. Common notes include Ylang-Ylang, Neroli, Amalfi Lemon and Bergamot.

Is Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette or Paloma Picasso better for summer or winter?

For summer, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette is the stronger pick. For winter, Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette is the stronger pick. Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette and Paloma Picasso?

Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette has top notes of Aldehydes, Ylang-Ylang, Neroli and Amalfi Lemon, heart notes of Iris, Jasmine, Rose and Orris Root, a base of Civetta, Musk, Sandalwood and oak moss. Paloma Picasso has top notes of Carnation, Coriander, Rose and Angelica, heart notes of Patchouli, Hyacinth, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang, a base of oak moss, Civetta, Castoreum and Vetiver.