Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau vs Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 7,026 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

Chanel

4.136,695 votes

Rank #29,439 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

84%scent match

Very similar

7 wins

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Chanel

4.44331 votes

Rank #26,713 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition takes 7 of 8 categories.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau0/8

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition7/8

Ratings & consensus: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Community sentiment: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Longevity: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Sillage & projection: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Value for money: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Versatility: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Note pyramid (duration): Tie
Fragranxe ranking: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 L'EauChanel

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionChanel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 6,695 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.44/ 5 · 331 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

40%Like

6%Ok

9%Dislike

2%Hate

6,695 votes

59%Love

31%Like

6%Ok

4%Dislike

0%Hate

331 votes

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate86

Category winners

LongevityChanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

SillageChanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value46

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic91%

fresh83%

woody74%

powdery65%

yellow floral56%

citrus100%

aldehydic92%

woody84%

powdery77%

fresh69%

white floral61%

Scent match84%Very similar · both citrus, aldehydic and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLemonNeroliBergamotMandarin OrangeLimeOrange

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineMay Rose

Base4-6 hrs

White MuskOrris RootCedarVanila

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLemonNeroliOrangeBergamotLimeMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineMay Rose

Base4-6 hrs

OrrisVanillaCedarWhite Musk

Category winnerTieSame dry-down length

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter40

Day100

Night26

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter63

Day100

Night39

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex15

Women84

Work 40%Casual 37%Date 16%Party 7%

Men6

Unisex14

Women81

Work 38%Casual 33%Date 20%Party 9%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#29,439

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#26,713

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel No 5 L'Eau strips away the heavy antique powder of the original 1921 icon to reveal a crystal clear, sunlight-drenched citrus floral. The opening bursts with crisp lemon, zesty mandarin, and sparkling aldehydes that fizz like chilled club soda on warm skin. Within thirty minutes, dewy May rose and clean jasmine…

Reviews →

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition strips away the heavy velvet curtains of the vintage original. It is bright. Crisp lemon, juicy mandarin orange, and sharp lime explode across the opening with fizzy aldehydes. That initial burst feels like cracking open a chilled citrus tonic on a sunny patio. Within twenty minutes, the …

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 L'Eau or Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition takes 7 of 8 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau is rated 4.13/5 from 6,695 votes; Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition is rated 4.44/5 from 331 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau for a citrus and aldehydic character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition lasts longest (Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 61/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition projects furthest (Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 60/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition smell similar?

Very similar: a 84% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, aldehydic and woody accords. Common notes include Aldehydes, Lemon, Neroli and Bergamot.

Is Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition better for summer or winter?

For summer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau is the stronger pick. For winter, Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition is the stronger pick. Chanel No 5 L'Eau suits daytime wear; Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau has top notes of Aldehydes, Lemon, Neroli and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and May Rose, a base of White Musk, Orris Root, Cedar and Vanila. Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition has top notes of Aldehydes, Lemon, Neroli and Orange, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and May Rose, a base of Orris, Vanilla, Cedar and White Musk.