Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau vs Eau Sans Pareil

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 7,037 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

Chanel

4.136,695 votes

Rank #29,439 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Eau Sans Pareil

Penhaligon's

3.82342 votes

Rank #5,929 WoodySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Eau Sans Pareil takes 5 of 7 categories.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Eau Sans Pareil
Choose it for a woody and sweet character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau2/7

Eau Sans Pareil5/7

Ratings & consensus: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Community sentiment: Chanel No 5 L'Eau
Longevity: Eau Sans Pareil
Sillage & projection: Eau Sans Pareil
Value for money: Eau Sans Pareil
Versatility: Eau Sans Pareil
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Eau Sans Pareil

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 L'EauChanel

Eau Sans PareilPenhaligon's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 6,695 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

3.82/ 5 · 342 votes

Have 69%Had 31%Want 0%

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauRating 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

35%Love

42%Like

7%Ok

15%Dislike

0%Hate

293 votes

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'EauMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityEau Sans Pareil

SillageEau Sans Pareil

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value46

Category winnerEau Sans PareilBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic91%

fresh83%

woody74%

powdery65%

yellow floral56%

woody100%

sweet92%

fruity84%

aromatic77%

citrus69%

rose61%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both woody and citrus

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

Top

RaspberryCypressAldehydesPineappleKumquatBergamotMarigoldMandarin Orange

Heart

RoseCloveYlang-YlangJasmineOrris RootAfrican Orange FlowerLicoriceLily-of-the-Valley

Base

oak mossVetiverPatchouliVirginia CedarAmberMuskBenzoinVanille

InformationalShared notesAldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Chanel No 5 L'Eau, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter40

Day100

Night26

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter59

Day–

Night–

Category winnerEau Sans PareilMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex15

Women84

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

Men14

Unisex51

Women36

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#29,439

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#5,929

PerfumerBertrand Duchaufour

Launched—

Reviews35

Category winnerEau Sans PareilHigher 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 →

Eau Sans Pareil is a sparkling, green-fruity chypre with tart raspberry, citrus, cypress and aldehydes up front. On skin, reviewers often describe it as airy, sharp, woody and lightly powdery rather than simple sweetness. It suits people who enjoy vintage-leaning fruit, moss and clean woods. Sample first if jammy ras…

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 Eau Sans Pareil?

Eau Sans Pareil takes 5 of 7 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau is rated 4.13/5 from 6,695 votes; Eau Sans Pareil is rated 3.82/5 from 342 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Eau Sans Pareil for a woody and sweet character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Eau Sans Pareil?

Eau Sans Pareil lasts longest (Eau Sans Pareil 69/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Eau Sans Pareil?

Eau Sans Pareil projects furthest (Eau Sans Pareil 63/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Eau Sans Pareil smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Aldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Chanel No 5 L'Eau or Eau Sans Pareil better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Chanel No 5 L'Eau and Eau Sans Pareil?

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. Eau Sans Pareil has top notes of Raspberry, Cypress, Aldehydes and Pineapple, heart notes of Rose, Clove, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine, a base of oak moss, Vetiver, Patchouli and Virginia Cedar.