Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition vs Bois des Iles

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 2,238 ratings analysed

4 wins

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Chanel

4.44331 votes

Rank #26,713 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

Bois des Iles

Chanel

4.341,907 votes

Rank #26,212 WoodyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition takes 4 of 8 categories.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Bois des Iles
Choose it for a woody and powdery character. Wins on versatility, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition4/8

Bois des Iles3/8

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionChanel

Bois des IlesChanel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.44/ 5 · 331 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

4.34/ 5 · 1,907 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

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

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

59%Love

31%Like

6%Ok

4%Dislike

0%Hate

331 votes

53%Love

36%Like

2%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

1,907 votes

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

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageChanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value32

Category winnerChanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic92%

woody84%

powdery77%

fresh69%

white floral61%

woody100%

powdery92%

amber84%

aldehydic77%

iris69%

fresh61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both woody, aldehydic and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesLemonNeroliOrangeBergamotLimeMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineMay Rose

Base4-6 hrs

OrrisVanillaCedarWhite Musk

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesCorianderNeroliPeachBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart2-4 hrs

Ylang-YlangIrisOrris RootJasmineRoseLilacLily-of-the-Valley

Base6-8+ hrs

SandalwoodAmberBenzoinTonka BeanOpoponaxVanillaMuskVetiver

Category winnerBois des IlesLongest dry-down: 6-8+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter63

Day100

Night39

Spring89

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day79

Night100

Category winnerBois des IlesMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex14

Women81

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

Men3

Unisex56

Women41

Date 34%Work 32%Casual 23%Party 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,713

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#26,212

PerfumerErnest Beaux

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBois des IlesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Chanel Bois des Iles greets you with a sparkling fizz of aldehydes and sweet mandarin orange before settling into warm woods. The opening is bright and crisp like vintage bath soap. Give it twenty minutes on skin. Soon, buttery sandalwood and powdery iris take over, creating an intimate, cozy warmth reminiscent of gin…

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 Red Edition or Bois des Iles?

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition takes 4 of 8 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition is rated 4.44/5 from 331 votes; Bois des Iles is rated 4.34/5 from 1,907 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Bois des Iles for a woody and powdery character. Wins on versatility, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

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

They last about the same: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 61/100, Bois des Iles 61/100 for longevity in community votes.

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

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition projects furthest (Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 60/100, Bois des Iles 56/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aldehydic and powdery accords. Common notes include Aldehydes, Neroli, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange.

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

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

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

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. Bois des Iles has top notes of Aldehydes, Coriander, Neroli and Peach, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Orris Root and Jasmine, a base of Sandalwood, Amber, Benzoin and Tonka Bean.