Fragrance comparison

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition vs Madison Pour Femme

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 415 ratings analysed

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition

Chanel

4.44331 votes

Rank #26,713 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Madison Pour Femme

Roja Dove

4.2284 votes

Rank #6,909 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Madison Pour Femme takes 4 of 7 categories.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Madison Pour Femme
Choose it for a powdery and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition2/7

Madison Pour Femme4/7

Ratings & consensus: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Community sentiment: Tie
Longevity: Madison Pour Femme
Sillage & projection: Madison Pour Femme
Value for money: Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition
Versatility: Madison Pour Femme
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Madison Pour Femme

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red EditionChanel

Madison Pour FemmeRoja Dove

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.44/ 5 · 331 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

4.22/ 5 · 84 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%

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

52%Love

36%Like

10%Ok

2%Dislike

0%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityMadison Pour Femme

SillageMadison Pour Femme

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value34

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%

powdery100%

woody92%

vanilla84%

musky77%

floral69%

yellow floral61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both powdery and woody

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

Top

Mandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

Ylang-YlangVioletMay RoseBlack CurrantHeliotropeJasmineLabdanum

Base

VanillaMuskCedarSandalwoodOrrisPink PepperIncenseBenzoin

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

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter63

Day100

Night39

Spring90

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day82

Night100

Category winnerMadison Pour FemmeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex14

Women81

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

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,713

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#6,909

PerfumerRoja Dove

Launched—

Reviews21

Category winnerMadison Pour FemmeHigher 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 →

Madison Pour Femme opens as a smooth powdery floral, with violet, jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose blending into a soft fruity glow. The citrus top keeps it bright at first, but the heart quickly turns plush, creamy and polished. As it settles, vanilla, musk, woods and incense give it more depth and warmth. It wears like…

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 Madison Pour Femme?

Madison Pour Femme takes 4 of 7 categories. Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition is rated 4.44/5 from 331 votes; Madison Pour Femme is rated 4.22/5 from 84 votes. Choose Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Madison Pour Femme for a powdery and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

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

Madison Pour Femme lasts longest (Madison Pour Femme 81/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 61/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Madison Pour Femme projects furthest (Madison Pour Femme 69/100, Chanel No 5 L'Eau Red Edition 60/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and woody accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine.

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

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

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

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. Madison Pour Femme has top notes of Mandarin Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Violet, May Rose and Black Currant, a base of Vanilla, Musk, Cedar and Sandalwood.