Fragrance comparison

N°18 Eau de Parfum vs Velvet Iris

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

Updated 2 Nov 2026 418 ratings analysed

N°18 Eau de Parfum

Chanel

3.93365 votes

Rank #33,241 FloralMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

7 wins

Velvet Iris

Alexandria Fragrances

4.3653 votes

Rank #28,528 IrisWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Velvet Iris takes 7 of 7 categories.

N°18 Eau de Parfum
Choose it for a floral and musky character. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Velvet Iris
Choose it for a iris and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

N°18 Eau de Parfum0/7

Velvet Iris7/7

Ratings & consensus: Velvet Iris
Community sentiment: Velvet Iris
Longevity: Velvet Iris
Sillage & projection: Velvet Iris
Value for money: Velvet Iris
Versatility: Velvet Iris
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Velvet Iris

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

N°18 Eau de ParfumChanel

Velvet IrisAlexandria Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.93/ 5 · 365 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.36/ 5 · 53 votes

Have 41%Had 11%Want 49%

Category winnerVelvet IrisRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

33%Like

11%Ok

14%Dislike

2%Hate

365 votes

53%Love

36%Like

6%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

53 votes

Category winnerVelvet IrisMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityVelvet Iris

SillageVelvet Iris

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value31

¤ Price value67

Category winnerVelvet IrisBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

floral100%

musky90%

woody80%

fruity70%

iris60%

sweet50%

iris100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

lavender77%

powdery69%

earthy61%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both woody and iris

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Ambrette (Musk Mallow)Fruity NotesWoody NotesIrisFloral Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Lavender

Heart

IrisPearAmbrette (Musk Mallow)

Base

VetiverVirginia Cedar

InformationalShared notesAmbrette (Musk Mallow) and Iris. Durations are only published for N°18 Eau de Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer71

Fall81

Winter35

Day100

Night32

Spring86

Summer41

Fall100

Winter95

Day88

Night100

Category winnerVelvet IrisMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex51

Women44

Men68

Unisex26

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,241

PerfumerJacques Polge

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#28,528

PerfumerHany Hafez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerVelvet IrisHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel N°18 Eau de Parfum opens with a striking botanical curiosity. The first spray delivers an aromatic burst of ambrette seed that smells surprisingly like aged wine or sweet grappa. Soon, powdery iris petals and subtle fruity notes emerge to soften the vegetal bite. It is not your typical sugary department store f…

Reviews →

Velvet Iris leans into a polished iris style with lavender up top, a soft pear touch in the middle, and a dry woody base of vetiver and cedar. It reads powdery, aromatic, and gently musky rather than loud. This suits someone who likes refined masculine florals with a clean, textured finish. It looks especially easy to…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, N°18 Eau de Parfum or Velvet Iris?

Velvet Iris takes 7 of 7 categories. N°18 Eau de Parfum is rated 3.93/5 from 365 votes; Velvet Iris is rated 4.36/5 from 53 votes. Choose N°18 Eau de Parfum for a floral and musky character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Velvet Iris for a iris and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, N°18 Eau de Parfum or Velvet Iris?

Velvet Iris lasts longest (Velvet Iris 69/100, N°18 Eau de Parfum 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, N°18 Eau de Parfum or Velvet Iris?

Velvet Iris projects furthest (Velvet Iris 67/100, N°18 Eau de Parfum 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do N°18 Eau de Parfum and Velvet Iris smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and iris accords. Common notes include Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Iris.

Is N°18 Eau de Parfum or Velvet Iris better for summer or winter?

For summer, N°18 Eau de Parfum is the stronger pick. For winter, Velvet Iris is the stronger pick. N°18 Eau de Parfum suits daytime wear; Velvet Iris suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in N°18 Eau de Parfum and Velvet Iris?

N°18 Eau de Parfum features Ambrette (Musk Mallow), Fruity Notes, Woody Notes, Iris and Floral Notes. Velvet Iris has top notes of Lavender, heart notes of Iris, Pear and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), a base of Vetiver and Virginia Cedar.