11 Fragrances Similar to Chanel No. 5

Chanel No. 5 has been around now for about 100 years. It’s basically the most famous perfume on the planet and is still going strong in sales, all these years later. With its popularity, have come similar scents, cheaper comparable smells, and other perfumes which are alike. In this post, I want to cover these fragrances , as potential alternatives to buying Chanel No. 5. I’ll keep it updated, as I come across more options.

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Which Perfumes Smell Similar to Chanel No. 5?

The First Inspiration

Floral Aldehydes by Dossier– The name itself gets right to the point, about what this one is. Floral Aldehydes by Dossier is the brand’s inspired take on the classic formula.

A big blast of cooling aldehydes up top, with the light citrus, floral heart, and the powdery aspects like the Chanel has.

An eau de parfum, the performance holds up well, at least to the standards of No. 5 EDP. Perhaps not the extrait.

Does it do a good job at matching the aroma? Pretty much. Sometimes the weighting of some of the notes can be slightly off versus the designer perfume. However, at slightly less than $30 per bottle (as of posting), it’s not going to be noticeable enough to complain much.

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Another Number

Antica di Roma by Fragrenza– This is another inspired take on the No. 5 style. Fragrenza is a brand that has some good offerings, and I’ve tried many of their scents, from their designer based perfumes.

However, I haven’t given Antica di Roma a go, as of yet. But, I figured that I’d put it on the list in order to present another alternative, for those who want it.

The good news is, that you can buy a 3ml sample size of this and the other perfumes that they carry, so that you can give them a full test without committing to the full bottle.

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Similar Profile, Differing Strengths

Dune By Christian Dior For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

This Christian Dior offering, isn’t an exact match of our Chanel. It actually shares many of the same notes, but, the strength of each, is almost inverted in comparison. The floral notes are much lighter and Dune is a woodier fragrance.

Like, take the notes, and flip them around.

A lovely and elegant scent dating back to the early 1990s. It is fresh, sensual, and great for the warmer months. Dune is dry and woody with sandalwood, rosewood, and amber being the main highlights. There are spiced notes and undertones of vanilla, which keep it sweet.

Dune is a very smooth and a pretty low key scent. It doesn’t have the same intense sillage as Hypnotic Poison, but is still solid throughout. This one could be a unisex fragrance, with its woody tones, and serves as a great change of pace from the usual popular fare.

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Another Similar Classic from that Era

Lanvȋn Arpége Pẻrfume For Women 3.4 oz Eau De Parfum Spray – This one dates back to the earlier decades of the last century, but it has been updated and reformulated, a few times since then. The current version is a lot of floral notes, with a powdery aroma from the iris, sitting on top of sandalwood.

It’s actually kind of a powerhouse, when compared to the others on this list, and while it is pretty heavy it does have a certain cleanliness about it. Since this dates back to around the same era, as No.5, it does have a very similar classic feel. Add to the fact, that there are many of the same notes, and you’ve got a potential alternative.

You get a good amount of jasmine and ylang-ylang, but Arpege is pretty well mixed. Maybe not the most universally appealing scent on the list, but one that ranks up near the top, for a selection of the population.

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Lighter, Woodier, and Still Classic

Rive Gauche By Yves Saint Laurent For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Oz
A blast from the past, this 1970s fragrance is a sure fire classic. Notes of sandalwood, oak moss, honeysuckle, gardenia, and others form an intense, clean, and powdery scent. Unique, inspiring, and long-lasting.

Aldehydes, florals, and a drier profile allow Rive Gauche to be in the approximate family of our target.

Rive Gauche has more oak moss and vetiver freshness, the same type of floral notes, just in a much lighter application.

It blends together as a powdery smell, but underneath you can pick out the floral notes such as rose and gardenia. Plus, the fresh oak moss, vetiver, and other woody elements come together to create a clean and simply sophisticated perfume. Rive Gauche Review

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Aldehydes with More Iris 

Hermes – Caleche – Edt Spray 1.6 Oz (New Packaging)– An aldehyde floral with a nice powdery iris note, taking the lead, within the composition. It has a powerful opening, with the iris and a nice neroli note, for a clean touch.

It softens up, as it dries down, and you’re left with an elegant vintage perfume aroma. At times, its more of a woody fragrance. Then, it will feel creamy. Then, a dry powdery scent. It’s got depth and lots in common with Chanel No. 5, though, not an exact copy. They are, close relatives, however.

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Modern with a Similar Style

TOM FORD METALLIQUE 3.4oz 100ml EAU DE PERFUME– This one is different, its a floral aldehyde, with a sweeter and creamier disposition. Vanilla, sandalwood, and ambrette provide that lovely finish following the aldehyde opening act.

The floral notes are toned down and quite subtle. This Tom Ford, does have an interesting metallic finish, as the name suggests. It’s not really a one to one match at all of Chanel No. 5, but one that kind of gives you a updated twist, to this style of fragrance.

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Resinous and Smoky

AMOUAGE Gold Women’s Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Fl Oz– A smoky and resinous oriental fragrance, featuring: rose, lily, and jasmine notes. Close to Caleche, listed above, in smell.

Amouage Gold is an expensive designer fragrance, that dries down with a musky, and powdery aroma. Gets quite rosy, no aldehydes, but plenty of jasmine and some orris to add to its depth. Like a smokier and more exotic take, on Chanel No. 5.

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A bit of 19, a bit of 5

Annick Goutal Heure Exquise Women’s Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce– Ok, so this Annick Goutal scent, is probably closer to Chanel No. 19. However, it’s also somewhat like No.5, as well. I’m adding this, just to give one more option. Plus, on its own, this is a gorgeous fragrance.

It’s a great vintage fragrance with hyacinth, rose, and mostly iris holding things together. It’s powdery with a fresh greeness, to its smell. Very clean with a light touch of sweetness, provided by vanilla, and sitting on top of a sandalwood base.

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Old School Lancome

Climat By Lancome For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 2.5 Ounces– Another older fragrance, that I’ve only recently come across, and the resemblance to No.5 was there to my nose.

To me, this one has a soapier aroma versus being a match of our target. It’s clean and upbeat, with a muskier finish versus the same aldehydes found in Chanel. The main floral is the Lily of the Valley in comparison, but you get a bouquet and fresh woodsiness also.

I don’t think that this is the exact formulation of the older bottles, I wasn’t around in the 60s. However, this one isn’t very expensive and still has a nice quality fragrance, striking close to what we want here.

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An Inexpensive Option

Nude By Bill Blass For Women. Cologne Spray 3.4 Ounces– This is an interesting one, that usually costs around $20 per bottle nowadays (though, I believe it’s out of production….so that may not last). It has elements of Chanel No.5 (I’d say closer to the EDP, than anything).

The commonalities are the aldehydes and the floral notes. Jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang. The jasmine is noticeably toned down in the mix versus our target, while the ylang-ylang is ratcheted up. It also has a colder and sterile feeling at times.

The rosemary note is what I think separates it, in the early stages. It’s much more green/herbal than Chanel and dries down with more of a powdery aroma. Not my favorite, but certainly an option to try for cheap.

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