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alternatives to Chanel No.5

post #1 of 34
11/15/12 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 
Are there any other designer frags which share a similarity to No.5?
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post #2 of 34
11/15/12 at 3:24pm
Over the many hours that it lasts with my chemistry it magically morphs from one very recognizable scent to another. I haven't tried another perfume that manages that feat. You may want to try Chanel No 19 or Coco Noir Chanel??


***I updated the Coco to Coco Noir after checking the notes in it.
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post #3 of 34
11/15/12 at 7:13pm
Try Chanel No. 22. This is a floral aldehyde powerhouse and is similar to Chanel No. 5, except with toned-down animalic and woody notes. I read that Amouage Gold pour Femme is similar, although I haven't tried it. Also, for a less expensive alternative, try L'Aimant by Coty.
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post #4 of 34
11/15/12 at 7:21pm
Estee Lauder White Linen is screeching with aldehydes. This is the most similar fragrance I know of by another designer house.

The most similar I've found to No.5 is Chanel No. 22. I would recommend checking out Bois des Iles as well if you haven't yet. These are, in character, the most similar fragrances to No.5 in my opinion.

Also, it is not designer, but Serge Lutens La Myrrhe is basically "Chanel No.5 wearing a carnival mask", as Luca Turin famously put it. Very similar to No.5. But it is exclusive to their Paris store and not cheap.
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post #5 of 34
11/15/12 at 7:50pm
Try Chanel No5 Eau Premiere, a more modern No5, it's very nice.
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post #6 of 34
11/15/12 at 7:54pm
Definitely Chanel No. 22. (I have in mind the Exclusifs version. I'm not sure about the older formulations.)
Also, Divine L'Ame Soeur is definitely in the ballpark of No. 5, although to my nose it is a more modern take on the style.
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post #7 of 34
11/15/12 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiliwia View Post

Try Chanel No5 Eau Premiere, a more modern No5, it's very nice.

+1...

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post #8 of 34
11/15/12 at 9:58pm
I'm going in a different direction.....> Perfumes from 'other' houses that have a similar No. 5 vibe. (my opinion, yours may be different)

Mariella Burani (original - with the red/orange flower top)
Etat Libre d'Orange Vrai Blonde
Givenchy L'Interdit (try for an early formulation)
Coty L'Aimant
Lanvin Arpege
Agent Provocateur Maitresse
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post #9 of 34
11/15/12 at 10:01pm
What about First by VC&F? This is a nice floral aldehyde with civet.
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post #10 of 34
11/15/12 at 10:28pm
Guerlain Liù.
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post #11 of 34
11/15/12 at 10:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorien View Post

I'm going in a different direction.....> Perfumes from 'other' houses that have a similar No. 5 vibe. (my opinion, yours may be different)

Mariella Burani (original - with the red/orange flower top)
Etat Libre d'Orange Vrai Blonde
Givenchy L'Interdit (try for an early formulation)
Coty L'Aimant
Lanvin Arpege
Agent Provocateur Maitresse

I was considering mentioning L'Interdit too. But it would be vitally important that you get the right formulation. It can't be the 2003 formulation, which is not only unlike Chanel No. 5, but also really bad! The vintage formulation (1957) is the right one. (I haven't tried the 2007 Les Mythiques formulation, so I can't advise one way or the other about that one.)
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post #12 of 34
11/15/12 at 11:14pm
Guerlain Liu is the closest I know.
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post #13 of 34
11/16/12 at 12:05am
Yes, No 22 and Guerlain Liu(I once had a sample of the parfum, and let a Chanel SA sniff it. She swore it was No5). Perhaps Chamade(?) by Guerlain.

I cannot wear No5, in fact for years I avoided all aldehydes because I thought I could not wear them. I can wear No22 and Liu.

Coty Laimant( it used to be called the poor woman's No5, for the women who could not afford the real thing). Even Roja Dove's mother wore it. Cheap and easy to find.
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post #14 of 34
11/16/12 at 3:16am
Definitely Coty L'Aimant, but only in the vintage formulation.
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post #15 of 34
11/16/12 at 5:43am
I think Chanel n5 Eau Premiere, a younger and easier version, or the new Coco Noir (I love it) or the classic Chanel N 22 and Arpege Lanvin(for the aldehydes).
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post #16 of 34
11/16/12 at 5:57am
Yes, for Arpege Lanvin.
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post #17 of 34
11/16/12 at 12:32pm
Ditto to Arpege.
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post #18 of 34
11/16/12 at 12:56pm
There is no alternative to Chanel No 5 -- at least if you ask Brad Pitt. It's inevitable!....
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post #19 of 34
11/16/12 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednails View Post

There is no alternative to Chanel No 5 -- at least if you ask Brad Pitt. It's inevitable!....

Lol!

...but true.
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post #20 of 34
11/16/12 at 2:32pm
Van Cleef & Arpels First
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post #21 of 34
11/16/12 at 2:36pm
There is no substitute for the best
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post #22 of 34
11/16/12 at 3:40pm
CHANEL Nº 5 is unique
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post #23 of 34
11/16/12 at 8:51pm
I love No 5 and was advised to try First, on the basis that it is a floral, aldehydic, traditional French style perfume. Although the notes are not at all similar, I found I liked it very much.

I tried a sample of No 22, and frankly, didn't like it at all. The appeal of Chanel No 5 is more than just the appeal of a big dose of aldehydes. Once those have faded, the individual notes take over, and especially in the vintage formulations, such as the cologne, the wonderful quality of the ingredients, is what strikes me again and again.

Coty L'Aimant, vintage, is very, very close to No 5, but lacks the real punch and class of No 5. It just falls short of being a twin, a bit like the actress you see playing a famous actress or just a famous person, the mannerisms and general demeanour are the same, but there's something missing that makes the person being portrayed, unique.

I doubt that anyone would produce this style of perfumery today. It is so rich, so strongly floral, albeit not like a flower, but like a concentration of floral tones, so much of another era, that it would probably not appeal to the mass market these days.

Among the vintages I have tried, nothing I have come across is similar, so I'll be interested to see what sort of things people mention. I really don't see any relationship between Arpege and No 5, apart from their floral, 'Frenchness'. There's a chic to No 5 that somehow Arpege doesn't have, in my opinion.
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post #24 of 34
11/17/12 at 5:07am
Comme des Garcons Eau de Parfum (2011) reminds me of Chanel No. 5 for a couple hours, in the middle, but it's probably just due to the aldehydes. I don't know if they have much else in common.

I agree with La Myrrhe too.
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post #25 of 34
11/19/12 at 10:59am
How about Miriam by Tableau de Parfums.To me this is a masterpiece close to No 5.
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post #26 of 34
11/19/12 at 3:36pm
ITA with LiliB.

Unfortunately, I think there is NOTHING like No 5. No. 22 to me is completely different. I dont like 22 at all, but No 5 was one of my all time favorites.

The most similar that I have tried is Guerlain Liu, as someone else mentioned. Overall I dont think it's that close, but parts of it are very reminiscent, so try a sample of that if you can find it and see what you think. Some people here think it's closer to No 5 than I do, but every once in a while I'll get a whiff of something that reminds me of No 5.

My main complaint about No 5 is the change they made in it - now even No. 5 doesnt smell like the old Chanel No 5. Im still trying to find something I can layer with it to get back to something similar to the real [pre 2010 I think ] version.
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post #27 of 34
11/19/12 at 3:37pm
- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by rednails View Post

There is no alternative to Chanel No 5 -- at least if you ask Brad Pitt. It's inevitable!....

I would ask to Brad so many things...
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post #28 of 34
11/19/12 at 6:19pm
Another vote for Amouage Gold. It's in the same vein as No. 5, remarkably so for a modern perfume. That said, Gold is its own animal. I love them both (and many others mentioned in this thread).

The one thing that's unique to No. 5 is its shape-shifting qualities. I've never encountered another perfume that can smell so different from one wearing to the next. Remarkable.
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post #29 of 34
11/19/12 at 9:13pm
Definitely LIU it was Guerlains answer to C5.
SMN Melograno is very like as well.
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post #30 of 34
11/19/12 at 10:12pm
There are many - here's a list off the top of my head.

Diorella
Miss Dior
Ma Griffe
No.22
K de Krizia
First
Arpege
Madame Rochas
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post #31 of 34
11/20/12 at 5:26am
For me, Bois de Iles is for when you want something that smells like No. 5 but don't want to wear something so ubiquitous. It's aldehydic, warm, beautiful. I need to try the Parfum....
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post #32 of 34
11/21/12 at 1:17pm
Agree with Amouage Gold, L'Aimant, No. 22. Adding the original Caleche by Hermes.
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post #33 of 34
11/21/12 at 2:29pm
LiliB put it so nice!!

no 22 and no 5 are 17 floors away from eachother

and i am so surprised that this perfume could be bestseller, when to me it feels someone has to have really special taste to like it! i can understand hype about Shalimar, it was sweet, how this one was appealing?? did it have anything to do with Merilyn Monroe?

but back then in general people must have had much better taste when Shalimar and No 5 were bestsellers, or Joy, unlike whats most sold today Light blue and other light sweet waters

oh no i cant agree with Amouage Gold....its darker, harsher civet-rose, ....chanel no 5 is only bitter but nothing dirty, much lighter white floral
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post #34 of 34
11/22/12 at 1:29am
Try Sonoma Scent Studio Nastagie, aldehyde floral
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