At this point, my knowledge of Chanel N°5 is far more than that of any average person you can pull off the street! Ever since I discovered it for myself 10 years ago, upon learning it was Marilyn Monroe's favorite scent, I've tried tracking down a more affordable alternative that can measure up to the original. So, at this point, I've had 10 years of trying different impressions of Chanel N°5 and unique scents that have been compared to it, including: Coty L'Aimant, Givenchy L'Interdit (Original EDT), Lanvin Arpège, Avon Topaze, Perfect Scents Our Version of Chanel N°5; as well as the original itself in its current EDP, EDT, and Parfum version, as well as the vintage EDT and EDC. Of all of these versions, the best version of it you can get (if you're lucky) is a vintage EDT or EDC. I'm certain now that it's the nitromusk, musk ambrette, in the original version that gives it it's deep, rich, woody, powdery, vintage character. However, this version is not easily available or plentiful, and will eventually run out as the years draw on. It's my understanding that copying the scent profile of musk ambrette using IFRA approved materials is not easy, and it may take the discovery of new musks to properly recapture this scent profile that gave us so many of our favorite vintage musk fragrances.
Many N°5 fans here say that the parfum and EDT are closest to the original, and while I've sampled the EDT enough times to know this to be true, the parfum that I once had sadly fell off my dresser and shattered inside the box many years ago, with practically no use. Sadly, now, Chanel doesn't even appear to be selling the pure Parfum anymore.
This scent, from Oakcha, claims that this is a dupe "inspired by" the Grand Extrait version of Chanel N°5. This definitely drew my intrigue, as that version is outrageously expensive, and it appears to be not even available for most of the general public. So, I ordered this as it was on sale. When this arrived, I was very thoroughly impressed with the packaging for the price. Their max size is only about 1.7 fluid ounces or 50 ml, but the packaging is very high quality. It comes in a very thick, well made cardboard flap presentation box, with a velour velvet insert housing the perfume. The perfume itself is contained in a very well made glass bottle, both aesthetically pleasing to look at and practical. Care went into even the atomizer design: the mist is so smooth and fine, even better when compared to my real Chanel!
I've worn this side by side last night with Coty L'Aimant, and tonight with my N°5 EDP. This is a dead ringer for the original EDP, almost exact. I'm having a difficult time telling them apart! Now, I have no clue how this would measure up to the parfum, and I'm nobody special, so I probably won't be getting my hands on a bottle of that uber expensive Grand Extrait anytime soon! BUT, if you like the Chanel N°5 EDP you can find today at the department store counters, then do yourself a favor and buy this instead. Unless I'm buying the original EDT, then I honestly couldn't justify the extra money to buy the EDP again. The bottle and packaging feels like luxury to me, and the scent is so spot on that I just couldn't justify the extra money for the real Chanel. The difference is SO slight that I think most people wouldn't be able to tell. If somebody had been wearing this and said to me it was N°5 EDP, I probably would have went home, put mine on, and assumed they were right.
The vintage version is always going to be a better value because of the banned ingredients, but if you want something similar to a real version of N°5 that presumably will remain available, this is what you're looking for. Buy yourself a bottle, and if you're as impressed as me, write to Oakcha so they keep making this!
