First Eau de Toilette

After their marriage, and thanks to their shared love of precious stones, Estelle and Alfred Van Cleef opened their first boutique on Place Vendôme in 1906. Their talent and expertise would help make Van Cleef & Arpels a reference in French luxury. In 1976, the house entered perfumery with a feminine fragrance, First, which would become a landmark in feminine perfumery.

First, the first perfume by Van Cleef & Arpels

First is not only the house's first perfume, but it is also the first time a perfume was offered by a jewelry house. The house Van Cleef & Arpels played on surprise. Perhaps they sensed it was the moment to innovate? It was Jean-Claude Ellena, a highly celebrated perfumer, who was given the weighty task of imagining this first perfume, First (from the English word for premier). With First, Van Cleef & Arpels wanted to continue enhancing the beauty of women, but in a different, new way. Conceived like a piece of jewelry, First is the union of jewelry making and perfumery. At its heart lies a love of women, of luxury and of beauty. At once classic and refined, this first fragrance is remarkably rich in olfactory character. With First, the house Van Cleef & Arpels wanted not only to create an unexpected event, but also to bring together two worlds sharing a single purpose: transcending feminine beauty.

The harmonious notes of First

The formula of First contains more than 160 ingredients, including several varieties of rose and jasmine. Speaking about the creation of this perfume, Jean-Claude Ellena states that he was 28 years old and was on the lookout for everything that could express luxury. He therefore envisioned First in the image of an ultra-rich and precious bouquet. First opens with an almost impertinent freshness through the presence of bergamot, mandarin and aldehydic notes. These are joined by blackcurrant bud. First then develops into a majestic, luminous heart thanks to the presence of jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang and hyacinth. Finally, the base of First is meant to be deep and intensely sensual, composed of vanilla, civet, vetiver and amber. The bottle was designed by Jacques Llorente. It is inspired by a Van Cleef & Arpels earring. The bottle and its cap echo the same motif in a mirror effect. Through the transparency of its glass, one can nonetheless glimpse a warm, amber-colored juice, close to the color of gold, making First a divine essence. First is then enclosed in a case with sensual curves, evoking femininity taken to its peak.

For a first attempt, it was a masterstroke... First is today a legendary fragrance.