First Eau de Toilette

Van Cleef & Arpels does not break First down into tiers. The house names a bouquet of jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation and iris, aldehydic notes and a woody-amber base, which the eau de toilette page specifies: oakmoss, amber and sandalwood.

Top

Aldehydes open First and crown the bouquet, according to the house. Samantha Scriven, at ÇaFleureBon, finds them archly sophisticated, as if a credit check were required before one could be allowed to wear it.

Heart

Jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation and iris form the generous bouquet the house describes. Samantha Scriven likens it to a floral chintz in which the flowers crowd together without leaving any space, yet never tip into excess.

Base

Oakmoss, amber and sandalwood make up the woody-amber base. The ÇaFleureBon writer smells the oakmoss throughout the development, right down to the last notes, and delights in it.

What stays out

Peach, clove, hedione, vanilla and white musks do not appear in the house’s current description. Widely repeated lists add bergamot, blackcurrant, raspberry, narcissus, hyacinth, civet or honey.

What the label declares

At the top of the ingredient list are alcohol, water, fragrance and propylene glycol. It includes an oakmoss extract and many allergens, including hydroxycitronellal, eugenol, isoeugenol, cinnamal, farnesol and citral.

It also lists two UV filters, avobenzone and octinoxate, an alkaline agent, triethanolamine, and three colorants: yellow CI 19140, red CI 14700 and blue CI 42090.