When Van Cleef & Arpels introduced First in 1976, the house was already legendary in the world of fine jewelry, revered for creations that embodied Parisian refinement, technical mastery, and aristocratic glamour. Founded in 1906 by Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels, the maison became famous for its exquisite gem-setting techniques, transformable jewelry, ballerina brooches, Minaudières, and fantastical designs inspired by nature, couture, and fairy tales. Their clientele included royalty, film stars, socialites, and women who viewed jewelry not merely as adornment, but as identity. By the 1970s, Van Cleef & Arpels represented a world of cultivated luxury — understated yet unmistakably elite. Entering perfumery was therefore not simply a commercial expansion; it was an attempt to translate the aura of high jewelry into scent.
The choice of the name First was deliberate and unusually intelligent. On the surface, it marked Van Cleef & Arpels’ first fragrance release, but the word carries layers of meaning that immediately elevate it beyond a literal title. “First” suggests primacy, exclusivity, distinction, and precedence — to be first is to lead, to be chosen before others, to occupy the highest rank. It evokes the language of first-class travel, first editions, first loves, first performances, first jewels worn to a gala. The word has a polished, aspirational elegance that perfectly suited the image Van Cleef & Arpels wished to project. It was a name that implied not novelty, but importance.
Emotionally, the word “First” evokes anticipation and memory simultaneously. There is excitement in first experiences: the first grand romance, the first couture gown, the first diamond bracelet, the first moment a woman fully recognizes her own sophistication and power. Yet there is also prestige embedded within it. The name sounds ceremonial and accomplished, almost like a title earned rather than simply purchased. For women in the late 1970s, this would have resonated deeply. The era saw increasing female independence, professional ambition, and social visibility. Women were entering executive spaces in greater numbers, redefining glamour on their own terms, and seeking luxuries that symbolized both femininity and authority. A perfume called First implied not innocence, but arrival.
The timing of the launch was especially significant. First emerged during the latter half of the 1970s, a transitional period between the free-spirited bohemian softness of the early decade and the polished, assertive glamour that would dominate the 1980s. Fashion was becoming more opulent again after the earthy naturalism of the hippie era. Yves Saint Laurent had popularized sophisticated ready-to-wear luxury, Halston embodied sleek sensuality, and designers embraced fluid satins, metallic fabrics, dramatic eveningwear, and sharply tailored silhouettes. Women moved between disco nightlife, cosmopolitan careers, and international travel with increasing confidence. Luxury brands responded by creating fragrances that projected elegance with presence — perfumes that announced themselves rather than whispering apologetically.
In perfumery, the 1970s were a fascinating bridge between eras. The grand aldehydic florals of earlier decades, inspired by fragrances like Chanel No. 5 and Arpège, still represented sophistication and high femininity, but perfumers were beginning to reinterpret them with greater luminosity, abstraction, and modernity. Rich chypres, green florals, and dramatic orientals dominated the market, while advances in aroma chemicals allowed perfumers to create increasingly diffusive and textured compositions. Consumers wanted fragrances that felt luxurious and noticeable, yet contemporary rather than old-fashioned.
This is where First distinguished itself. Created by Jean-Claude Ellena during his tenure at Givaudan, the fragrance drew upon the structure of the classic aldehydic floral tradition, yet softened and modernized it for the late 1970s woman. Rather than recreating the dense powderiness of earlier aldehydic perfumes, First interpreted the genre through the lens of jewelry-like radiance. Even its concept — “a floral aldehyde” enriched with precious absolutes and sensual woods — mirrors the craftsmanship of haute joaillerie. The aldehydes function almost like diamonds catching light: sparkling, faceted, and luminous against velvety florals and warm precious materials beneath.
The press description emphasized Turkish rose, jasmine, lavender, blackcurrant, mandarin, sandalwood, oakmoss, amber, and tonka bean, all wrapped in an aldehydic shimmer. Even without exploring the full scent profile yet, one can already sense the intent behind the composition. This was not meant to smell youthful in the carefree, fruity sense becoming popular in parts of the market. Nor was it aggressively avant-garde. Instead, First sought to embody cultivated femininity — polished, elegant, sensual, and expensive. The fragrance translated the sensation of diamonds against skin, silk under evening light, and the confidence of a woman entering a room fully aware of her presence.
Compared to many fragrances of its era, First both aligned with trends and stood apart from them. It participated in the revival of luxurious, statement-making femininity that characterized late-1970s perfumery, yet its execution was unusually refined. While some contemporaries leaned heavily into green sharpness, overt sensuality, or bold animalic drama, First retained an aristocratic composure. It felt less overtly provocative than many emerging powerhouse perfumes, and less earthy than the naturalistic florals of the early 1970s. Its elegance was smoother, more jewel-like, almost architectural in balance. In many ways, it anticipated the polished sophistication that would become synonymous with prestige perfumery in the 1980s.
For women of the time, wearing First could easily feel symbolic. The name alone suggested aspiration fulfilled — a fragrance for a woman who wished to be remembered, prioritized, admired, and perhaps even envied. In scent, the word “First” would likely be interpreted not as something innocent or introductory, but as something elevated and definitive: the fragrance equivalent of being seated in the front row, receiving the first invitation, or wearing the first diamond necklace that truly changes how one sees oneself.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? First is classified as a floral aldehyde fragrance for women. It begins with a fruity aldehydic top, followed by a elegant precious floral heart, resting on a sensual, feminine base. Press materials read: "An aldehydic floral fragrance with floral absolute top notes of Turkish rose, jasmine and lavender. Middle notes are aldehydic with blackcurrant and mandarin and woody base notes include sandalwood, tonka bean, oakmoss and amber."
- Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, green mandarin, blackcurrant buds, peach, raspberry, hyacinth, galbanum, lavender absolute
- Middle notes: carnation, cloves, lily of the valley, orchid, tuberose absolute, Italian jasmine absolute, narcissus absolute, Bulgarian rose essence, Turkish rose absolute, rose de Mai absolute, Comoros Islands ylang-ylang, orris
- Base notes: castoreum, patchouli, civet, honey, oakmoss, vetiver, vetiver acetate, Mysore sandalwood, vanilla, Tonkin musk infusion, tonka bean absolute and ambergris infusion
Scent Profile:
First opens with the unmistakable shimmer of aldehydes, the great jeweled illusion of classical perfumery. In First, the aldehydes feel like light striking the facets of a diamond necklace beneath the chandeliers of a Paris salon — icy, sparkling, champagne-like, and almost metallic in their brilliance. These materials are entirely synthetic; aldehydes do not exist in nature in the form used for perfumery. The most famous among them, materials such as aldehyde C-10, C-11 undecylenic, and C-12 MNA, smell abstractly waxy, citrusy, soapy, and effervescent, creating the sensation of air, radiance, and luxurious cleanliness rather than a literal identifiable scent. Jean-Claude Ellena uses them not harshly, but as a veil of illumination draped over the composition. Their brightness amplifies the florals beneath them the way polished platinum enhances gemstones, giving the fragrance its aristocratic glow.
Beneath this sparkling haze, bergamot unfurls with cool elegance. True bergamot from Calabria in southern Italy possesses a softer, more floral complexity than ordinary citrus oils, combining the brightness of lemon with delicate hints of tea, lavender, and bitter orange peel. It smells refined rather than sharp, immediately setting a tone of cultivated luxury. Green mandarin introduces a fresher, greener citrus nuance — less sweet than ripe mandarin, carrying the aroma of crushed leaves and tart peel. Together they create a vivid opening that feels tailored and luminous.
Blackcurrant buds deepen the effect with their famously paradoxical aroma: green, fruity, catty, wine-like, and almost metallic. Natural blackcurrant bud absolute from Burgundy is one of perfumery’s most complex materials, containing sulfurous facets that smell almost like crushed tomato leaves or damp greenery. Modern recreations often rely on molecules like cassis base materials and sulfur-containing aroma chemicals to enhance the effect, adding diffusion and vibrancy while softening the rougher edges of the natural extract.
Then comes the fruit — peach and raspberry — glowing softly beneath the aldehydes like silk lining beneath couture embroidery. Peach in vintage perfumery is rarely literal fresh fruit; instead it is often built around lactonic molecules such as gamma-undecalactone and gamma-decalactone, which smell creamy, velvety, and golden, evoking peach skin warmed by skin itself. Raspberry introduces a richer crimson sweetness, often recreated through ionones and berry accords because true raspberry yields almost no extractable essence suitable for perfumery. The effect is plush rather than sugary, giving the perfume its luxurious cosmetic softness.
Hyacinth follows with its cool, watery green floralcy — dewy petals and snapped stems in spring rain. Since true hyacinth extraction is prohibitively difficult and yields little usable oil, perfumers construct hyacinth accords synthetically using green and floral molecules such as phenylacetaldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, and traces of anisic nuances. Here, the synthetic recreation gives the fragrance its haunting springlike translucency.
Galbanum cuts through the softness like an emerald blade. Iranian and Persian galbanum resin is treasured for its intensely green aroma — bitter sap, crushed ivy, snapped branches, wet earth, and raw vegetation. In the 1970s, galbanum became emblematic of sophisticated green perfumes, lending First a chic severity beneath its glamour. Lavender absolute softens the sharpness with velvety herbal warmth. Unlike standard lavender oil, lavender absolute is darker, richer, and more floral, carrying honeyed tobacco-like undertones. French lavender from Provence remains especially prized because the dry mountain climate creates oils with exceptional balance between freshness and softness. In First, it quietly bridges the sparkling aldehydes and the sumptuous floral heart.
The heart of the fragrance unfolds like entering a grand ballroom overflowing with flowers flown in from every corner of the world. Carnation appears first, spicy and velvety, its clove-like warmth enriched by eugenol — the naturally occurring aroma molecule also found in actual clove buds. Carnation in perfumery is often partly reconstructed because the flower itself produces little extractable oil; synthetic floral spice accords allow perfumers to exaggerate its peppery warmth and powdery elegance. Cloves intensify this sensation with their dark medicinal heat, giving the florals depth and shadow. Lily of the valley introduces cool innocence, but this flower cannot be extracted naturally at all. Its scent exists only through perfumery’s artistry, recreated through molecules such as hydroxycitronellal and Lilial-like accords, producing the illusion of tiny white bells drenched in morning dew.
The orchid note contributes an abstract creamy floral softness rather than the scent of a real orchid blossom, since orchids themselves yield almost no usable aromatic oil. Perfumers instead build orchid accords from vanilla, heliotropin, soft white florals, and creamy balsamic materials to create a silky impression of exotic petals. Tuberose absolute emerges next — narcotic, buttery, and voluptuous. Indian tuberose harvested at night is especially prized because the flowers release their richest perfume after sunset. Its scent is simultaneously creamy and mentholated, lush with hints of coconut, banana skin, and warm skin. Tuberose absolute contains natural methyl salicylate and indolic compounds that give it its intoxicating, almost dangerous sensuality.
Italian jasmine absolute glows with animalic richness. Jasmine from Grasse and Italy differs from Egyptian jasmine by being softer and more luminous, less overtly indolic but intensely floral, with facets of apricot, tea, and warm skin. Natural jasmine contains indole, a molecule that in isolation can smell almost dirty or moth-like, but in trace amounts creates the illusion of living petals and erotic warmth. Narcissus absolute deepens the floral heart into something darker and more autumnal — honeyed hay, damp earth, tobacco, and pollen. True narcissus absolute from France is among the most expensive floral materials in perfumery because of its low yield and haunting complexity.
The rose accord is extraordinarily lavish, layered from several of perfumery’s most revered rose materials. Bulgarian rose essence from the Valley of Roses possesses a deep, honeyed richness with lemony spice and velvety warmth, while Turkish rose absolute is darker, fruitier, and more wine-like, with hints of plum and crimson velvet. Rose de Mai absolute from Grasse is the crown jewel: softer, more delicate, with nuances of honey, violets, and warm skin touched by morning air. By blending these different roses, First creates a multidimensional floral tapestry that feels impossibly luxurious, as though every shade of rose imaginable has been woven together into silk brocade.
Comoros Islands ylang-ylang adds molten golden sensuality. Ylang from the Comoros is prized for its creamy richness and balanced floral spice, softer and more refined than some harsher tropical varieties. It smells of banana blossom, custard, and warm floral nectar, amplified naturally by molecules such as benzyl acetate and p-cresyl methyl ether. Orris drapes the florals in powdered suede. True orris butter, derived from aged iris rhizomes cultivated largely in Florence, requires years of curing before its scent develops. The result is breathtakingly expensive: cool violet powder, carrot-like earthiness, buttercream, and pale cosmetic elegance. Its irones — the aroma molecules responsible for the scent — create the unmistakable illusion of aristocratic face powder and antique makeup compacts.
As First settles onto the skin, the base reveals the grandeur of vintage perfumery in full. Castoreum introduces a smoky leather warmth once derived from the castor sacs of beavers, though modern perfumery now uses synthetic recreations for ethical reasons. Civet, historically animal-derived as well, contributes a sensual warmth recreated today through civetone and related musks that smell soft, radiant, and faintly intimate. Tonkin musk infusion would originally have referenced deer musk tinctures, now universally replaced with synthetic musks that recreate its velvety skin-like aura. These animalic notes are not overtly dirty here; instead they create the illusion of warmth beneath jewels and silk — living skin beneath elegance.
Patchouli lends dark earthy richness, especially the aged Indonesian patchouli prized for its smoother chocolate-like depth. Oakmoss spreads across the base like green velvet and forest shadows, smelling of damp bark, moss-covered stones, and cool earth after rain. Vintage oakmoss was essential to the sophistication of classic French perfumery, though modern restrictions have required reformulation using low-atranol oakmoss and synthetic moss accords. Vetiver adds dry elegance — smoky roots, cool earth, and bitter woods. Haitian vetiver is often prized for its clean mineral clarity, while Java vetiver is darker and smokier. Vetiver acetate, a refined synthetic derivative, smooths and polishes natural vetiver’s roughness, adding silky diffusion and extending its woody elegance.
Mysore sandalwood forms the creamy heart of the base. Genuine Indian Mysore sandalwood, now extremely rare and heavily restricted, is revered because of its uniquely buttery, milky softness and meditative warmth. Unlike sharper Australian sandalwood, Mysore possesses an almost spiritual creaminess with subtle spice and skin-like radiance. Vanilla and tonka bean absolute wrap the woods in golden sweetness. Tonka bean from Venezuela and Brazil smells richer and darker than vanilla alone because of coumarin, the molecule responsible for its aroma of almond, hay, tobacco, and caramelized warmth.
Ambergris infusion — once derived from aged whale ambergris and now recreated synthetically through ambroxide and related molecules — contributes an almost mystical softness: salty skin, warm air, sunlit resin, and an expansive glow that seems to radiate from within the perfume itself. The result is not merely a floral aldehyde, but the olfactory equivalent of haute joaillerie. Every material feels polished, faceted, and carefully set into place like diamonds within platinum. First captures the final years of grand French perfumery before minimalism began reshaping luxury scent — a fragrance where florals, aldehydes, woods, mosses, and animalics still moved together in lavish orchestration, creating the impression not simply of perfume, but of prestige itself made tangible.
Bottle:
First is available in the following products:
- Parfum
- Eau de Parfum
- Eau de Toilette
- Summer Body Oil
- Milky Body Mist
- Solid Perfumed Stick
- Light Essence Natural Spray (Alcohol Free)
- Soap
- Body Lotion
- Shower Gel
- Body Cream
- Bath Salts
In 1984/1985, First was available in:
- Parfum Presentations: Splash bottles (0.5 oz, 1 oz, 2 oz); Refillable spray (1 oz); Refillable purse spray.
- Related Products: Eau de Toilette splash bottles (4 oz, 8 oz); Refillable EDT sprays (3 oz)
- Ancillary products: Body lotion; Shower gel; Foaming bath; Perfumed powder; Perfumed soap (100g); Deodorant (125ml)
