Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels
81 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Galbanum and tagetes burst forth with immediate green sharpness, almost vegetal in their intensity, whilst neroli and bergamot provide citrine brightness that feels slightly drying. The opening is decidedly herbaceous, almost provocative in its refusal to charm immediately.
Carnation's spiced warmth softens the green aggression, and heliotrope arrives with creamy, almond-like comfort, supported by jasmine's subtle honeyed whisper. Orange blossom adds a delicate floral sweetness, transforming the composition from austere to contemplative.
Tonka and vanilla emerge with restraint, creating a warm but faintly powdery base that never fully satisfies the desire for projection. Cedar and musk provide structure without presence, resulting in a skin scent that becomes increasingly intimate, eventually fading to barely perceptible warmth.
Van Cleef & Arpels is a fragrance that treats florality as a structural material rather than mere decoration. Pascal Giraux constructs something deceptively austere here—a green, almost architectural composition that refuses the sweetness its base notes might promise. The galbanum and tagetes create an assertive, slightly bitter green backbone, supported by neroli and bergamot that feel mineral and crisp rather than luminous. This is where the fragrance reveals its true character: it's built for restraint.
The heart is where complexity emerges, though never generously. Carnation and heliotrope arrive with a peppery, almost medicinal warmth, while jasmine and orange blossom provide a whisper of indulgence without surrendering to floral excess. The ylang ylang doesn't sweeten; instead, it adds a creamy, slightly spiced texture that anchors the composition. It's the interaction between these middle notes that matters—the way heliotrope's almond-like warmth plays against carnation's clove-tinged sharpness creates a compelling tension.
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3.4/5 (305)