First Instinct

The primal instinct of fashion perfumes, A&F delights us with one of its best perfumes, and perhaps its best line overall, surpassing Authentic and Away, while going head-to-head with Fierce. Here we see a more experimental A&F than ever, with a tropical melon within a sea of tonic water and gin, a tropical yet ozonic, refreshing, aquatic scent. Then, Sichuan pepper with its citrusy and fresh nature combines with the bright musk in the background, attempting to transcend the typical fresh fragrance scent and transform it into an energizing and jovial summer drink. Without pretense and without notes, First smells like a cocktail, a gin and tonic with whole chunks of melon. While sipping something so refreshing, you can smell a beach bar, carpeted with the scent of clean skin, of people returning from surfing—a youthful, different, electric, and tropical scent. This demonstrates that clothing store perfume lines have a lot to offer. Here we see a composition that isn't inspired by anything in particular, but rather possesses a very fresh and vibrant attitude. This leads me to believe that this line is the spiritual successor to Fierce. If Fierce was the scent of young people in the '90s and 2000s, First aims to be the scent of young people in 2020. It lasts for 6 hours, with strong projection for at least 2 hours. After the third hour, it becomes somewhat subtle, and its evolution is rather slow. When the fruity notes fade, the luminous musk takes over. It's a distinctly casual, youthful scent, perfect for warm weather, with a remarkable performance in the summer. The heat gives the perfume more depth, and I think it can appeal to any type of man, regardless of age. 4/4, there's not much to say. This perfume, despite being in the "lower leagues," has nothing to envy in the workhorses of designer brands for warm weather. It could easily compete for an award against heavyweights like Versace's Pour Homme, for an affordable price and with a scent that's not so common these days (a melon gin and tonic). Its longevity is in line with what you'd expect from a fresh fragrance, its quality is outstanding for the price, and its concept is unique overall, far surpassing its siblings Extreme, Blue, and Together. For me, it's an essential in any collection—affordable, charming, and remarkable. Its only flaw is not being from a more prestigious brand.

This is the first "first instinct" in the line of 4 so far, and is the last one I bought to compete the collection. I bought a 100ml for roughly $30 which is excellent for the price, so I don't expect niche quality or Beastly performance. That being said, this has it's place in the lineup and is a great casual warm weather dumb reach. For the price, respray if needed throughout the day or switch up fragrances like I often do. Here's how I rank the First Instinct lineup: 4th - Blue: Blue is ok, not very interesting and perfomance is not good. I will wear it but definitely prefer my Dylan Blue or Salvatore Ferragamo Acqua Essenziale Blue over this one. Not horrible, just overly generic. 3rd - Instinct: Good not great. Nice warm weather dumb reach for casual occasions. Wonderful sweet fresh scent that has mass appeal. Performance also is lacking but is what it is for the price. 2nd - Extreme: Very good upgrade from the original. All season except high heat. Is interesting and probably the best overall quality of the bunch for sure. Has the mass appeal with some darker depth and character from the original. Longevity and projection are pretty good on this one. 1st - Together: Man this is really good. It's a steal at discounters! 1.7oz for $20 is amazing! Think invictus aqua with a twist. Decent performance, good quality, great price and a phenomenal smell. My only regret was not getting a 3.4oz bottle. All in all the First Instinct line is very good at discounted pricing for sure. You honestly can't go wrong if you just want to smell good for cheap, without smelling "cheap". These are a great pickup for sure.

Sleeper hit of 2016. ★★★★ (4 / 5 stars) Fantastic release. Great luxurious bottle and sprayer. Tropical, musky, YSL L'homme in the dry down with a Tommy Bahama type opening without being harsh. You will smell melons for hours and hours. Very uplifting. Safe and suitable for any environment, season or lifestyle. All that Abercrombie musk DNA but with a new tropical twist - the entire fragrance has an effervescence style to it, bubbly and fizzy. Dozens of extremely positive videos on YouTube about this release. Fragrantica reviewers might be a bit harsh towards this fragrance because of the similar notes it shares with other brands. But I challenge them to name one that combines all the qualities of this release while still being attractive to girls - reactions from college girls towards first instinct are very positive. 6-7 hours of staying power on cotton shirts with three sprays. Great value when purchased online. I have a feeling this won't achieve mass market success and few people know about it. And that's great, the fewer people wearing it the better. If you like it load up on cheap bottles now before it triples in price and stores no longer carry it.

I first encountered this fragrance when my dad was searching for a new signature perfume (his current was Hugo Boss - Hugo Man). He bought it pretty fast without any research or testing, and didn't really wear it a lot, mostly only for casual nights. It was 1 or 2 years later when I got this perfume for Christmas from him because I complemented him a lot of times when wearing it. I have to say this is not my primary scent at the moment, but it definitely has its moments to shine. I can imagine you wearing this at a smaller party, at work, school, probably a dinner date too. This is definitely a scent for teens. First when it hits your nose its a fruit bomb, its a little hard to find any particular one in it, but as time goes by melon is going to stand out. When the perfume is still freshly sprayed, it has a nice tropical vibe to it. I can imagine how many surfers use this in the Usa.. I think it can be a safe blind buy, its really hard to dislike the smell. The only negative factor is that the longevity could be better, I think it starts to lose its power after 3-4 hours and is gone around 7-8.

Pros Bottle design: The lid is heavy and has good weight which is quite satisfying. The bottle's eloquent and wave-like design along with the shiny metallic Abercrombie & Fitch panel make this feel like a premium product (which is excellent for the price range). Atomizer/spray: Powerful with wide spread. Scent: Very tropical and ozonic with hints of watermelon, while keeping a fresh and masculine tone. It smells serious and definitive with a small hint of alcohol while also expressing signs of playfulness and exuberance with aquatic and fruity notes. Some may say this fragrance smells juvenile but I prefer to describe it as responsibly mischievous. Longevity: It has average longevity, lasting for a solid 4-5 hours before the scent begins to fade. Sprays: For good sillage and maximum longevity without smelling overpowering, I prefer to use at least 4 sprays for this fragrance. Cons The fruity scent can be quite overpowering or intoxicating for some, and the initial opening may be quite strong. Overall Rating: 9/10

i created account to write this review. so~ h-hello everyone i guess! i spent around 1k on blind buying perfumes in the past month. insert*chuckles* im in danger meme i kinda also blame yall. all this poetry on here. some of you are true artists of words. much respect, much bow. anyhoo, just wanna chip in my two cents. we all should strive to wear whatever smells good to us. alot of peeps say this is only for young people. atp just stop. stop! STOP!!!!!!!!!! *weird seagull noises* MY SPIRIT SMELLS LIKE THIS!!!!!!! and my spirit wants to wear this. im going to wear this today, tomorrow, when im 69 and on my death bed and! nobody! can stop meeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! we really need to stop putting so many labels on things. so many limitations. why some of you so basic. ugh. rude. and if u wanna fight me, lets meet on the street. ill be wearing this perfume. and i will win. we... aslo, might kiss... HUH?? blind buy. perfect fresh, perfect sweet, perfect intimate. instant love. 69/10

I live in FL and this is my favorite beach scent! Often times summer fragrances come off a bit too fruity/sweet for my taste, however there are just enough suede/musk notes to offset this and provide a subtle masculinity that wears well on hot summer days. The gin and tonic notes listed are non-existent in this fragrance, rather it is simply a beautiful balance of melon (my favorite “sweet” fruit note) and woodsy musk. I know it is not mentioned in the note breakdowns but there is a very salty accord in this fragrance that I wish was more subtle. This scent is somewhat youthful but has enough depth to be worn in the 15-40 age range. If you are looking for a slightly more mature take on this fragrance - I would highly recommend Burberry Brit Splash. This has an extremely fresh and herbaceous opening that turns into the most amazing Aquatic/melon dry down.

Its a great scent especially for spring and summer. Its this gin tonic musky mellon smell that is somehow great. Obviously its kinda synthetic smell, not in a bad way, but the good thing is that it has a unique profile unlike all of the other abercrombie fragrancies that tend to copy famous fragrances. Its longevity and sillage is like medium/weak but there are other scent out there worst in performance like jo malone wood sage and sea salt and the one for men. For the normal retail price its expensive but at discounter at 30$ its a great perfume to add in your collection. Gets lot of compliments for sure, its refreshing and it you can wear it in many occasions. i would recommend it as a daily spring summer scent for people under 35y.o.

I absolutely love this juice. This was a blind buy for me due to the hype by Jeramy Fragrance and I don't regret it one bit. This is probably my favorite fragrance in my collection along with ADG Profumo. It is sweet but still masculine and definitely a crowd pleaser. The only issue I have with this juice is that it doesn't last as long as I would like. I get about 2 hours of projection before it comes close to the skin and lasts for about 5 to 6 hours. Great spring and summer time fragrance but best for summer. Unfortunately, like most summer fragrances it does not last long, although, it does last longer than most summer fragrances . This juice is collection worthy even with the lack of performance.

30ml — sweet, fresh, aquatic out the bottle, after a while more vanilla and pepper-like. This being an EDT – one of the less expensive ones, at that – its sillage is intimate while the longevity rather moderate on me, at least in up to ~23°C weather. Sprayed onto my wrist, less than a few inches away. Pleasant when sprayed onto my neck, getting whiffs of it. I think it's the pepper and the suede. Impressed by A&F's "Authentic Self Man", viewing its main accords on here, I saw "ozonic" included. Believing that that's what pulled me in, I got interested in it. One thing led to another, I ordered this one on account of that accord and the fact that it's by the same brand + relatively cheap.

This is one of the creative gems I own. Very unique scent. It's almost like a beach in a bottle. It's a very casual fragrance but it smells absolutely fantastic for what it is. Top notes of melon and tonic water make it perfect for summertime. It's very aquatic, fruity, and refreshing. Never turns sweet which I like. projection is good, sillage is okayish and price value is fantastic. But it falls short on the performance. If you don't mind carrying a travel spray and re-applying it two-three times in a working day it's very good. It's a weaker scent overall and not to be used on a very hot - humid day or in a crowded setting. You'd barely smell like anything. 3/5

Really fw the melon smell, and I personally get a lil gin and tonic. Overall really refreshing scent. Unfortunately it has piss poor longevity, and after about an hour the only one who can smell it is my girlfriend when burry her face in my chest. The scent itself is quite good though I find myself spraying it rather heavily to try and make it last. (UPDATE) The day I wrote that I went to work and received a compliment on it. This speaks a lot to the projection and longevity as I work in a texmex kitchen which is filled with overpowering scents and still someone could smell it on me. Ig my nose just doesn’t pick it up very well after the first hour or so.

This opening beauty really worth every penny, it garner compliments while in the opening phase. Tropical fruit vibes, cocktail like freshness, and little bit biscuit creamy-ness really brings the openings on another level. unlucky, it only last for 3-4hrs on my skin, but i can always bring a decant with me. Scent: 10 for the exciting opening Projection: 6 (moderate to heavy for 1-1.5hrs) Longetivity: 6 (only last 4 hr max on my skin :( ) this actually a signature scent worthy for the younger crowds. if you live in a hot tropical climate this is one of the best smells that you'll ever get, sadly the performance is not good enough.

Absolutely love this! It's got a unique blend of watermelon, gin and tonic, fig leaf and fresh citrus that really stands out. The musk and suede notes in the dry down are incredibly attractive and manly, making it the perfect everyday scent for spring and summer. Whenever I wear it, I feel so much younger and sexier, especially when I catch a whiff of the dry down. Plus, it always pulls in compliments, which is a huge bonus. It's definitely my go-to fragrance when I can't decide what to wear. The projection is just right and it lasts all day on my skin. Hands down my signature fragrance for spring and summer daytime wear.

This is my first fragrance and I love it. Never been a fan of fragrances before but thanks to this I have started to appreciate them more. It is really fresh and puts me into a good mood once I sprayed it. Performance is on the lower end of moderate for me unfortunately, lasting between 1 to 2 hours with three sprays on the neck. I wouldn't risk more because the initial smells can be too overwhelming. Even so, it is my favourite everyday scent and it kickstarted my journey into fragrances! Interested to find something more interesting than this but still have its DNA!

Bought this cause of the hype from YouTubers and I'm glad I did. To quote both people below me, the sweet and refreshing melon note at the beginning really is the best part of the fragrance and it does go away fairly quickly. For those who think this fragrance is all sweet, this one is not. Once the melon note goes away it evolves to this fresh, aquatic scent. People may think I'm crazy, but it reminded me of invictus once it dried down. 9 / 10, the only reason it isn't a 10 is because that melon note does not stay very long and it's what makes this cologne unique.

Got this very recently... Batch 6231 Wow!!!! Just wow!!! Melon and pepper supreme!!! Supersweet, summery, uplifting... If you are young you will love it!! (not for the fragrance snobs or the site's trolls...) I also sprayed it on my wrist today and I cannot stop myself from sniffing it. If only it had a better performance ... If only I had space in my top 10 of all time ... 9/10 EDIT: Compliment received in the park 28/03/18 EDIT: Compliment received in the gym 26/04/18 EDIT: Compliment received in hospital reception 09/05/18

I think this is awesome! This smells good and is very youthful! It is definitely something to wear in late spring to summer! This also has decent longevity and sillage! The only problem that I have had was that some people, specifically kids, said I smelled like Axe, although It might be because Overall, I would give this an 8/10. I love how it smells and is definitely worth it. I would recommend this to someone in their teenage or early 20s who wants to wear something casually in warm weather and to the gym!

This fragrance projects beastly off my skin for some odd reason. For not being an Eau de Toilette it definitely projects like one. I layered this with Dua's Caribbean Waters (Virgin Island Water interpretation) and it smelled like a tropical paradise. I walked into work and every one of my female co-workers even those who normally don't compliment me on fragrances, instantly complimented me. They absolutely loved the harmony between the two fragrances, highly recommend this layering.

Finally i have this one! First sniff, smells like ripe tamarind juice or candy like Frutos tamarind candy. A unique Sweet and Sour Scent. Stay longer on skin than on clothes around 7-8 hours. On drydown, i smell the Leathery scent and the sweetness are still there. However, after a week of using it, i got an allergy causing redness and rashes on my neck. Thats why i stop using it now as a doctor advise. But i will continuous using it on my clothes only to avoid allergic reaction.

Got this wore it very pleasant scent!! Smells like a fizzy melon not very aquatic almost tropical smelling on me I love it if only it would last longer!!! And project better. However great reactions! Blind buy worthy for the summer. Has a very very slight back ground note of fierce to my nose but it’s super light nobody would think you’re wearing a A&F scent. Very casual! And very Fun outgoing scent. If only it lasted longer

The first minutes didn't smell good. After it settles it really pleasant for me. I can smell melon here, but it smells like melon candy very artificial, not a juicy fruit. It's not bad. The dry down smells sweet musky on my skin. Have a good projection for 1 hour then settle close to my skin. Longevity 3-4hrs. It's good if you can find it cheap. Rating: 8/10 casual and fun type of fragrance.

One of those fragrances that no matter what, when you smell it, it will put you in a good mood. Haven’t got my nose on a fragrance that does melon as good as this does. Perfect for a hot, casual, summer day. Yes people say it smells “childish”, and yes I can understand that, but I personally think any age can wear this if you just wanna smell super fresh and be in a good mood.

This is one of the best high heat fragrances for young men. It's fruity, fresh, and sweet, but not too sweet. It has really good longevity, and for the price, it's a summer banger undoubtedly. I'd give this one a 10/10 for the price, I have received numerous complements from women only having owned it a week. Don't think twice on this one, if you're on the fence, go for it.

I love this stuff, how can anyone not...?? Its fresh, non offensive, smells clean & fruit cocktail but not in an over sweet way, my partner absolutely loves it....she buries her nose under my chin every chance she gets.. Yes, it duz attract attention from the ladies. Silage for close encounters only but lasts all day.... 2 thumbs up from me & my gal...xx

I love this stuff, how can anyone not...?? Its fresh, non offensive, smells clean & fruit cocktail but not in an over sweet way, my partner absolutely loves it....she buries her nose under my chin every chance she gets.. Yes, it duz attract attention from the ladies. Silage for close encounters only but lasts all day.... 2 thumbs up from & my gal...xx

Really like it. Think of fresh strong fruit punch with a little bit more melon. It is sweet and fresh, perfect for daily sunny days, fresh out of the shower and beach days, and also goes well in relaxed outgoing summer nights. On skin lasts very well, but you can get almost all day on clothes. Had many complements. One really great fresh fragrance!

Performance is fleeting but the notes in this make it hard to not keep spraying more. Juicy musk melon, citrus, and spice backed by soft suede notes. At times I get fresh cantaloupe and other times the notes blend in a way that almost smells like coconut. Would love more performance, but am still amazed this is something from A&F.

First time I used this fragrance it was Summer. And it's normal right? Because it's a warm weather fragrance. However the sweetness of the fruits bothered me a lot with the heat. Then I decided to use this when it's Spring or the beginning of Fall. Boom! Magical! I love it so much! One of the best fragrances which used melon note

A nice basic fragrance that gives fresh vibe. Nothing unique or special and easy to wear. It is very youthful smell so might not suitable for older age. But don't discourage yourself to wear this even if you are in your 30s or more. It is one of my gym frag choice since it's not loud and longevity is just okay (3-4 hours).

underrated for the price it is sold. Beautiful, compliment-getter and unique summer scent for a really low price. I personally had average projection and longevity (moderate) highly recommended for younger individuals mostly. (teens or adults in their 20s) but someone older could also pull it off as a casual summer scent

Better than invictus and all related frags. Starts like invictus, goes into a D&G 01 le bachelor or the H20 Middle East frag.. Drydown on skin reminds me of diesel fuel for life.. app while keeping its sueded musk A&F vibe backdrop similar to CH men. 8.5/10 more than impressed! Maybe a signature for now.

Just as it's advertised, this one if for the youngins. A perfect everyday fragrance for hotter weather with very sweet citrusy and flowery tones. If you're looking for a cheap fresh scent that you can just throw on in a hot summer day, but still has a unique smell, i strongly recommend this one.

Recently picked this one up after hearing so much about it. Opening is probably the best part of this cologne. It does last a decent amount of time on my skin. Also I will say it smells very similar to other fragrances sold at stores such as tillys and hollister.But overall a pleasant scent.

Hadnt smelt it for some time now, had a sliver left in my bottle, it was a gift from my sister, back in 2018. To my nose it smells insanely similar to le Beau / Paradise Garden. But a bit less cloying and sweet, which is nice! for the price its very good IMO - fresh, tropical, crowdpleaser!

To me this fragrance has many facets. During the day, its a casual, mass-appealing, clean-musk fresh fragrance. If sprayed after the sun sets, this turns a different type of sexy. Sharpness of gin and tonic embalmed in this sensual sweet melon and musk. I personally like it.

My absolute favorite freshie. Strong, chilled melon opening thanks to the gin tonic notes. Mellows down into a lovely little woody, musky thing going on. It does have that synthetic cheapie smell, but I think the frag itself smells nice enough that it's easy to ignore.

Good smell and performance. The opening similiar to F Black but more fruity. 6 hours and I still smell it on my skin. 2+ hours of projection. I wonder if mine is fake? Mine is 50ml. The juice is more blue in color. And I can't find the batch code on the bottle.

This is a lovely energetic fragrance that won't offend anyone. It is sweet, melon-like, which makes it unique. To me it is multi-dimensional with at least three levels and develops very nicely throughout the day. The more dried it is, the nicer it smells.

Sweet, fresh, and youthful. My only bottle that lasted me less than a year, jointly due to wearing it on most days, and having to overspray due to its lacklustre longevity. A safe buy for most guys in their early adulthood but I wouldn’t repurchase this.

I've started wear this perfume in 2018 just after fierce. Still my favorite perfume ever.. maybe cause I've used in Brazil when I met the girl that become my wife, but the taste also match perfectly with the summer and the love. It's a magic breeze.

One of the best smelling fragrances you will find for that price. Performance is not that good unfortunately. But for this low price you can't expect to be a beast furthermore it is fresh scent. Definitely worth buying .

This is one of the most potent suede & musk fragrances I've ever tried. First hour, you smell like gin and pepper. After that, you smell like a pheromonic bomb. A very underrated scent

Great spring/summer fragrance. Very unique smell. Not many mens fragrances open with melon. Cheap enough to add to your collection. Got a lot of compliments when wearing this.

This one is gorgeous to me. I get a kind of powdery melon vibe. Fresh and clean. Nothing harsh. Not too sweet. I don't get great performance, but it's cheap, so I spray extra.

Okay the first time I wore this fragrance it lasted 4hours this time I wore it it lasted 7 plus hours,if it keeps performing for 7 plus hours this is a 10 out of 10 for me

Coconut/melon/musk combo with excellent performance. I'm too old for this but just don't care. Puts some of the Creeds to shame, a banger for the price. 4/5

this is a very very pleasant fougere all aaround and it smells even better when it dries, very good value and sooo easy to wear.

If the fragrance had great performance it would be a 10 out 10 but the performance is a lil below average So it's 7 out of 10

Awesome juice. Smooth and fresh. I think this can be used all year round. Smells so good