I love the bitter green, milky, fresh aspect that fig brings to a fragrance. In today’s blog post I review 3 of the more famous fig scents on the market.
Diptyque – Philosykos EdT- Woody, fig coconut 9/10
Philosykos is the true, full representation of the fig tree, from the leaves, to the fruit, to the woods of the tree it is all here. Coconut is also prominent to my nose. For mine, this just edges the L’Artisan in terms of being my favourite, but it is close. The EdT gives me about 5-6 hours longevity with moderate projection. Green, transparent, clean, creamy coconut and woods certainly stands as one of the benchmark fig scents. A scent that can be worn for many occasions, but it surely works best in the warm weather. A perfume that transports the wearer straight to the Mediterranean, and a fantastic fragrance for those first getting into niche. Stellar work from Olivia Giacobetti.
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Premier Figuier – The first fig 8.5/10
A couple of years prior (1994) to Philosykos, Olivia Giacobetti composed Premier Figuier for L’Artisan. Grassy, green fig leaf in the opening, gradually becoming fruity, creamy and milky with notes of fig fruit, almond milk, sandalwood and coconut making an appearance as it develops. The woods aren’t as apparent, at least to my nose as in Philosykos. Still, Premier Figuier is a wonderful, slightly sweet, leafy green, milky option for a warm sunny day. This one lasts about 6 hours on me, but I like to layer with the body lotion, which is a great match for the scent, and it extends the longevity by a couple of hours. Highly recommended, and not at all obsolete if one already own’s Philosykos. There’s room for both masterpieces in one’s collection.
Marc Jacobs – Men – Designer fig 6/10
Released in 2002 and composed by Ralf Schwieger Marc Jacobs Men was a decent entry into the designer fig market. It offered a point of difference from a lot of the scents being released onto the market at the time. It gives off a green floral sweetness from the tonka, rose and cyclamen. They complement the fig leaf very nicely. Cypress adds a woody, mossy touch. However there is something in here that veers it a little too close to suntan lotion territory. If you like green tropical scents it is worth checking out but I reach more often for the L’Artisan and the Diptyque. I only ever get 3-4 hours from this one.
What are your favourite fig scents?