Ingredient Guide
Fresh figs are in season from late June through September, while dried figs can be enjoyed all year round. Fig perfumes, however, have nothing to do with the seasons.
Emmanuelle Moeglin
In Japanese, figs are written with characters meaning “fruit without flowers”, because they appear to bear fruit without flowering; in English, they are called figs. Their scent has a juicy freshness and greenness, together with a milky, jam-like sweetness of ripe fruit.
The Bible describes Adam and Eve using fig leaves to cover their bodies after eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. This is why “fig leaf” can also mean something used to conceal an embarrassment or something awkward.
Fig leaf absolute is prohibited for use as a fragrance ingredient under IFRA Standards, so the scent is recreated by combining other natural materials with synthetic ingredients, especially Stemone for greenness and gamma-octalactone for a prune-like character. The distinctive creaminess and milkiness of fig perfumes come from lactones.
The leaves, referred to as fig leaf in perfumery, have a green, fresh, sweet scent.
The world’s first fig perfume was Premier Figuier (L’Artisan Parfumeur, 1994, Olivia Giacobetti). Two years later, in 1996, she also composed Diptyque’s fig fragrance Philosykos.
Figuier Heeley ★★★★
I have never thought of myself as liking fig perfumes, such as Premier Figuier and Philosykos, but their surprise effect is considerable, and I acknowledge that they opened the way to garden-like scents with a watercolor quality. To my mind, the early fig fragrances were worked on too much to make them wearable as perfumes, and in the process they lost the character of raw figs. This one is different. Figuier is pure fig, seemingly better suited to a room fragrance than a perfume. […] As a re-creation of fig, it could not be better. A masterpiece of hyperrealist perfumery.
Luca Turin, from the Japanese edition “World Perfume Guide II”
What Does It Smell Like in Perfume?
In perfume, fig is a recreated note whose character changes according to the aspect of the fig being portrayed: its leaves, sap, or ripe flesh. The synthetic ingredient Stemone® has a green, fresh scent reminiscent of green leaves. Pomarina® moves from fruity and green facets into a natural fig-like drydown. The scent of the actual fruit consists of many components and changes with the variety and degree of ripeness. Layering several materials brings the greenness of the leaves and the sweetness of the flesh together in a single fragrance.
Choosing Fig Fragrances
If you are drawn to fig perfumes, start with what appeals to you most: green leaves, milky softness, or woods. This helps distinguish the different styles of fig fragrance.
- Green leaves: Look for fig leaf and green notes. When sampling, notice whether the greenness feels refreshing or too intense.
- Milky softness: Look for scents that evoke the fruit or sap. Considering creaminess and sweetness separately can make your preferences clearer.
- Woods: Pay attention to the woody notes paired with fig, including how the fruit’s sweetness and the woods linger as the fragrance develops.
If you are imagining the sweet smell of a fig as you eat it, the distinction between fruit-led perfumes and those centered on leaves or wood is especially useful.
Three Interpretations of Fig
Philosykos Eau de Toilette (Diptyque)
Philosykos evokes the whole fig tree through fresh leaves, the milky character of the fruit, and dense white woods. It brings leaves, fruit, and wood together in one fragrance. The balance between greenness and milkiness is a useful point to notice when sampling.
Premier Figuier Eau de Toilette (L’Artisan Parfumeur)
The main notes are fig, cedarwood, and fig leaf. This pioneering fig fragrance, introduced above, combines fruit and leaves with cedar. Alongside Philosykos, the way the woods mingle with the green and fruity notes offers a useful point of comparison.
Un Jardin en Méditerranée Eau de Toilette (Hermès)
A fruity, woody fragrance combining fig with green lentisk and oleander. It offers fig alongside other plants and flowers. Where Philosykos focuses on the fig tree itself, this fragrance evokes a Tunisian garden filled with trees and flowers.
From Fig to Your Next Fragrance
Once you have a sense of the scents you enjoy, open our Fragrance Finder. Choose “Favorite fragrances & notes” on the home screen, search in the “Favorite notes” field, and select an option from the suggestions shown. Choose “Next” to continue. You can start with notes even if you do not yet have a favorite perfume.
