Fig perfumes are my personal obsession. And if you think that weird, let me convince you in two sentences that fig scents are great: And that’s because they’re so incredible versatile. A fig fragrance can turn out sweet, or fresh, woody, gourmand, citrus… it can be everything. You just have to find the right one. And I’ve got a few different ones for you in the review of my favourite fig perfumes 2022!
Fig is an interesting note in a fragrance. I’ve found out when I researched this post that fig leave scents are always “artificial” – they always use synthetic scent molecules because the real deal is phototoxic. On top of that, fig is nearly always composed from something – not-fig, because honestly, fig is a rather demure, shy scent. Do YOU know what a fresh fig smells like?!
(I do love to eat fresh figs, but if you don’t live in the Mediterranean, the supermarket variety can be disappointingly bland. And even IF you find a fresh, good one: there’s that fruity-sweet freshness with a hint of creaminess. Nice, but maybe a bit bland in a fragrance.)
How do they do it?
To mimic the scent, perfumers amp up fig characteristics with other notes: the bitter green leaves can be replicated by green notes like grass or galbanum. The lactonic creaminess gets a boost by vanilla and coconut. The fruitiness often gets boosted by random fruits, likely citrus ones.
And there you have the reason why fig scents fall in (mostly) three categories: fruity, citrus-fresh and creamy-lactonic.
Now there’s a good moment when I’ll tell you that I won’t mention Dyptique’s Philosykos here, because it lasts about five minutes on me and I don’t like those five minutes anyway. (Also, no mention of Le Labo’s Thé Matcha either, because that’s basically a solar vanilla-coconut on me and gives me a headache. I was heartbroken after trying it, because I so wanted to love it.)
Dries van Noten: Santal Greenery
Official notes
- Top Note: Bergamot, Grapefruit
- Heart Note: Violet Leaves, Creamy Fig Accord
- Base Note: Sandalwood, White Musk
The perfumer is Nisrine Grillie, 100ml are 220€.
I’ve written about this before and called it basically a Zara perfume (that’s not bad! But then, Zara perfumes don’t cost 220€!)
The whole van Noten range doesn’t reinvent the perfumery wheel at all, but as I said in my review of the complete line-up, if you want a very well-made fragrance that is housed in a beautiful bottle, this range is for you. It screams basic bitch (but make it bougie), and look, I went and got a bottle because I loved wearing and smelling it. It brings absolutely nothing new to the table of fig fragrances, but it does that so incredibly well.
Santal Greenery goes politely, well-measured through its discernible notes: opening with a fresh, slightly bitter citrus accord, progresses to the lactonic, creamy ones and ends with a softly-rounded sandalwood. (I hate those screechy, scratchy sandalwoods with a passion.)
Weren’t it for the nearly indecent price, this would be a crowd-pleaser. I regret nothing.
Hermès: Un Jardin en Méditerranée
Official notes (forget the official notes)
- Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon and Mandarin Orange;
- Middle notes: Orange Blossom, White Nerium Oleander
- Base notes: Fig Leaf, Cypress, Red Cedar, Juniper, Pistachio, Musk.
Can this already called a classic? It’s the first of Jean-Claude Ellena’s fragrances for Hermès (2003), and shows Ellena’s distinctive handwriting. The notes don’t plod on, one after another, but gently, nearly imperceptly, waft and weave around each other. It is, to use the established nomenclature, a citrus-fig, but then, it’s not. It’s a diaphanous veil of citrus, gently placed over figs and super-smooth woods, dancing around you like fairies in a clearing in your gran’s picture book.
I’ve worn it on and off since it was released, and love it most of all Ellena’s fragrances.
I wear it the whole year round, and love it for its freshness in the summer, and in the winter for its memories of a gentler climate.
BDK: Gris Charnel
Official notes
- Top notes: Cardamom, Fig, Black Tea
- Middle notes: Iris, Bourbon Vetiver
- Base notes: Sandalwood, Tonka Bean.
The perfumer is Mathilde Bijaoui, 100ml are $190.
(Yes, we’re going there.)
I got a sample, and if I hadn’t already gotten one extremely expensive fig fragrance, this would have been it. Now I’m living my tea-and-fig-dream through decants. What can you do?!
If you’re wondering, the name means “carnal grey”, and the marketing blurb tells you a tale about two people meeting at a quay in Paris, dancing in a garden and having sexy times together. Oooookay then.
This is, atrocious blurb withstanding (“As if they were carried away, they dance in the heat of the night. From this hand-to-hand seduction punctuated by knowing smiles, they end up slipping away to give free flow to more carnal desires.”), a spicy, sexy fig. Don’t expect too much figginess (figness?) in the fragrance, though: this is a spicy, warm scent that wears close to the skin and has enormous longevity. I absolutely adore the first spritz that’s exactly what it says: a burst of cool, tingly cardamon paired with astringent black tea and a creamy fig. After that, it’s basically boozy woods and tonka. For me, it’s a winter fig at its best.
Honorable mention: Agent Provocateur, Electric
Official notes
- Top notes: Lime, Lemon and Bergamot
- Middle notes: Fig Tree and Fig
- Base notes: Sandalwood and Amber
Look, this has so much going on for it: it comes with an EauMG recommendation, it’s cheap as chips (if you throw in a coke and a movie ticket), it’s very like a body spray (simple, and you can spray it with abandon) and great for hot and humid weather. It’s also very unisex.
The thing is, for me, it’s really difficult to smell the fig in there. On me, all I get is green fig leaves paired with a BLAST of citrus, and then creamy sandalwood with a hint (blink and you’ll miss it) of milky fig.
I loved it during summer. You can drench yourself in it, because the lasting power is forgettable, and it’s just such a blast of freshness when you need it.
Look for it on Amazon/Ebay, the usual price is around $20-25.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
