Your quick guide to figs: explore the scent note and discover our best fig perfumes!
Fig: an iconic scent note that brings to mind sunny days, silky soft skin, and refreshing greenery. Join us and get to know the fig as an accord, its different characteristics, and the scents that capture it best!
The rich history of figs
The fig is a fruit tree native to the Mediterranean, as well as the western and southern parts of Asia. The plant has a rich history within many branches of religion, mythology, and folklore: Buddha meditated under a fig tree, Adam and Eve dressed themselves in fig leaves, and the Babylonian goddess Ishtar had a close connection to the tree. In art, we see figs depicted as symbols of fertility, abundance, and peace, but also as a representation of temptation and sensuality. Simply put: a plant that takes on many different shapes.
Because of this, it is perhaps not surprising that the fig takes on just as many guises in perfumery. The accord combines fruity, milky, and green aspects, and can be found in everything from lush gourmand scents to fresh, green fragrances. Maybe that’s just what makes the fig so fascinating: one moment, we enjoy it in crisp, invigorating creations; the next, we savor it in rich, decadent scents. Intimate, skin-close, and smooth. And then: sensual, fruity, and sweet.
Figs in perfume
The fig as a scent note is often divided into three parts with differing qualities, each distinct in its own way: the fruit, the leaves, and the sap – or fig milk, as it is often called. The fruit is sweet, sun-ripe, and full-bodied. The leaves are fresher, cooler, and greener, with herbal and woody sides. In turn, the milk is soft, creamy, and tends to sit close to the skin. These accords are often produced synthetically, through a combination of different raw materials – one of these being Stemone, which is also used in the production of lily-of-the-valley and blackcurrant accords.
Trail blazers and icons
Despite a rich history and the long-standing appreciation for its aromatic qualities, showcasing the fig as the main focus of perfumery is a relatively new practice. Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti was one of the first to do this, with the scent Premier Figuier for L’Artisan Parfumeur in 1994, and again with Philosykos for Diptyque in 1996. At Sniph, you can explore fig with fragrances such as the full-bodied Padre from MA|LO, Carl Kling’s soft, beautiful Clary Fig, or the crisp green I Fig You from Fascent.
Curious to dive deeper into fig scents?
Explore the scent expert’s tips here, or discover three of the many sides of the note in our Flawless Figs Trio!