What Does Fig Smell Like? Fig in Perfume Explained

The question “what does fig smell like” usually comes with the ripe fruit in mind. In perfume the answer is wider. Fig is a note with three parts: the green, faintly bitter leaf, the soft and milky sweetness of the fruit, and the pale, dry wood of the tree. This guide covers each part, where fig sits and what perfumers place beside it. Seven perfumes from our range, one per house, show how differently the same note can be handled.

What does fig smell like: leaf, fruit and wood

Start with the leaf, because most fig perfumes lean on it. Fig leaf is commonly described as green, slightly rough and a little bitter, like a crushed leaf on the fingers, and some people also find a creamy, coconut-like softness in it. The fruit is gentler: sweet without sharpness, soft and milky rather than juicy. The sap and wood of the tree add a dry, pale woodiness that stops the whole note from turning sugary.

That mix explains why fig sits well between fresh and woody. The green side connects to citrus, herbs and tea, and the milky side connects to sandalwood and cedar. A perfumer chooses which part to show, and the perfumes below choose differently.

Where fig sits in a perfume

Fig turns up in every tier. Among our seven examples it is a top note once, a heart note twice (one of them a fig leaf), a base note twice, and part of a flat list without tiers twice. A fig at the top is usually bright and green, the first impression. In the base the same note tends to become soft, woody and milky. Our guide to how to read a fragrance pyramid explains the tiers, and the perfume glossary defines the other terms used here.

What goes with fig in a perfume

Four kinds of partner come up in the seven perfumes on this page.

• Citrus. Mandarin, clementine, lemon, bergamot and yuzu brighten fig and bring the green leaf forward.
• Tea and herbs. Black tea, green tea, sage, thyme, basil and bay leaves make fig drier and more botanical.
• Woods. Cedarwood, sandalwood and vetiver echo the dry wood of the tree and give the milky side something to rest on.
• Flowers, spice and resin. Orange blossom, rose, jasmine, black pepper, cinnamon and benzoin turn fig warmer or sweeter.

How our perfumes use fig

Top and heart

Essential Parfums Fig Infusion is the one where fig comes first. Nathalie Lorson, named by the house, builds it around a big fig lit up by mandarin and clementine, with freesia, orange blossom and Sri Lankan black tea in the heart and Virginian cedarwood, sandalwood and benzoin underneath. The house describes an optimistic, reassuring perfume built on the light of a sunny day in the south of France. It is an Eau de Parfum in 100 ml, and our tags mark it moderate, for daily and work wear.

Roja Parfums Amber Aoud puts fig in the heart, among Rose de Mai, Jasmin de Grasse and ylang ylang, under lemon, bergamot and lime. The base is long: cinnamon, saffron, patchouli, oakmoss, sandalwood, oud, benzoin, orris, birch, ambergris and musk. The house pairs fig with sweet benzoin and calls the balance of sweet, spicy, salty and woody tones the Amber Aoud Effect. It is a Parfum in 50 ml, and our tags mark it strong, for evening and special occasions in autumn and winter.

Fascent I Fig You uses the leaf rather than the fruit. Green tea, sage and citruses come first, fig leaf and carrot seeds form the heart, and vetiver and cedar wood hold the base. It is the clearest example here of fig as a green, botanical note. The house describes a fresh, energetic escape into nature, and we list it as an Eau de Parfum in 30 ml with a moderate tag, for daily and work wear.

In the base

Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades Bonus keeps fig for the end. Orange, lemon, citron, mint, black currant and coriander open it, May rose, apricot, basil and carrot seeds fill the heart, and dates, ambrette and fig close it. The house calls that base warm. We list it as a Parfum in 100 ml, strong, for daily and special wear.

Nishane Wūlóng Chá X also ends on fig, but with musk. Bergamot, yuzu, litsea and mandarin come first, magnolia, thyme oil and green tea form the heart, and the base has only two notes, musk and fig. The house says it softens the sharp edges of its original tea scent. We list it as an Extrait de Parfum in 50 ml, moderate, for daily and work wear.

In a flat list

Diptyque Philosykos gives the whole tree and no pyramid. The house lists fig leaves, fig tree sap, fig tree wood and black pepper, and describes an ode to the tree rather than the fruit: the green freshness of the leaves, the milky flavour of the figs and the weight of white wood. The name means “friend of the fig tree” in Greek, and the house traces it to a Greek summer on Mount Pelion. We list it as an Eau de Toilette in 100 ml, light, for spring and summer.

Le Labo Thé Noir 29 is also a flat list: bergamot, fig, bay leaves, cedarwood, vetiver, musk and black tea leaves. The house describes a swing between the lightness of bergamot, fig and bay leaves and the depth of cedarwood, vetiver and musk, with a dry, leafy drydown that carries hay and tobacco nuances. Fig works here as a light, green companion to tea, not as a sweet fruit. We list it as an Eau de Parfum in 100 ml with a moderate tag, for daily and work wear in spring and autumn.

Choosing a fig perfume

Choose by the part of the tree you want. For the fruit with citrus and soft woods, begin with Fig Infusion. For the leaf with green tea and sage, begin with I Fig You, and for the tree as a whole, with Philosykos. Thé Noir 29 and Wūlóng Chá X set fig beside tea, while Amber Aoud and Bonus use it as a sweet note in a deeper, warmer base.

Concentration shapes the effect too. Three of the seven are an Eau de Parfum, two are a Parfum, one is an Extrait de Parfum and one is an Eau de Toilette. A parfum or extrait is usually denser and warmer, an eau de toilette lighter and airier. Browse the Eau de Parfum collection and the Extrait de Parfum collection.

The full list is in our fig perfumes collection, and the fruity perfumes show the wider family. For another note that sits between fresh and warm, read lavender in perfume.

Frequently asked questions

What does fig smell like in perfume?

Green, soft and slightly milky. The leaf gives a fresh, bitter-green edge, the fruit a mild sweetness and the tree a pale, dry wood. Which part leads depends on the perfume.

Is fig perfume sweet or green?

It can be either, but rarely only sweet. The fruit is mildly sweet and milky, while leaf and wood keep it green and dry. Amber Aoud leans warm and sweet, I Fig You stays green.

What notes go well with fig in perfume?

Citrus such as mandarin and bergamot, tea and herbs such as green tea and sage, woods such as cedarwood, sandalwood and vetiver, and spice or resin in warmer perfumes.