If the road ever takes you to Corfu, Greece, I recommend a trek to the hidden gem, the exquisite Paralia (Greek for beach), Fieroulas, ideally a few hours before sunset. This secluded beach, nestled just across the iconic Ortholithi rock, boasts pristine, crystal-clear waters, breathtaking scenery, and very few visitors, even in the midst of July. Plus, quite a few cute sea snails adorn the sea-beaten rocks. The journey from Pentati village is an adventure in itself, winding along a not-so-narrow path that rewards with unparalleled vistas. But for me, the true magic lay in the majestic, years-old fig trees that lined the serpentine road. Their sweet, intoxicating aroma is hypnotic—an olfactive experience that permeates through your memories and forever makes its mark on them. Since returning from this Greek adventure, I’ve sought to recapture that fig-filled moment through various perfumes. Ultimately, it’s Diptyque’s Phylosikos that transports me most vividly back to those idyllic few hours.
Image by @Diptyque
It’s a photorealistic homage to the fig tree in its entirety, from the green leaves, woody bark, and milky sap to the ripe sweetness of the fruit.
Overall, Phylosikos is a study in contrasts. It begins with a bold, assertive greenness that’s neither sharp nor herbal, reminiscent of a green leaf fallen on rain-soaked soil. This dewy greenness gradually softens, yielding to a gossamer-like, subtly fruity lactonic accord. It’s a milkiness unlike any other, devoid of coconut’s richness, instead evoking a watery sweetness with an ethereal quality. And yet, you can smell the stickiness of the milky fig sap that dissipates and etches its scent upon everything it touches. Minutes, maybe hours later, it doesn’t matter, another aroma emerges in the places where your skin was drenched in Phylosikos. Now it’s turn for the fig bark to bask in the spotlight, accompanied by some other faint woody notes. It’s the words smooth and soft coming to life, underscored by the aroma of figs that spent their lifetime sunbathing and refreshing in salty waters, courtesy of the strong coastal winds. It’s a creamy, sophisticated drydown without an ounce of creaminess, and this is a masterstroke in itself.
If I had to sum all this up in a single sentence, then let me try by saying that it’s the most realistic fig fragrance that evolves beautifully over time, revealing new facets and aromas with each passing hour.
I love it so much that I wish I had a bigger bottle to spritz on somebody else and just hug them all the time, so I don’t appear as crazy as I do every time I bring my wrists, my clothes, and some other body parts close to my nose.
If Diptyque’s Phylosikos is too earthy green fig perfume for your liking, I recommend going after Acqua di Parma’s Fico di Amalfi and DS&Durga’s Debaser.
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi
Fico de Amalfi’s tangy grapefruit and lemony citron notes are balanced by sensuous fig nectar and lush jasmine, for a potent, sunlit, and seductive perfume. It unravels like a fig, peeling off the skin and revealing a heart that’s both delicious and alluring.
It smells warm, comforting, and utterly, utterly sensuous. It’s a fig perfume on the sweeter side of the spectrum, with just enough citruses to keep it fresh and inviting.
DS & Durga Debaser
It smells like figs dipped in coconut cream, enjoyed in a childhood moment suspended in sepia-toned time. This is what nose-stalgia smells like, warm, balmy, sweet, inviting. Or, in the words of its perfumer, David Seth Moltz:
“Music is essential to life. I was born in a house of blues—dad’s from Chicago. At 9 I went to camp on an island. Cool older punk kids showed me the Misfits and the Pixies. (One of those kids was actually comedian Rob Delaney). That summer was ruled by Doolittle. The provocative lyrics. The cackle of Frank Black. I absorbed it in the summer heat. August humidity. Young romance. Our Debaser scent is hot, humid, and sexy. Green stems, deep purple fig, soft blond woods, a wet white ethereal musk, and the coumarin-vanillic note of tonka bean.”
Get it or regret it, because I know that will happen for sure.
