Gourmand · Accord · Heart notes, Base notes
Fig
Fig is a perfume note that recreates the smell of the fig fruit and its leaves, from the Ficus carica tree, known in Indonesia as buah tin. It opens green and slightly bitter like leaf sap, then turns creamy and sweet like ripe fig, with a woody touch at the end. In perfume, fig is built as an accord and usually sits in the heart.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does fig smell like?
Fig opens green and a little bitter, like a snapped fig stem or leaf oozing white sap. After a few minutes, a creamy, sweet side like milk and coconut comes through, recalling the flesh of a ripe fig. In the dry-down, fig settles into a soft woody impression.
Fig feels fresh and sweet at the same time, so perfumers often use it for green perfumes that should not feel too sharp. The fig note differs from dried figs, which smell sweeter and more like honey.
How is a fig note made?
Almost every modern fig note is an accord. Natural fig leaf absolute is no longer used in perfume because of IFRA safety rules, so perfumers build the scent from molecules. Stemone gives the green feel of a snapped stem, while lactones add a creamy side like milk and coconut.
Figs come from Ficus carica, a tree native to the Mediterranean and western and southern Asia. In Indonesia, the name tin comes from Arabic and is widely known from Surah At-Tin in the Quran, which opens with an oath by the fig and the olive.
Fig in a perfume
Fig is usually placed in the heart. There, fig links a fresh opening with a creamy or woody base. Its green side suits green notes and bergamot, while its creamy side suits coconut, milk and sandalwood.
Fig is also often paired with cedar for a dry woody touch. It appears in green fresh perfumes, soft woody ones and creamy gourmand blends. Because it sits in the heart, fig comes through clearly once the opening fades, then slowly blends into the base.
When to wear a fig perfume
A green, fresh fig suits daytime, work and hot weather because it is not too sweet. Fig paired with coconut, milk or sandalwood feels creamier and warmer, so it fits late afternoons or evenings.
