Philosykos Review

The solar system of the light / Is filtered through the branches’ hair; / Deep in the wells of leaves the birds / Soften their silver syllables for us. / And the fruit, the heavy fruit, / In the middle of the day.

• Lawrence Durrell, “In the Orchard”

Diptyque’s Philosykos is a fig scent that really captures the whole fig tree. It literally translates to “Fig Lover”, and it’s liable to turn you into one. I was created by Olivia Giacobetti, for whom this is not the first fig scent. While her earlier work, Premier Figuier, was a bit more aimed at turning heads, Philosykos is equal parts interesting and appealing.

There’s an interesting question as to whether this is best classed as a fruity, green or woody fragrance, because it’s really all three. On the top there’s tons of fresh fig, but also fig leaves and something every so slightly ozonic; it’s fresh in a sort of cooling way. The heart continues the figgy freshness but adds more green and some coconut facets. The base is sweet and woody, more cedar than anything else.

In the world of fig perfumes Philosykos is in a class of its own; the hyperrealism of the fig grove it captures is really quite impressive. It won’t knock your socks off in terms of performance, but impermanence is the price you pay for the fleeting beauty of a fresh fig.