ON THE RING ep.1: PREMIER FIGUIER vs. PHILOSYKOS
Diptyque is one of the top players within niche perfumery due to good marketing strategy and likable scents, but on the spectrum of one of its most loved perfumes, Philosykos' parfumer has previously created an almost identical juice for a different brand.
Let's find out the differences between Premiere Figuier by L'Artisan Parfumeur and Diptyque's Philosykos.
Should this review start with a disclaimer? I suppose so.
Let me clarify that I have an odi et amo relationship with Diptyque, but it's not based on some undisclosed, immature impulses.
In reality, I haven't tested yet any Diptyque product truly outstanding.
This might sound harsh, but to me Diptyque is just a more aesthetic-crowd pleasing brand with the same industrial/bulk quality and unjustifiable price range of Jo Malone.
And as you can guess, both brands don't come at my top list of fragrance maisons, but I do find Diptyque still more interesting than Jo Malone's endless catalogue.
I often read on fragrance websites about Philosykos as a revolutionary fig scent.
And while everyone has different olfactory perceptions, and enjoying a brand particularly is not a reason to be ashamed of, allow me to disagree with the widely praised success of Philosykos, which I find murkily based on marketing and PR manouvres.
Yet, the same undisclosed praise vaunted for Diptyque reverses a much more critical reception for L'Artisan Parfumeur.
This post (and format) is intended to be an additional amateurial overview on the two scents, aiming to make readers more aware that behind commercial successes, usually nowadays there's a huge PR and marketing budget, playing a big role in making scents known and accessible.
Said so, we should move into the real matter of this series episode.
Premier Figuier and Philosykos were originally created both in EDT versions by the same nose, Olivia Giacobetti. It is no secret that both Reggie and I have a crush on Giacobetti and her majestic professional portfolio, with her being one of the most influential perfumers of our century.
Her work follows a very linear philosophy , almost prophetic mission to replicate the scents of nature in their most photorealistic nuances. Giacobetti does not even try to hide her olfactory love affair with few selected notes and compounds, her work traditionally appears of simple structure, studied in a way to bring the most unconscious and radiant memories to the final consumer, Giacobetti is the immediately recognizable composer behind the given fragrances.
What not many people know tho, is that Philosykos can be understood as an younger adaptation of an older project of Giacobetti for L'Artisan Parfumeur.
Premier Figuier was launched in 1994, and is considered the first modern perfume themed on fig trees: the fruit, its leaves and even its wood are both at the center of its inspiration. The successful scent was followed by an EDP release and in 2004 with the extreme version (currently discontinued).
Philosykos EDT was launched in 1996 and is currently sold additionally in its EDP, solid perfume, candle and body care editions.
Premier Figuier was inspired by Southern France summer air and of course figs. It brings a certain sentimental nostalgia of childhood and seasons change.
The Philosykos imaginary instead draws on Greek mythology and history. "Philosykos is a tribute to Greece, a place of light and mysteries where the Gods still live", states Diptyque's website.
Although the inspirations and creative moodboards appear different, the scents have often been compared. In order to understand their resemblances and nuances, the review will follow by outlining their olfactory portraits.
A review can surely be helpful, but we always encourage readers to try sampling or visiting a perfumery and then finding for themselves the best option.
Certainly, both scents require a nose able to enjoy the sharpness, vague funkiness of the syntheticly reproduced aroma of the fig. These two are within the fig panorama probably the Originals and the Old School Figs.
They heavily resemble the olfactory characteristics of the fruit, and its peculiar tartness does not allow particular air and lightness in the compositions.
If you're sensitive on smell and prone to migraines, maybe neither of the two are a good solution.
Notes officially declared on L'Artisan Parfumeur 's Website (2021):Cedarwood, Fig, Fig LeavesAdditional notes we perceived: almond milk, coconut, sandalwoodSillage: medium/discretePerfomance: 4-6 hours
OUR IMPRESSION: Having spent most of my childhood in Italy, Premier Figuier immediately brought on the surface a very ordinary, yet important memory: the ritual of breakfast. Its fig is a realistic mature fig fruit, reminds a freshly collected one for that craved breakfast toast.
Growing up surrounded by pines, oaks, walnut, fig and cherry trees,the smell of green earthy perfumes is quite familiar to me, so I feel pretty confident in saying when a scent is truly close to its raw material inspiration. And that's the case. Premier Figuier opens sweetly, the fig and cocunut are immediately present, and follows with a woodier and lactonic base which will set perfectly with the fig. It is an intriguing scent with a moderate sillage which will raise curiosities from people smelling it on you. It sets well on the skin and never hits a headachy alcohol queasiness which usually alcohol-based perfumes have.
It was an unexpected uplifting scent, packed with intimate emotions and memories.
Notes officially declared on Diptyque's Website (2021): Fig leaves, Fig tree sap, Fig tree wood
Additional notes we perceived: coconut
Sillage: moderate
Longevity on skin: 4+ hours
Description: We must start by saying that the story behind this perfume is truly worth a read (click here for Diptyque's description of the perfume), This is a green, airy, not yet at its sweeter peak fig. At first sniff immediately after a spray, the alcohol is much more invasive than in Premier Figueir, but it follows with a lovely and delicate take on this fruit. It still does resemble pretty well the real fruit, but the leaves here are more main characters. Definitely wearable during summer daytime, Philosykos is a skin scent packed with meanings, history and collective memories.
OVERALL CONSIDERATIONS & CONCLUSIONS
Due to the minimal nuances, both fragrances offer extraordinary olfactory interpretations of fig (both understood as tree and fruit).
Primier Figueir is a cultural fig, is a sincere, sweet, mature universally experienced olfactory and tasteful understanding of fig.
Diptyque's fig is more delicate and alcohol diluted. It's an ambitious fig, with complex, aerial and ontological aims, but remains stuck in the ambitious prefigurated plan, carrying significant difficulties of emancipation from its counterpart brilliancy.
If you are looking for a more realistic fig scent, Primier Figueir (especially the EDT and Extract) is an outstanding historical gem you are still able to purchase.
If you want something slightly less sweet and lactonic, Diptqyue offers a nice skin scent, with a stronger leafy note and a more breezy aurea around it..
A lot has been said on sillage and performance on skin of both brands' creations.
The sillage is mostly considered moderate for both of them, but Primier Figueir EDT has a louder olfactory vibrancy.
When it comes to performance, on the average skin they both lasted around 4 hours.
Is this a con? Not really.
Eau de Toilettes and especially spring/summer fragrances are created in order to not stay on the skin for over 6+ hours.
It wouldn't be possible to add the perception of an airy, light fragrance while wearing it for the entire day on.
Giacobetti herself spoke about this ongoing debate within fragrance enthusiasts on how the performance on skin might vary depending on the concept behind the scent:
''What dictates the volume and power of the fragrance is its theme. There is a tendency to want to up the volume, but what makes music isn’t the noise – it’s the melody. Nowadays the general tendency is to favour loudness, no matter the lyrics: perfumers use the same set of high-diffusion molecules and everything ends up smelling the same. While some perfumes must be on the strong side to fully express their potential, others act like a veil, a second skin.''
- Olivia Giacobetti, interviewed for Nose Paris (click here to read the full interview)
