As a followup to yesterday's post about fig fragrances, I'd like to blather on about Diptyque Philosykos, one of my favorite perfumes and certainly a contender for inclusion in my personal desert island Top 10. Created by Olivia Giacobetti and released in 1996, Philosykos is fig with green notes and a woody-earthy base. It smells like the whole fig grove, including the trees and the warm earth, and while the fig note itself is sweet and creamy, the sweetness is tempered by other notes and is never overwhelming.

Philosykos was included in one of the first sample orders I made after becoming seriously interested in perfume, and I pretty much hated it at first sniff. It smelled to me mostly like dirt, wet leaves and bark, and I could not imagine why anyone would want to smell like dirt, wet leaves and bark. Luckily another sample came my way some months later after my horizons had been expanded by a massive perfume testing regimen, and this time it was instant love.

I find Philosykos extremely comforting, and frequently wear it in the evening while unwinding after a busy day. It is unisex and can be worn in just about any season, although it is perhaps too heavy for a really hot summer day. And as an added bonus, I love the spare, old fashioned look of the Diptyque bottles.

For buying information, see the listing for Diptyque under Perfume Houses.