Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule

As spring arrives and hearts start to skip a beat with the suspicion that warm weather and the awakening of nature are finally here, I naturally start planning which scents I am going to wear this season. Fig (both fruit and leaves) fragrances always find their way into my spring rotation.

Fig leaves offer freshness and spring-like greenness that is neither overwhelming nor irritating. They possess a bitter touch, sometimes even a hint of dustiness, and often provide a perfect balance to fragrances built on sweeter accords. This freshness is something you will never get from citruses; I find it deeper and more refined.

Fig fruit is also green but sweeter and sometimes leans towards gourmand. It is lactonic and even honeyed, with a creamy texture. It is simply delicious.

Fig-based fragrances are nothing new, and many brands include something with figs in their collections. However, the three I am going to introduce to you now are exceptional – these figs are crafted differently, perhaps even unexpectedly, but the results are worth the attention. These three are my favorites of this style.

Neela Vermeire Creations Ashoka. This fragrance is fresh and clean, utilizing fig leaves. However, the fig leaves are just the beginning of a wonderful olfactory experience. They are masterfully blended with a bouquet of flowers like lotus and water hyacinth, followed by jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, and others.

The fragrance is creamy and almost lactonic, with a tea-like quality. Fig milk and sandalwood are likely responsible for this. It's pleasant and relaxing.

There's also some frankincense and myrrh in the base, giving the perfume a mysterious touch, while a hint of vanilla crowns the composition.

Agatho Parfums 195 a.C. This fig fragrance has its darker touches, which add to its beauty. It opens with juicy fig fruit and fig leaves, freshened with mint and lemon. Some sunny floral accords join the fruits, and then the unexpected magic happens.

Just as you start to think it will be an easy, usual spring/summer scent, it becomes darker and warmer. Frankincense, styrax, and even a hint of oud appear.

It's like walking in a Sicilian village: fig and lemon trees surround the little road leading to the centuries-old church. Through the open door, the scent of incense wafts... an idyllic spring evening descends.

Matiere Premiere Parisian Musc. While this fragrance doesn't list fig in its notes, the illusion of fig leaves is remarkably realistic. It is likely the result of combining ambrette and lots of musk.

The fragrance is green, fresh, and, of course, musky. In the base, there is a woody accord, yet it doesn't become too dark or heavy.

A dose of ambroxan makes the scent louder than your usual freshie, but it is not overwhelming or overpowering. Ambroxan connects the fresh and woody notes together, resulting in something I want to reach for every time I feel the first sunbeams.