Premier Figuier

Olivia Giacobetti understands what makes fig tick. She clearly has a love affair with it. She took it on for Dipyque with Philosykos in 1996 and it was a lovely piece of work. Premier Figuier appeared a couple of years earlier for L’Artisan Parfumeur and although it has fairly close ties with its cousin it seems to me to possess greater luminosity and elan. The sandalwood, in particular, is beautifully realised and the coconut and dried fruity notes in the base give the coda a nice lilt. If I had to choose I’d opt for PF (although I own and wear both) even though longevity is a tad lighter. A truly magical fragrance. I love it!

How beautiful and well made is this perfume 🩷 It’s clean, delicate, well blended and laconic in a non gourmand or eatable way.. with a hit of sweetness that give it a powdery vibe Smell like a clean baby in silk sheets, i see this perfume used by a new mom cause it have a maternal vibe to me ✨ Good longevity

Having seen a glimpse of the label this was not a true blind review, but was mixed in with two others from this house. I got them all confused. In the opening I get a light, mature, fruity nuance (almost fruity pebbles like) with hints of amber, slightly floral but not feminine. As it dries down the small edge of sweetness fades fairly quickly, settling into a mild, floral-leaning freshness with soft touches of amber in the background, adding a more intimate feel and a broader presence. It’s fairly gentle but not thin—there’s some depth here. Looking at the notes, nothing really dominates. The calone adds a noticeable sweetness in the opening, but I don’t get much of a melon-like quality. The other notes blend together more seamlessly. The only note I can’t distinctly pick out is the seaweed, which may just be merging into the neroli. Overall, it’s more light and atmospheric. It remains a unisex scent, though it leans toward a softer touch. Projection was good and longevity was great. I've been rotating through the three I have and there’s a consistent, mature freshness across them all. However, if you already think Jo Malone is kind of a wuss, you probably haven’t met this (more mature) softy.

i liked my dabber sample of this enough to ask for a travel spray for christmas… but now that i have the larger size i’m not crazy about it. this is philosykos’s more mature sister and i personally would choose philosykos over this. there’s something deeper and richer about premier figuier, as well as a sweetness that for some reason now makes my stomach turn a little bit. maybe it’s the coconut and dried fruits? it’s just not as fresh as i want it to be, almost feels heavy and humid.

There’s a cumin note here that really doesn’t work at all for me.

I want to preface this review by stating that I have a very hard time with Fig fragrances. I am on what seems to be a life long journey to find a fig fragrance i can enjoy and tolerate. Sadly, this is not one of them. Fig is green and lactonic, which in my lizard brain, makes me nauseous. It is a very subtle fragrance that sits more close to the skin and doesnt really offer much else from a soft fig to my nose. i also have no experience with Asafoetida or any idea what it is other than what I have read. Overall it is fine, the fig isnt intensly green or pungent, so it makes it more tolerable. My search continues.

I’m sure this was revolutionary back in ‘94 but there are just so many fig scents today that feel fresher and more complex. Debaser, Philosykos, etc. I don’t hate this one but it’s a little unremarkable.

i know this is the nose behind philosykos but....the coconut and dried fruit on my skin is gross. i don't get nearly as much fig as i want. i do love philosykos edp sooo much, especially the oil version, but unfortunately this just wasn't it for me.

Premier Figuier by L'Artisan Parfumeur is a cornerstone of modern perfumery. Launched in 1994, it was the first perfume to celebrate the fig tree in its entirety, not just the fruit. Wearing Premier Figuier is like taking a walk in a Mediterranean garden at midday, when the sun warms the leaves and the scent of the sap is more intense. The onset is a blast of trampled fig leaves. It is green, almost pungent and "milky". The note of asafoetida (often called "devil's incense") adds an unusual, almost mineral and earthy touch, which prevents the fragrance from becoming too sweet or banal. Here the fragrance softens. Almond milk and fig create a velvety texture. It is not a sugary fig from a pastry shop, but the fresh, fleshy pulp of the freshly picked fruit. The sandalwood begins to make itself felt, giving a woody and reassuring structure. The finish is dominated by coconut, which never veers towards the "cheap sunscreen" effect, but maintains a natural and airy profile. Dried fruits and lime create an interesting contrast: one warms, the other refreshes, leaving a clean and sunny memory on the skin. The "nose" behind this fragrance is Olivia Giacobetti, the queen of olfactory minimalism. It is she who literally invented the "cool" genre in perfumery. If you love this style but are looking for something more intense and less sunny, Giacobetti herself subsequently created Philosykos for Diptyque, which is the more woody and dry "brother" of Premier Figuier. Premier Figuier is considered the perfume that started the trend of green and fruity fragrances of the 90s, breaking away from the opulent and heavy perfumes of the previous decade. It is an evocative and nostalgic perfume. Ideal for those who love nature and are looking for a fragrance that does not "scream", but that whispers freshness and cleanliness. It's the perfect purchase if you're looking for a summer scent that stands out from classic citrus or marine scents.

Masterpiece. Had the sample on it just arrived, was in love, my adult son came in tried it loved it as well and he now has the sample in his new car. One of us will be getting a FB. It's green but softly, its creamy but not sweet, it is exquisite. Safe Blind buy or gift and for yourself will be an easy reach for.

Very photorealistic fig tree. On me, this perfume mostly smelled like the green part of a twig when you peel back the bark: distinctive, immediately recognizable, milky, green, and sweet in an organic way that sometimes crushed caterpillars do (this can't only be me). I personally don't pick up the sandalwood or coconut note, and as the perfume settled, the scent stayed mostly consistent, getting a little more powdery as I wore it. I wore this through watering the garden and walking the dog, and could still smell it hours later while cooking dinner, so definitely a beastie. I liked it a lot, but I probably won't buy it because of the price.

The initial spray is beautiful. Very apricot-adjacent, sweet creamy fig. The perfumer also made Philosykos, which came out 2 years after this did. I guess we can call this the OG. Although it is a tad sweeter and creamier than Philosykos’ greener leaning nature with coconut and sandalwood, they are both quite beautiful and fleeting. Ethereal, as some say. They also veer into a very similar direction to my untrained nose after settling for a few minutes. This one has a bit of a resinous quality, Philosykos does not. Since I don’t feel particularly attached to fig, I don’t need both. There are nuances separating them, but is it worth the extra to own? You decide.

Divine. Milky fresh green fig, just in your face. Couldn’t resist and bought 10ml after trying on paper. More Phylosikos-oriented fig, no cedar = no problem!

The masterpieces are always the hardest to describe. My nostalgia for this scent will never dissipate. After the house of Serge Luten—L'Artisan and specifically Premier Figuier and later, the Extreme version—was one of my early scent obsessions. I fell in love with the dry, complex fig note combined with coconut that smelled so very natural on my skin. Heaven. Unfortunately I never got the longevity that others experienced but that’s never been a deal breaker for me. I’ve had this in my collection for over two decades, it’s the “fig” that started them all. A classic that needs to be experienced, and the bottle that was responsible for my lifelong fig obsession. My review is based on a bottle that is the older version, 15+ years.

Love the initial scent but when it dries down it smells plasticy idk it was not what I was expecting or looking for. Maybe I'll try it again another day

This is a good example of a 'soft goth' fragrance, in my humble opinion. It reminds me of rainy days and Gothic churches surrounded by greenery. It's melancholic yet still sweet, but never overbearing. It's for the girlys who want to be dark and mysterious but not unapproachable.

This is everything I wanted it to be and more scent wise but how us it so badly projecting? This makes Jo Malone Fragrances seem strong. I can barely smell it and I just put it on for the second time only, so I know it isn't just nose blindedness. Wish we could still buy the extreme version. For scent alone this is on my top 5 ever scents, love!! It isn't just the green part of the tree but the fruit as well and I go crazy for both these components in a fig perfume.

if philosykos is a photorealistic fig on earth, premier figuier would be a photorealistic fig from heaven. i am enamoured everytime i put this on

Nostalgic grass and herbs. For that, En Passant is better, though this was great too. For the fig, Philosykos is better. This doesn't last long.

I truly wanted to like this perfume but it just doesn't last long at all. The projection just sits on the skin and doesn't last longer than an hour on me. I still believe it is a beautiful scent and very green and milky, just wished it lasted longer so I can justify the price

Smells very much like Prada Infusion de Figue, to me at least. The mastic note in Infusion is replaced here with astafoetida, I assume. I am on a lifelong mission to smell all the classic figs -- Philosykos, Debaser, etc. Of the ones I've smelled, Premier Figuier lays on the smoky, dark side of the spectrum if Philosykos is a green freshie. They are not the same, not at all -- the appealing core of Philos to me is the crunchy, milky greenness. The green part of Premier evaporated from my skin within minutes of application. All that is to say still Premier is impressive and appealing, but seems to me maybe more like the fall version of Philos, if one were to compare them. Don't listen to people who say they smell exactly the same. Still two great but separate offerings by different French houses.

Goes on beautifully green, full of perfect sap-juicy fig leaf. I don’t actually get fig fruit or coconut. Later on there’s a very different, brownish, musty, spicy, nutty scent, which might be the asafoetida. I’m not especially fond of it.

there’s a weird sweetness to this that clashes with the green notes to my nose.

If there's anyone based in Belgium and willing to commute to Antwerp... I'm selling a barely used 100ml bottle :) dm me!

Very green, very pure—like freshly picked fig leaves ground into a vibrant green juice.

I’m honestly pretty surprised there are so many ppl saying this is too green for their liking. All i can smell on myself is a very creamy coconut fig, very sweet but not offensive, I would buy this if it weren’t so expensive tho :((((

can be worn year round. so delicious, very soft and green and milky. done so well!! she’s called the queen of figs for a reason! my boyfriend said this smells like “a clean bathroom” which i agree, but not a regular bathroom, a bathroom with a fig tree, expensive linens, coconut shampoo and heated towels.

Premier Figuier is a love for me, both old bottle and new bottle, although I had a few years between them. I also have the solid perfume and love that as well. It starts off very true to the milky sappiness of the fig tree, then turns sweet and delicious on me — I love the soft sandalwood. It’s one of the rare fragrances that I like from the first spritz, rather than needing it to all calm down a bit. For now, this is my choice of fragrance most days, year round, although I wouldn’t call it a signature scent.

Very very green. It's the first thing I smelled when I used my sample - a resinous, almost sappy greenness that didn't fade. I find that this kind of green scent, when mixed with coconut milk, comes off very sickly to my nose. However, if you like that combination, this may be worth a shot.

I broke my bottle yesterday :( I am gutted as this is such a lovely fragrance. It helped me to discover I love fig in perfumes. And it is also one of a few fragrances I can smell just the same as before I lost my sense of smell due to covid. Ordered a tiny new bottle and wait to have again. Hope it has not been reformulated and smells just the same as my broken one!