Fig Leaf is a green note that recreates the sappy, bitter-green and slightly milky scent of crushed leaves from the fig tree, Ficus carica. It belongs to the green family, gives a fresh, outdoorsy character to perfumes and is built by the perfumer, since natural fig leaf absolute is prohibited by IFRA for fragrance use.

What does Fig Leaf smell like?

Fig leaf smells sharply green, almost bitter, with a milky, sappy quality and a hint of coconut-like sweetness. Where fig as a whole includes the fruit's soft, jammy sweetness, fig leaf focuses on the foliage: crisp, leafy and a little woody. It is greener and less sweet than fig fruit and softer and creamier than violet leaf or galbanum.

How perfumers create Fig Leaf

Perfumers build fig leaf around Stemone, a Givaudan molecule with a bitter-green, fig-leaf character, supported by cis-3-hexenol for freshly cut greenery and a touch of lactone such as gamma-octalactone for the milky sap. Dry woods and coumarin add warmth, and blackcurrant or citrus notes can give extra sparkle.

• Also known as: Feuille de figuier, fig leaves
• Fragrance family: Green
• Type: Accord (created by the perfumer)
• How it's obtained: Reconstructed with synthetics; natural absolute is prohibited
• Key aroma molecules: Stemone, cis-3-hexenol, gamma-octalactone

Fig Leaf in perfume history

Fig leaf absolute was once used in perfumery, but IFRA prohibited it in fragrance after assessing its risks, leaving perfumers to reconstruct the effect with synthetics. The fig leaf accord gained prominence alongside the 1990s fig trend, especially after Olivia Giacobetti's pioneering fig perfumes showed how evocative the leaf could be.

Fig Leaf in modern perfumery

Fig leaf is popular in green, woody and fresh unisex fragrances and in Mediterranean-themed colognes. Perfumers use it to add realism and a sense of shade and sap, often combining it with citrus or aromatic herbs.

How Fig Leaf wears and what it pairs with

Fig leaf is a top-to-heart note that gives a fresh, green lift. It pairs well with bergamot, grapefruit, cypress, basil, cedar, vetiver, coconut and musk.

Safety and regulation

Natural fig leaf absolute is prohibited as a fragrance ingredient under IFRA standards because of dermal sensitisation and phototoxicity concerns, so modern fig leaf notes are built from permitted synthetics.