WHAT I SMELL:  Philosykos opens with one second of sparkling ozone followed by this inviting coconut and fig.  It’s green and feels earthy and rooty like vines that are meeting the ground and attaching themselves to the earth below.  There’s a creaminess that helps to create what feels like a lush carpet of wood and green and mildly ripening fruit.  For some reason I was expecting this to be sweet, but it’s far from that.  Instead, the perfume is subdued and pulsates within the heart of the jungle with a comforting earthiness.  After around 15 minutes the fragrance warms with a sugared spiced cedar and a light soapiness adding more comfort and security to an already comforting perfume.  Be forewarned however that a little goes a long way with Philosykos.  If you get heavy-handed with your application, this could be way too overpowering.

From the Diptyque website:

In the heat of a Greek summer, “to get to the sea,” recalls Yves, “you had to walk through a natural orchard of wild fig trees.” Returning from Paris, Desmond brought back a few leaves of these trees in a little box. Years later, the leaves had lost none of their fragrance. Philosykos, which in Greek means “friend of the fig tree,” is an ode to the entire tree: the green, pungent freshness of the leaves, the wood warmed in the sun, the milky flavor of the fruit.

Notes from Fragrantica;

Top notes are fig leaf and fig; middle notes are coconut and green notes; base notes are cedar, woody notes and fig tree.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What in my mind, Borneo smells like.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PHILOSYKOS:  inviting, comforting, creamy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PHILOSYKOS: Olfactoria’s Travels, The Scentualist, The Smelly Vagabond

BOTTOM LINE: Philosykos is the perfect perfume for those sunny spring and summer days when you don’t want to fuss and muss with your wardrobe or your perfume.  It’s a comfortable, carefree and easy to wear perfume that makes me wish I could walk outside barefoot and lie in a hammock in the backyard.  If only it wasn’t 30 degrees outside!!!                                          

• Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent:  Woody Aromatic
• Nose:  Olivia Giacobetti
• Classification:  Unisex
• Expense:  $90 for 50ml EdT from the Diptyque website