The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Mulberry Fig arrived in 2022 from perfumers Penny Ellis and Nicola Pozzani. The brief was simple: fig, but not the usual story. Where most fig fragrances lean into the milky, the lactonic, the green-stem reality, Floris went somewhere quieter. The name itself tells you everything, mulberry adds that bittersweet depth that fig alone can't reach. A little darker. A little more restrained. Cardamom at the opening isn't an accident either. It keeps the sweetness honest, the green honest, and the cream from ever getting cloying. This is a fig fragrance for people who find the obvious version too easy.
The heart is where Mulberry Fig earns its keep. Iris and coconut together create a powdery-creamy quality that most fig fragrances skip entirely, they go green, they go milky, they rarely go here. Vetiver and cypress underneath give it an aromatic depth that keeps the sweetness grounded. It's the difference between a fragrance that smells nice and one that smells like it knows something. The base of amyris, sandalwood, cedar, and amber doesn't announce itself. It just stays. Hours after the fig and cardamom have settled, the woody warmth keeps the skin warm and close.
The evolution
The opening is bright. Fig and cardamom burst through the violet leaf, and for the first thirty minutes there's a green-fruity spark that's genuinely uplifting. The cardamom is the tell, it keeps the fig honest, prevents it from going full dessert. As the first hour winds down, the violet leaf fades and the fig becomes creamier, the coconut starts to show itself, and the composition shifts from sparkle to softness. By hour two, the iris takes over. That's when the powder arrives, the orris note gives everything a soft, almost dusty quality that changes the entire character. The coconut and iris together create something that smells expensive without being loud. The drydown is warm. Amyris and sandalwood give it a creamy-woody finish that lingers for hours. By hour six, it's skin-warm and close, the kind of scent someone leans in to find.
Cultural impact
Mulberry Fig sits in a crowded category with a quieter voice. Where most fig fragrances lean into the lactonic, the milky, the obvious, this one goes powdery and warm. It's a choice that appeals to someone looking for Floris restraint rather than mainstream appeal. The 2022 launch arrived as the fig trend was peaking, yet it sidestepped the green-coconut cliché entirely.
