The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Joshua Smith at Paraphrase Perfume makes fragrances the way a forester reads a landscape, through seasons, through memory, through what changes when you stop looking at the surface. Eros Fig arrived in 2018, and the brand's own copy frames it as a feast, as biting and clinching, as sweet juices coursing between tender fruits. That's the emotional territory. The fragrance opens with a clarity that feels intentional, a fig note that doesn't announce itself but rather accumulates, building presence through restraint. There's a warmth that emerges as the scent settles, something that feels almost tactile, like the memory of ripeness rather than the fruit itself.
The fig note here is dried, concentrated, slightly resinous. It's a fig that has shed its brightest qualities and kept something deeper, more essential. The honey amplifies that warmth, threading through the composition with a sweetness that feels natural rather than constructed. The coconut keeps it creamy, but restrained enough to avoid overwhelming sweetness. There's a balance here that doesn't try to impress with volume. The real surprise is ambrette: a plant-based musk that, depending on your skin, either stays clean and airy or reveals something more animalic in the drydown.
The evolution
The opening hits bright and tart, blackcurrant and green notes cutting through, with spice hovering just underneath. For the first thirty minutes, it's fresh, almost sharp. Then the fig arrives, but not the green kind. This is dried, almost candied, and the coconut-honey heart softens everything into something warmer. The honey becomes more pronounced as the heart develops, pulling the fragrance toward amber territory without ever fully arriving. By the third hour, the base takes over. Benzoin and sandalwood keep it warm, but the ambrette is the tell, close to the skin, animalic on some wearers, simply warm on others. The sillage was never loud. It didn't need to be. What remains on the skin is resinous, intimate, clinging to pulse points.
Cultural impact
Paraphrase Perfume has been quietly shaping the independent perfumery scene with its distinctive approach to scent composition. Eros Fig stands as one of their most acclaimed releases, representing a composition that blends warmth with unexpected depth. The fragrance reflects a sensibility that prioritizes authenticity over convention, bringing an organic, nature-informed approach to indie perfumery.
The House
ParaphraseParaphrase Perfume is an independent fragrance house based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, founded and operated by Joshua Smith. The brand occupies a distinctive space in the indie perfume world as a creative studio led by someone with no formal perfumery training, a former forester who began composing scents by hand in his studio. Smith approaches fragrance creation through an immersive, narrative lens, building scents around memory, place, and sensory experience rather than following traditional fragrance family conventions. Paraphrase, formerly known as Libertine Fragrances, underwent a complete rebranding that reflected an evolution in both identity and artistic direction. The house produces gender-inclusive perfumes that have earned a devoted following among collectors who value unconventional composition and storytelling through scent. Each fragrance exists as a standalone work with titles that signal their conceptual ambitions, from the prairie-inspired Sweet Grass to the atmospheric Fin de Siecle.
The Creator
Joshua Kale SmithEarly indications suggest a style grounded in balance and restraint. Smith's work shows an affinity for layering techniques that reveal different facets as a fragrance develops on skin.
