The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Sycophant is a word that means flatterer, manipulator, someone who plays a role for personal gain. But Sycophant (2022) inverts the name entirely. The fragrance opens green and honest, cutting through any pretense of performance. Then it softens. Milk and ambrette arrive, warming everything into something worn and close. Cedar holds underneath like a foundation. This is rest chosen over performance. The fig tree won out.
Fig leaf gives the aromatic backbone, green and honest, not sweet or fruity. Plant sap adds an unexpected edge, something almost industrial in its sharpness. It creates tension against the creamier elements. Milk and ambrette work together to soften and warm, letting the green notes read as natural rather than tart. Cedar provides the woody foundation that holds everything together.
The evolution
The opening hits sharp and immediate. Fig leaf and plant sap arrive together, creating a green intensity that some find almost medicinal, that Magic Marker quality that divides opinion. Cedar sits underneath from the first spray, giving the whole thing structural backbone. Within the first hour, the green intensity begins to recede. Lactonic notes emerge as the milk becomes more apparent, softening the initial sharpness into something creamier and more approachable. The ambrette starts to show itself, adding a warm, slightly sweet facet that wasn't present at the opening. By the drydown, the composition has settled into something intimate and close to the skin. Ambrette and cedar form a warm, slightly sweet residue that lingers for hours on most skin types. This is the payoff, the reward for patience, the moment when the initial green intensity becomes something worn and wanted.
Cultural impact
Sycophant joins a Perdrisât lineup that includes Coquette, Crying At The Lipstick Bar, and Bully, each one a scene, each title a provocation. The brand's approach is art-house cinema as private ritual. Sycophant continues that tradition: the name carries accusation and moral weight, yet the scent offers something unexpectedly tender. Community response highlights the green, non-fruity character and notes that the plant sap note fades with wear. The tagline says it all: 'I'm sorry I missed your call. I fell asleep under the fig tree.'
