My favorite fragrance of my ‘Top 10 list for summer’ is Jardins de Kerylos, the N°16 by Parfumerie Générale, a wonderful fig scent. Now Pierre Guillaume has created another gorgeous fig elixir – Bois Naufragé, the French term for driftwood. And I can’t tell you which one I love more. Bois Naufragé is from the Limited Edition series, so you should get one before it is sold out. The perfume is marvelous!
Due to the fact that Pierre is a visual person his inspiration for this fragrance was the photograph “Nu au bois flotté“ by Lucien Clergues, the body of a naked woman on a huge piece of driftwood – skin, sun and wood.
A tart fig note, slightly woody, dominates the opening so it is not overly sweet. It’s like cutting a fig into two halves. What I don’t like about fig scents is that they can be a little bit sour sometimes. This doesn’t smell sour at all.
You get fruit in the opening, leaves in the middle and wood in the base. Just perfectly balanced. It’s special that Fleur de Sel is present at all different stages. The scent is salty and at the same time warm and soft and I just can’t get enough of it. As you probably know driftwood doesn’t smell just woody, it has something dry and smells like the ocean that has washed it into the water and back onto the shore.
A friend of mine told me that the perfume smells like Paris and without question it is very French. There is always room for a better fig – and this one is the best fig fragrance I have ever smelled. And now, run!
Category: unisex
Perfumer: Pierre Guillaume
Year: 2010
Notes: fig, carob tree, Fleur de Sel, ambergris