204 Velvet Fig

204 Figue Edamame Essence d'Ambrette

Bon Parfumeur 2025

I’m a sucker for a lot of the notes in this perfume so it was only right that I purchase. This is a very cool fragrance, both in style and in the fresh and clean touch brought by the violet leaf. It also kind of reminds me of the fresh feeling of chewing on edamame. But then the orris, ambrette, and fig mix together to make it creamy and elevated.

I bought this in the winter and decided to wait to use it until I went on vacation to a hot place, but I have to say that this works in all kinds of temperatures and I don’t really feel like it changes much in different environments. The longevity is really good, and I would say the projection is kind of moderate, maybe leaning a bit soft. In terms of comparison, it shares the fresh clean aspect of Santal greenery, but I wouldn’t think of them as super similar imho.

I really dislike orris/iris so I knew this wasn't for me. Nonetheless, I think it's a type of fig scent I haven't tried much. It leans a bit more into the green sweetness rather than the syrupy/honeylike sweetness fig is often loved for. In combination with the green notes this makes for an instantaneously fresh green opening that gradually turns more sweet and floral. It's quite a soft but fresh fragrance that seems well-balanced, though I don't get that much woodiness out of the base notes given. Would make a lovely summer morning scent.

I was really surprised at how beautiful this scent is. It feels very clean, transparent, and at the same time modern. A fig fragrance that is neither sweet nor too heavy.

The fig opens fresh, accompanied by a light green note that gives it liveliness. I also find the iris exciting, which, together with the ambrette, creates a fine, creamy depth while also imparting transparency to the fragrance. The edamame is indeed slightly perceptible and likely contributes to this.

Worn, the scent feels absolutely unisex. It has a certain clarity and lightness but never comes across as trivial. I find it very easy and pleasant to wear in everyday life. Longevity and sillage are very good for me over several hours. Truly remarkable for such a fragrance profile.

Overall, a very balanced scent, green, fruity, creamy, and lightly woody, with this elegant fig-iris combination that makes it special. For me, the most beautiful accidental find in recent times, and it really brings me joy to wear it.

What sets 204 apart from other fig scents?

Fig scents often divide opinions: Either they are essentially pure musk fragrances at heart, or they remind one of bitter-green leaf cuttings, or their mix is milky-sweet.
204 creates something extraordinary in my opinion - it is creamy, warm, yet dew-fresh, bitter green, and has a slight nutty note.

The combination of fig and edamame pleasantly distinguishes itself from the mainstream, creating a modern vibe.
It smells authentic, unobtrusive, it has something extremely calming and gives me the feeling of relaxation on a summer evening.

It is a close-to-skin scent, not a club-night killer scent. It is linear in a good way in its scent development, it does not surprise you (unpleasantly).

In contrast to Philosykos, 204 is nuttier and powdery (edamame and iris).

Parisian Musc relies on musk, while 204 remains more intimate, down-to-earth, and herbal.

Fico di Amalfi focuses on citrus, while 204 can almost completely forgo it and concentrate on the creamy, green-vegetal aspects.

This scent does not try to please everyone. It is a radical, unexcited, modern, intimate skin-scent fragrance. It offers artisanal quality, one recognizes the artistic ambition, and I still appreciate the minimalist approach.

So, I have found my little personal retreat in a bottle with this perfume. Every time I spray it, I am in a place where the wind blows through the fig trees, the last rays of sunshine warm my face, and a fresh breeze carries away my worries.

It is worth a try, perhaps it will sneak into your heart as well.

A desk in the morning in April. Bright, clear daylight has long taken over the room. The windows are mentally open. The day feels accessible, almost cooperative. Nothing is pressing, but everything is possible.

Into this mood steps Velvet Fig 204.

The fig appears immediately, but not sweet. More leaf and skin than fruit. Green, slightly milky, with a surface that you can almost feel. Nothing sticky, nothing ripe. More structure than juice. Beneath it, a barely graspable, slightly nutty moment that minimally breaks the smooth line. It keeps the scent in tension without ever pushing forward.

The freshness remains welcoming. It creates space.

As it develops, the texture shifts. Ambrette and iris work together, almost inconspicuously, and therein lies their effect. Softness emerges, but without weight. Something creamy that remains transparent. No densification, rather a permeability that carries the scent without holding it.

In the end, the wood remains. Sandalwood and cedar, dry, calm, reliable. Not a classic conclusion, but rather a continuation along the same line.

It becomes interesting when you read the reorientation of Bon Parfumeur alongside:
* The yellow functions here like a premonition. It lays an optimistic foundation beneath everything, even before the scent is understood.
* “Velvet Fig” deliberately directs perception. The fig is not thought of as fresh, but soft, almost material. It behaves exactly like this as it develops.
* The number 204 remains as a silent coordinate system. You can orient yourself, but you don’t have to.
* The bottle appears as a consciously placed object. The color no longer stands for something; it is something.

Perhaps this is also the cinematic moment of this fragrance. It reminds less of an action than of a shot. A calm, well-placed camera pan through a bright room. No drama, no escalation. But a precise feeling for light, material, surface.

And while nothing decisive happens, the feeling slowly arises that everything is just right as it is.