What does Dried Fruits smell like?
Open a box of dates and dried figs at Christmas and that is the smell: sweet, a bit sticky, almost alcoholic. There is honey, rum and a hint of blond tobacco. Nothing about dried fruit is sour. It thickens a base and makes it warmer. Overdosed, it turns syrupy. On skin it lasts a long time and blends well with spices and resins.
Origin and production
No dried-fruit essence is common in fine fragrance. The accord is built from sweet, fruity and slightly fermented synthetic molecules. Absolutes such as tobacco or hay sometimes bring a similar facet. Spices and resins complete the effect. The result varies from date to prune depending on the perfume.
How perfumers use it
Dried fruits pair with tobacco and vanilla. Benzoin, cumin and cinnamon suit them too. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille (2007) places them in the base under tobacco and tonka bean. Serge Lutens Arabie (2000) opens with them, with fig and candied orange, before the cumin arrives. Chanel Allure Sensuelle (2005) slips them into the heart of an amber floral. Rochas Eau Sensuelle (2009) keeps them in the base, more discreet.
How to wear it
Dried fruits belong to October through February, in the evening. One or two sprays of Tobacco Vanille last all night. In summer they get cloying.