Debaser
D.S. & Durga (2015)

An atmospheric and uplifting fig fragrance

I expected Debaser to be interesting, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoy wearing it.

Debaser begins with citrus, coconut milk, and something green. The coconut milk smells a bit strange for five minutes, but settles into the role of a binding agent, which helps keep everything together.

Next I get the smell of sitting in the shade of a big, old fig tree on the bank of a river, soft violet leaves, a little bit of damp iris, and pear skin. This combination of notes is beautiful and lasts for eight hours on my skin.

After about one hour, I get some soft wood and a deep green note, which reminds me of sitting on a newly built wooden bench in the shade of that big, old fig tree.

Debaser can take me to a calm and relaxing place with one sniff.

I regularly wear Green Irish Tweed, and I can imagine wearing Debaser on hot/casual days here in Australia, when Green Irish Tweed would be too much.

The notes list would have you think you're on to something yummy and unique here but Debaser is very bland and not all that strong either.

Summary: Fruity-green-coconut, light, good for spring or warm breezy weather.

Recalls: sharing a pair of earbuds with a friend, laying on the grass in Boston, listening to the Pixies on cassette circa 1995.

Personal notes: I'm a big fan of fig in general, and my go-to for fig is Philosykos. The fig note is not as elegant here, and for me the synthetic coconut, while not immensely strong, lends a pina colada note that ruins it a bit for me (though fans of syn coco won't be bothered by this).

A green impression with some citrus-bergamot hints in the background open up this fragrance. In the drydown iris and a green fig are added. On my skin this is not a green fig and less elegant than in Philosykos.

The base adds a pleasant coconut, but overall it remains a bit uninspiring apart from the somewhat unusually green fig. I get moderate sillage, adequate projection and six hours of longevity on my skin. Good in spring. 2.5/5

Debaser is a refreshing green fig, iris and coconut scent from D.S. & Durga. As far as fig scents go, I didn't find this one all that unique and it falls short of this house's trademark originality, but it's still a good fragrance. I got a lot of green leaf in the opening with hints of mint and salt. After about an hour the green elements fade and the iris and coconut come through very lightly. It's still mostly a fig scent though. I love fig scents and would consider Debaser a greener, grassier take on the fig note. I got below average projection and about four hours longevity. Debaser would make a great vacation scent or casual day scent in spring and summer. A good niche fig option, but a bit pricey for something you won't wear often

The Pixies connection must be personal as I can't fathom what a stock fig scent has to do with either the band or the song.

There's not that much you can do with fig – they're green and a bit milky. This one's not that different from all the rest (except perhaps Soivohle's Figgy Plum, which is a strange one). The only real distinguishing factor that I can come up with is that Debaser is slightly less subtle than a scent like, say, Philosykos. The greenery is ramped up a notch; there's a raspy cedar-like effect in it; and it's maybe a tad more milky. Something about it doesn't quite sit right though, and I think it's a vanillic / coumeric sweetening note of some kind that's tucked away, but isn't working. Also, it smells more grassy than fig leaf usually does. Weird.

Debaser isn't bad, but it's unoriginal with a ho-hum blend and it seems like they missed the goal as far as verisimilitude goes. Spikier and more jagged than other fig scents with a bit more of a candy feel to it as well. If it's a green, natural fig you're after, look elsewhere.