Dambrosia

While searching for an alternative to Philosykos (though not identical) in terms of longevity and sillage, I stumbled upon this gem by chance. It resembles NO fig I’ve tried so far (let alone the freshness, hyperrealism and greenness of Philosykos) yet I was completely enchanted. First of all, the notes are divinely blended. Personally, I get an overwhelming amount of grape, what smells to me like dark, juicy, ripe, intensely fragrant black grape. In the opening I catch a small burst of fresh pear, and delicately a fig that is equally ripe and sweet. This is a fragrance that celebrates fruit, not green and unripe, but impossibly juicy and ripe at the perfect moment. It resembles nothing I know or have tried before, which made me fall in love with it immediately. It is certainly sweet, but not sugary or artificial: it’s the real sweetness of a fruit you bite into while exclaiming “this is the best fig I’ve ever eaten!!!” It makes me think of a dinner with friends, in a green and blooming garden, the table beautifully set (perhaps a checkered tablecloth), filled with food, fruit and red wine. Not opulent or heavy, but rich, joyful, full of laughter, with a refreshing breeze in your hair and maybe one glass of wine too many. Longevity on my skin is excellent —even after 6 hours I can still smell it clearly, though more delicate and prominent on the sandalwood. Sillage also seems very good. NB: I highly recommend following Profumum Roma’s instructions on how to apply their fragrances, given the very high oil concentration, the texture is quite dense and it’s best to gently massage it in!! :)

Dambrosia feels like getting a warm hug after enjoying a nice, relaxing bath—super cozy, creamy, and just plain delightful. The moment I spray it on, I’m greeted by this soft, sweet scent that reminds me of stepping out of a fancy spa, wrapped up in a snug robe, with the lovely aroma of high-quality oils still floating in the air. The first thing that hits me is the mix of fig and almond—it’s such a lovely combination! The almond adds this warm, nutty touch, while the fig brings a creamy softness that feels really soothing. It’s like that fresh, warm smell your skin has after using a luxurious body wash—just a hint of indulgence without being too sweet or heavy. It’s the kind of fragrance that makes you want to snuggle up in a comfy blanket with a good book or wear when you’re in the mood for a little extra self-care. Plus, it lasts a long time! I can still get little hints of it hours later, like a gentle reminder of that spa experience. If you enjoy scents that are cozy, intimate, and a tad indulgent without being too strong, Dambrosia is such a lovely choice. It’s especially perfect for chilly days or anytime you want to feel like you've been pampering yourself all afternoon.

I’m new to niche fragrances, and I’ve been testing incessantly, thanks to COVID (spending to sniff in the safety of my own home). This fragrance taught me that there’s a such thing as a bedtime scent. I love this! I can’t describe the comfort it brings because it doesn’t make sense to me. I started with a sample vial and bought the 18ml. On me, it’s thick and green with a little sweetness and warmth; I imagine a humid rainforest (I don’t even like the outdoors, which is why I don’t understand the comfort it brings). Think green bananas, or peeling one to see if it’s ripe enough to eat. There’s a slight bitterness, tartness, but still slightly sweet. Other days, I get coconut, especially if I’m smelling the shirt I wore the day before. Something makes my eyes roll back when sniffing the fabric or if I spray it on my husband. I wear this when I want to feel calm or comfort. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Although I bought the 18ml, I think I need a full bottle. I can’t imagine running out. I also like Dulcis in Fundo, which is waaaay sweeter. But I layer that with a citrus scent. Just try Dambrosia.

Dambrosia. It's nice. I can see why I chose fragrances other than this one however. It doesn't do anything special for me which is almost disappointing because it has almost all of my favorite notes. I keep forcing myself to figure out ways for me to want it. And I know eventually I'm going to purchase it just to complete my collection. But it's not my favorite. No matter how much I want it to be. It's just missing some type of citrus to brighten everything up. I know there is a reason why it's not added but it’s just not complete in my opinion. Of course you can apply something like molecule whatever number of your choice, or even Atelier Cologne to achieve the citrus note I desire. And I like it much more than Vir. Just to get you some perspective on this brand. Vir is still significantly better than 90% of fragrance houses out there. So I would still purchase it over 9 out of 10 other fragrances. So, Dambrosia is a great choice for all intensive purposes. Unfortunately they are quite expensive. Around $300 each. If they were cheaper I would have every single one in my collection by now.

My bottle of Dambrosia is at least five years old. I’m trawling my archives of beloved beauties being piqued by a travel size of a modern cultish perfume ‘Gris Charnel’ which hits me as sweet fig straight out of the gate. I was quite diffident about the ‘fig’ note, it strikes me as literally fluorescent in its power and utterly irrepressible once added to a pyramid. I tiptoed around the inevitable collecting of Philosykos and Premier Figueur and added the beautiful Heeley Fig but I hardly ever wear them. But this one, Dambrosia, is such a sweet and subtle take on the ripened and honeyed fig in a bowl of summer fruits. It is reserved compared to current candy and fruit bombs (which I love too). It’s not as dry and herbal as its brother Ichnusia. Like all my Profvmvms it has a long, beautiful, and nuanced trajectory, through a nutty sandalwood and surely a honeyed vanillin amber, the ripe purple fig becomes a memory.

Thanks to a sample of Brazilian Bum Bum cream in a recent order I went off on a coconut pursuit this week as the weather has already turned into the usual Springless Summer here. Today I had the luxury of opening my backup bottle (after going through the travel spray last Summer) of this gorgeous frag, lining it up with Heeleys Cocobella, TF Soleil Blanc, and Orchid Soleil, all worn at once . I'm just deliriously reeking of ripe fig, oily white nuts, a sweet tropical wood and the big white flowers on jungle trees. I can take everything that Profumum Roma throws at me! And if there's a coconut frag out there that I haven't smelled, I'm coming for you! (Although this plays down any coconut/nut and if I'm not mistaken, plays up the sandalwood note compared to my older bottle, but clearly I need to wear it on its own!)

I have tried every fig scent I know of, from Dyptique, Annick Goutal and L'Artisan to Laurence Dumont and Pacifica. This, to me, is by far the best. In general, I am not a big fan of fig based scents, but I do love sandalwood and almond, which mellow what can be sharp and less than feminine in fig notes. I appreciate the slightly "coconutty" essence in this particular fig scent, and the pear adds a soft sweetness without the stickiness of a vanilla base. The sandalwood is just prominent enough and remains through the dry down with a sweet, ripe fig note. In my opinion, no matter how wonderful a scent may be, it is not worth the time or money if it lacks longevity. This is well made, sufficiently concentrated and has great staying power! Worth the pretty penny!

Honestly: I'm very tempted to dethrone Mandragola as my signature in favour of Dambrosia. Going into my top 10 to keep. It's simple but so beautiful. Almond, fig, and sandalwood. I find that fig is weird when you smell it up close, but the sillage of Dambrosia is bomb: when I'm in my car it fills the car, when I'm in my office it fills the office. My scarves and tuques all smell like it now too. Overall, creamy, moderately sweet, and somewhat fruit. Almost a coconut accord with the mix of almond and sandalwood. Very slight soapiness but it's not cloying. Wear anytime, anywhere. More is more. Men and women. This is one of my new favourites. I recommend using a roller or dropper for this perfume. I think the scent is more saturated this way than the spray.

In ancient Greek mythology Ambrosia was nectar drunk by the Gods. And there is a breeze of divinity in Dambrosia too. :-) Impeccable and deeply luxurious like most Profumum fragrances, although flawless, this one is also quite vivacious and sparkling. It seems to be more about enjoyment than about exhibiting opulence. The zesty, zingy juice is dripping from the heavenly ripe, naturally sweet fruit, the almonds chime through with a touch of bitterness and the airy sandalwood provides elegant, light but steady frame. Dambrosia is like a sunny morning in an orchard. Easy, lazy, fragrant, the grass is saturated in dew - sparkling in the sunshine -, birds are singing, bees buzzing and the day is full of promises. :-)

A deeper woody version of L'Artisan Figuer Extreme (but with tons more staying-power!!). Starts of with an entre of pear and crushed almonds on green ripe figs (i'd love to eat that as an entre - yum!!). Then it settles down to a fresh incense-like sandalwood, while the entre of figs turns way way darker, with a brown sugar sweetness. This is not that super-fresh stingy PHILOSYKOS kind of figue (which I really dislike) - it's a mature, sweet developed sandal-incense figue, way way more luxurious!! I REALLY love it! Aaaah :)

This marks the absolute limit of my sweetness threshold before I tap-out, but this is divine! It’s the sweeter sister of ‘Ichnusa’ minus the fresh greenery. It’s fruity, ripe, tropical and delicious and manages to avoid being cloying. The almond and pear team-up to create a warmth and sweetness that’s smooth like vanilla but (luckily) also nothing like vanilla. The fig is gorgeous. I’ll have to get a full size bottle and indulge in a proper review. Thumbs-up for Dambrosia - it’s 24k liquid peach.

Wow. As soon as I got this sample I just had to order the full bottle. I have been dreaming about a Fig perfume that actually lasts and spreads. Well I got it 😁 Happy happy, joy joy Right from the opening you get a genuine ripe Fig aroma blended so beautifully with the pear, sandalwood, grapes It is very unique and will definitely become my new signature scent. All year around, no doubt Bravo.

LOVE!! Comes off as a super feminine fruity-fougere in a dusky purple hue. It's flirty, soothing, and sophisticated in equal measure. Very well blended to the point it comes off expensive body cream and smells similar to Biolage but much more refined. Not a typical scent profile and its presence is strong and with appropriate but not massive throw. I love her and she loves me back.

i own it... sometimes this smell remind me like roast duck with dumplings and sauerkraut and sometime rubber seabed on the sea. Profumum roma is undoubtedly the highest quality niche class... I prefer to wear this on my skin rather than on my clothes

I feel this is a highly underrated fragrance from Profumum Roma. Its truly a beautiful and uplifting scent. The Pear note brightens it up. Definitely a high quality light fragrance.

Gorgeous. Creamy fig, sandalwood, and pear. Perfect for spring and autumn. Perhaps a bit too much for summer (at least the hot and humid summers we have here).

One of the most underrated Profumum Roma and finest sandalwoods. Opens with fig and the fig is there for the first half, then the second half is all sandalwood

Fruity, rich and languorous Arabian beauty. One of my favorite fig fragrances. Are you sure there's no oud or rose in this?

Verrry woody, which is totally my jam. Easy to wear, no annoying notes! A very good perfume.

All I smell is Javanol. Performance is (no exaggeration) 32 hours.