After celebrating the 40th anniversary of Mûre et Musc, the house continues to dive into its history by revisiting its first creation dedicated to the exotic fruit : Bana Banana. I accompany you in the discovery of this new juice !
L’Artisan Parfumeur Bana Banana
The launch of Bana Banana perfume is not harmless. In fact, this is the first fragrance of the house L’Artisan Parfumeur in 1976. The theme of this creation was in the 70s and takes place at the theater Folies Bergères : exuberance, champagne and madness – these are the key words of Bana Banana !
Between a joke and a bet with a friend, Jean Laporte, a chemist by training and also passionate collector of plants, was put to the challenge of imagining a perfume in order to complete his costume for a ball at the Folies Bergères. Funny detail : the costume is the one of a…banana. Never commercialized, this creation would have given him the idea to found his brand. In 2019, it is Céline Ellena who reinterprets this emblem and founder of the house.
Céline Ellena describes the perfume as “baroque“. It was inspired by the “wedding of a garland of jasmine and a bouquet of candied bananas” – benzyl acetate, reminiscent of the smell of the fruit, being used by perfumers among other molecules to evoke jasmine.
“I imagined this composition as an embroidery of small magical and unusual points“, says the nose.
This fragrance is a floral oriental. It is a unisex composition that is organized as follows :
- in top notes : pepper, mace and violet leaf,
- in heart notes : jasmine, iris and banana flower,
- in base notes : tonka beans, musc and amber.
The price of this perfume is 125€ the 100ml.
My thoughts
I was curious enough to discover this composition – especially that the banana is a fruit that we know well – usually one of the first tastes that we discover. What scared me is that the scent smells like a too sweet banana. This fragrance still has a first impression of Haribo Banana – so if you’re not at all a fan of this smell, be prepared !
Bana Banana was a surprise to me. I did not expect an amber composition while being slightly aromatic. It’s rich – and I totally agree with Céline Ellena’s baroque description of the fragrance. There is something opulent and mysterious in this creation. On spraying, the violet leaf and the nutmeg flower recreate the slight bitterness of the banana skin. Then the creaminess of the fruit blends with the creamy roundness of a more carnal jasmine while pepper and amber offer a deep contrast. Iris, tonka and musk reinforce the textured appearance of the composition for an “irresistible and sensitive wake” describes Céline.
This fragrance is velvety, creamy and warm enough – it is not necessarily what we expect for a creation that comes out at spring, but that’s what makes it interesting. It detonates and breaks the codes. At the same time, I find that this fragrance has something reassuring, as if we find something well known. A touch of nostalgia – on a joyous energy that is just a sign of the pleasure of finding oneself.
I will dare to wear this perfume with great pleasure in the upcoming months and I hope that your curiosity has been piqued for you to discover this launch.
Other posts about L’Artisan Parfumeur :
- L’Artisan Parfumeur the Paysages
- Champ de Fleurs and Champ de Baies L’Artisan Parfumeur
- L’Artisan Parfumeur Tenebrae
