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L’Artisan Parfumeur Bana Banana ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 10 July 2019 32 Comments

L'Artisan Parfumeur is an old friend. I've owned bottles of Ananas Fizz (discontinued), Mûre et Musc (original version), L'Eau de L'Artisan, Passage d'Enfer, L'Eau d'Ambre, Dzongkha, Séville à l'Aube, Traversée du Bosphore, Dzing!, Timbuktu, Méchant Loup and Bois Farine, not to mention amber balls and candles. When I saw the ads for the new Bana Banana,* with their antique botanical illustrations of banana plants, I was primed to BUY (I love the scent of banana).

Things started off swimmingly. Bana Banana opens with spiced banana leaf, flower and fruit (lots of pepper and nutmeg); the vibe is smooth and liqueur-y. A wonderful violet leaf note shades the background (this is my favorite violet leaf note since Carven Pour Homme). Bana Banana's fruit note seems "reconfigured": some leaf and unripe peel, a hint of candy, and the "salad" scent of the banana flower. Bana Banana has a tropical character, even when powdered iris arrives. The silky iris seems "apt" and blends beautifully with the other notes, providing a "post-bath" refreshing/talc scent. Tonka bean, sharp and vibrant, arrives next and is joined by a sheer (non-cloying) amber accord.

All this good stuff happens in 7-10 minutes on my skin. If you're a no-nonsense shopper, that's enough time to sniff a tester, pull out your credit card and be on your way. Too bad that at the 10-minute mark of development, a suffocating white musk note/accord arrives and coats everything of interest. Ten minutes of originality and fun, followed by ten hours of cheap-smelling vapidness. Such is the marketing ploy for many contemporary perfumes. (This may be based on ingredients' pricing — add a few drops of the good stuff and load up on dreck — and wanting to make as much profit as possible. Ramón Monegal is the emperor of this tactic.)

When I think of the interesting perfumes L'Artisan has dropped from its line-up...smelling Bana(l) Banana annoys me even more. And it won't wash out of fabric! I've washed the shirts I wore during testing TWICE without dislodging the musks. If you want a great, longer-lasting banana scent, I recommend Blackbird Y06-S.

Wish: L'Artisan would release Bana Banana as a cologne, with only the top notes included. One can dream....

L'Artisan Bana Banana Eau de Parfum is available in 100 ml for $165. 

* Perfumer Céline Ellena; listed fragrance notes of pepper, nutmeg, violet, jasmine, iris, banana, banana flower, tonka bean, musk, amber.

More banana...

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Banane ~ quick fragrance review & a quick poll

More L'Artisan...

L’Artisan Parfumeur Bucoliques de Provence ~ fragrance review
L’Artisan Parfumeur Noir Exquis ~ fragrance review & very quick comfort scent poll

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: celine ellena, lartisan parfumeur

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32 Comments

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  1. Coumarin says:
    10 July 2019 at 3:00 pm

    I too loved the top and heart notes of this one, though I liked the base a little bit more than you did. Not worth a full bottle, but I’ll take some of that cologne you’re whipping up.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:37 pm

      Coumarin: if only!

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  2. Oakland Fresca says:
    10 July 2019 at 3:18 pm

    Bananas, and more bananas for you, I guess. I tried the Blackbird frag, sure it would be love. Well, just nope. Too green or something. I think my banana scent taste may swing more towards candy banana flavor. (Now that I wrote that, it doesn’t sound likely either.) In any event, a 10 hour laundry musk marathon hardly seems worth even a really wonderful violet leaf.

    Thanks for the great review!

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    • Robin says:
      10 July 2019 at 3:39 pm

      Butting in to say I do love the Blackbird (it is on my buy list), but if you want banana candy you want the Comptoir Sud Pacifique 🍌

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      • Oakland Fresca says:
        10 July 2019 at 4:27 pm

        I should try that one. I canceled my Scentbird subscription in a pique, but they had the banana vanilla as one their options. I am always scared of too much vanilla (turns out, at 52, I am no longer a fan of many vanilla heavy scents–bananas!)

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        • Robin says:
          10 July 2019 at 6:18 pm

          Well, it is mostly vanilla after 10 minutes — you could nearly make the same argument that Kevin makes above, except that 10 minutes of fun is enough for me from CSP, esp. when I’ve gotten it on sale.

          I do expect better from L’Artisan — and I’m paying for better too.

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      • Kevin says:
        10 July 2019 at 5:38 pm

        R: I need to try that CSP just for the heck of it.

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        • Robin says:
          10 July 2019 at 6:18 pm

          Well, see above!

          But if it ever cools off I will send you some along with the Muguet Porcelaine.

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        • Oakland Fresca says:
          6 August 2019 at 12:54 am

          Hey Kevin,

          If you get this msg and still want to try the CSP, ping me at ann dottie eisenberg attagirl comcast dottie net

          I bought a 10 ml decant from a decanter on eBay, but it turns out I cannot stand the stuff. Happy to pass it on to you!

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:38 pm

      Oakland: you’re welcome!

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  3. austenfan says:
    10 July 2019 at 3:39 pm

    I tried this in March along with the entire Les Paysages series.
    This one didn’t really work for me, for more or less the same reasons. I did love the top note, but found the dry down hard work.

    The Paysages, on the other hand, I just love. I can never quite decide which one is my favourite.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:39 pm

      austenfan: I don’t think I’ve tried any of those…never see them in Seattle.

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  4. Regina says:
    10 July 2019 at 3:43 pm

    What a roller coaster!

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:40 pm

      Regina: a quick ride though (before the never-ending plunge to horror).

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      • Laura says:
        10 July 2019 at 6:22 pm

        😂

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  5. Tara says:
    10 July 2019 at 4:04 pm

    How does the Blackbird compare to Hermes Vanille Galante? I find VG very banana-y and I love it in the summer.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:41 pm

      tara: maybe Robin will chime back in. I can’t remember what Vanille Galante smells like…lots of ylang-ylang?

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      • Robin says:
        10 July 2019 at 6:19 pm

        Like salt water tinged with ylang — very JCE. So the Blackbird is way deeper.

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    • Erin says:
      11 July 2019 at 7:34 am

      Just sticking my head in to say they really are pretty different, but I do think you’d like the Blackbird if you love VG. Y06-S is much richer, as Robin says, but the tropical jasmine vibe does make it great for summer — I wore it yesterday and it’s my only bottle purchase of the year so far.

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  6. Filomena says:
    10 July 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Thanks for the review! I was interested in this when I first heard about it but now with reading you review, I realize its is not a “Top Banana”, so I won’t peel out any dollars and will skip this one.

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    • Oakland Fresca says:
      10 July 2019 at 4:34 pm

      Love how you slipped in those puns!

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:42 pm

      Filomena: HA! Indeed, skip it, don’t slip on it!

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  7. Bill says:
    10 July 2019 at 4:29 pm

    My experience with this is the same. It’s only fun for the first 30 minutes at most, then sinks into a generic boring synthetic amber base of little interest.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 5:43 pm

      Bill: maybe we’re entering the “Age of Banana” and will get more choices in the next year.

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  8. springpansy says:
    10 July 2019 at 7:36 pm

    Kevin, I haven’t tried this, but I sympathize with your dislike of the all-too-common white musk drydowns. I feel similarly but in addition am bothered by something else (Iso E Super?? Ambroxan??) that smells ugly and acidic to me and overwhelms a fragrance that I can tell I would like if I could just peel back the ugly layer…It’s in LL Another 13 and in Pierre Guillaume’s DjHenne among others. I’ve noticed it only in the last five years or so. It’s so frustrating.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 10:25 pm

      springpansy: the culprits for me are often Iso E Super, Ambroxan, Cashmeran…and of course white musks. But, I’ve worn lots of perfumes that contain those ingredients and enjoyed them…and bought them. I hate it when they dominate; what’s the point?

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  9. Jalapeno says:
    10 July 2019 at 8:11 pm

    Kevin, you have my sympathies on the tenacious musk lasting thru multiple washings! I have used a paste of baking soda and water to remove perfume from my clothes. Apply it before washing, let it sit for an hour or two, then launder as usual. Good luck!

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 10:27 pm

      Jalapeno: I’ll try that…maybe make a soak of baking soda and warm water in a basin before washes.

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  10. Jalapeno says:
    10 July 2019 at 8:13 pm

    Forgot to mention that your review of Diptyque Eau de Minthe was spot on for me. I had the chance to sniff it recently. Great mint top note, then it became a hairy-chested fougere in very short order.

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    • Kevin says:
      10 July 2019 at 10:28 pm

      Jalapeno: I really can’t imagine a woman wearing it…but who knows? It might smell quirkier on a woman than it does on a man.

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  11. cazaubon says:
    11 July 2019 at 11:05 am

    Sadly you are right on – fun banana top note (like the CSP) then a lackluster drydown. In the immortal words of Luca Turin, the cash runs out after 20 minutes…

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    • Kevin says:
      11 July 2019 at 10:44 pm

      cazaubon: it happens WAAAAAAAY too often.

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