Since gourmand fragrances took off, banana’s been used more widely: the sweetness of the juicy fruit note gives a good-enough-to-eat quality. But smell carefully and you might pick up hints of pink jasmine or even ylang-ylang, perhaps with green undertones. (And don’t blame us if you’re busted sniffing the fruitbowl!) In some cases, the juice of the fruit – from the Musa sapientum plant – is distilled. More likely, these days, it’s synthesised. The leaves of banana are sometimes used in perfumery, too: less sweet, more green and subtle. (Meanwhile, did you that technically, a banana plant is a herb, not a tree…? Just threw that in because you never know when it might come in useful in Trivial Pursuit, someday…)
Smell banana in:
L’Artisan Parfumeur Bana Banana
