Banqeros

Banqeros Parfum was launched in March 2022, and it is a creation of the perfumer Renato Lopena. It is part of the collection of authorial fragrances of his independent brand, Wren Atelier, founded in 2020. The inspiration came from the fishermen and inhabitants of the islands that make up the Philippines. Banqeros' fragrance is classified as marine, but the perfumer insists that it is not a common aquatic/marine composition. It has notes of ginger, nutmeg, and star anise, in the beginning, opening space for a tropical body with notes of coconut and frangipani, on a base of drifting wood, deep-sea accord, and seaweed. On the skin, Banqeros has an aromatic and slightly citrusy start, with a lemony and, at the same time, cold aspect. Right off the bat, I do not identify any common marine traits, such as those of typically blue fragrances. However, there is a salty nuance, like the one that stays on the skin of those who spend the day under the hot sun, whether on boats or close to places such as anchorages. The evolution is minimal and the drying did not bring the tropical profile I expected to feel, because of the frangipani and coconut notes. At some point, I imagined that a scent of sunscreen would become more evident, but it didn't. Banqeros grows salty and mineral on the skin and imparts another style of freshness, which I seldom remember experiencing in fragrances. Here, diving videos with corals, seaweed, and schools of fish come to life and show a more rustic and oceanic beauty. On my skin, the fragrance lasts for a long time, but it causes me olfactory fatigue and ends up making me want to reapply, which is not entirely necessary. Still, I praise creativity and, above all, olfactory originality. In the end, Banqeros seems to me more like a tribute to natural pearls, which are valuable and are born thanks to a defense mechanism of mollusks, in the depths of the sea.