There has been a noticeable shift in the aquatic style of fragrance, especially on the independent side of things. The perfumes made for the masses still rely on the typical Calone heavy constructs to evoke the beach. The indies have been looking to other inspirations for a seaside perfume. One option has been to capture the rocky coastline with the seawater left in the tide pools. I’ve categorized these types of scent as mineralic aquatics. They have been a big part of re-igniting my interest in the style. Carner Barcelona Rock Star keeps that interest burning.
Sara Carner
I imagine you look at that name and wonder what it has to do with the seaside. I’ll admit when I received the press release, I was expecting Carner Barcelona creative director Sara Carner was going guitars and drums. Instead it is a star(fish) on the rocks of a tidal pool.
Rock Star is the fourth perfume in the Mediterranean Collection following up the trio of releases in 2019; Bo-Bo, Fig Man, and Salado. This juxtaposition of mineral and brine seems like a natural for this region. The choice made here are clever riffs on this well-worn genre.
One of the decisions is to have a salty thread running throughout. That comes in the opening in a briny vegetal seaweed accord. It is brightened with some citrus as if the sunlight is glinting off the water on the clumps left on the rocks. This is where the freshness of the sea breeze would usually be invoked via Calone. Here it is a set of florals led by orange blossom with jasmine and muguet. This is a floral freshness as these scrubbed clean of indoles florals provide a sweet breeze. As the florals lilt on top underneath is a sea spray accord. This is also where the evocation of a briny mineralic enters the perfume. The base is a sun-warmed skin musk accord. This is that very appealing type of fun in the sun scent which always take me to the beach.
Rock Star has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
I still would like to see what Sra. Carner might make of a rock and roll perfume. In the meantime I am happy to hang out in the tidal pool with Rock Star.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
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