✅ Arquinesia. It is the perfume “par excellence” of the corners of the beautiful island. An elegant brand that takes care of every detail and reminds us of the hidden magic of a place and captures the light of Mallorca, the enjoyment of time without clocks, the sound of the sea: the waves of the beaches and coves of the Balearic Islands.
▷ Why Hidden Icon?
A priori it might seem that we choose Arquinesia perfumes, because their famous shop in the center of Palma, which is popularly known as “The Secret Place”, might be a wink to the name of our brand.
The choice of Arquinesia as Hidden Icon is the commitment to a “tailor-made” project, out of the ordinary: the design and manufacture of products whether in the form of a candle, soap, or perfume. And they capture the sensations and the magic of a place, of a corner…
Arquinesia fulfills the savoir-faire for which we have bet on since the beginning of Hidden. The magic of living in a place, and not just visiting it.
▷ In a Snapshot
A product that enters through the eyes, thanks to the exquisite packaging and that is improved when unwrapped and used.
Shopping at Arquinesia Perfumes is an experience in itself. Going to their “Secret Place’ in Sant Gaietà street in the center of Palma is to visit an oasis of beauty, where every corner and every detail is designed to delight the customer who enters their space.
A brand which products, capture the best experiences, the best memories we have of the island. And what better than to choose it to have at home, in the office, on our clothes or on our own skin. The essence of Mallorca in us.
#Talking
We talk to a member of the creative team of Arquinesia Parfums and they tell us the philosophy of their company, how this beautiful project was born, how they have lived their confinement, and which are their hidden places and hidden gems to enjoy the island of Mallorca.
¡No te lo pierdas!
1- HIDDEN ICON. You recreate places, time and the beauty of the islands in the form of perfumes and your shop is a real oasis in the city. You are a hidden icon par excellence. How was Arquinesia born? How did the name of this company come up?
First of all, thank you very much for the compliment! We spent a long time looking for products that reflected the essence of the Balearic Islands as much as possible, because… what could be more sentimental than a fragrance? That’s how it all started. For the name, we combined a little bit the word ‘archipelago’ with the old name the islands had, ‘the Gimnesias Islands’.
2- ARQUINESIA. Who is behind this project?
We would like to be known more as a brand than as individuals, since we are a small group of creatives but we all add to what is Arquinesia.
3- CREATIVITY. How is the process of creating your products (soaps, perfumes and scented candles): What are you based on and what is your inspiration?
I guess the first thing is to know what we want to convey and look for the most remarkable thing. For us, it is very important the natural things. All our products are natural, the lotion, soap, and shower gel are even vegan. We wanted to do everything with essential oils so as to give it the maximum intensity possible. You can recognize immediately when a fragrance is natural or synthetic.
4- NAMES. Fig, Secret Garden, Scent of History, Sea Breeze, Orange… How do you come up with these names?
The truth is that the names are quite reminiscent of the smell itself! We have kept it quite simple, they reflect either your notes or the place on the island we wanted to represent. Fig and Orange are classic aromas, Secret Garden was inspired by the beauty of some of the inner courtyards we found, full of magic. Sea Breeze is the salty sea breeze and Scent of History is a fragrance that was inspired by the small Arabic details found in the architecture of places full of history.
5- DESIGN. Elegant labels with a design reminiscent of timeless products, those made decades ago in France and Italy by alchemists, craftsmen… Who makes your brilliant labels and packaging?
We didn’t just want a brand, we wanted to tell a story, a journey, something to be identified with. So our designs took a long time, first we made them by hand and then we digitized them for production.
6- CONFINEMENT. How have you lived this confinement? Have you been working on new projects?
Like everyone else, a bit lost but hoping that everyone would be safe so that we could all be together again as soon as possible. We’ve been working on a new product, doing the packaging and such, but we’ve also taken the opportunity to experiment with a new photo and video techniques for Instagram. We haven’t been bored!
7- PLAYLIST. What music, book or artist accompanies Arquinesia when creating?
Inspiration always comes from different sources. We’ve looked through antique books, gone to museums, or just walked down alleys, taking pictures and sharing ideas, drawing a lot too. The music varies a lot depending on the day, we can start the day listening to Barry White and end up listening to pure Punk!
8- SHOPS. You have been expanding and it is possible to find you in more and more spaces, but the place that we love and not only by name is “The Secret Place”. How did that name come about?
It’s a small door, in a not very crowded street despite being in the center. Many people doubt whether to enter or not because they don’t know exactly what they are going to find, but once you dare, you are surprised by our little “secret place”.
9. STUDIO. Where do you make your products?
Right now the candle is the only thing we make outside Spain, in France, and our idea is that by next year everything will be 100% made in Spain!
10. FEED. You have a beautiful feed in Instagram where you publish places of absolute beauty of our island. Is that the Mallorca in which you are inspired?
There are so many incredible places on our islands, so varied, that it’s hard not to be inspired. I think that we still have a lot to discover.
11. ARQUINESIA TOP. What do you recommend as a basic of your products? And what do you consider to be your star aroma?
It is difficult to decide, as the topic of perfumes and aromas is something very personal. It can also vary quite a bit depending on the season or occasion.
12. HIDDEN ARQUINESIA. What scent would you choose for us, for our Hidden agency?
For you right now I would recommend Sea Breeze because we know that when the summer comes, even if we are in the office, what we want is to be on the beach!
13. ARQUINESIA SECRET PLACE. A spot in Mallorca that defines your essence?
Well, our shop, obviously! The truth is that our perfumes are inspired by different parts of the Islands, their stories and beauty so it’s hard to choose just one.
14. HIDDEN TIPS. Please tell us your favorites, authentic “hidden places” and “hidden gems” of the island of Mallorca to live an authentic experience and enjoy the island.
For us, it is essential to go to the Museum of Sa Bassa Blanca. We also enjoy going to the organic market in Plaça Bisbe Berenguer Palou. Also, something I always recommend to our visitors is to go on the Tren de Soller excursion, it is a beautiful way to go around Mallorca, it is like traveling back in time.
+ HIDDEN ICON
