Another +1 on leather bar tape: Back in the days before $2 China tape, I bought Brooks Cordovan. It faded some over the years, but still looks good & has been on 2 different bikes now. Also saved the left over scraps for years, and have now used them on 2 other bikes. I use a bottle of liquid saddle soap that has a glycerine additive to clean & renew along with a jar of leather (horse)saddle treatment. Got them at a tack shop.

I sometimes used amber shellac on cork tape with success, takes 2-4 coats though. Preserves tape + easier to clean. Once bought a bunch of pink cork tape for cheap & discovered it becomes an attractive dark red when beneath amber shellac. Clear shellac is available which darkens, but doesn't change original color. Don