It was released on 2 September 2022 through Sony Latin as the third single of Santos' fifth studio album Formula, Vol.

[1] The song, a bachata, was written and produced by both performers alongside Diego el Cigala, Alexander Caba, Joaquín Díaz and Ramón Jiménez.

[2] It samples and interpolates the 1985 track "No Sé Qué Hacer", performed by Carlos Manuel "El Zafiro".

Commercially, "El Pañuelo" entered major market charts including the Global 200, and the Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

An accompanying music video for "El Pañuelo" filmed at an indoor studio in Los Angeles and produced by Canada and Park Pictures was shared on YouTube upon the record's release.