Fragrance note
Tonka Perfumes
A tonka perfume is a fragrance in which the tonka bean sets the tone in the heart or base – warm, creamy and with a hint of hay, almond and vanilla. The key player is coumarin, a molecule first extracted from this very bean in 1820.
More about Tonka Perfumes
Knowledge
How the note behaves
Gourmand
With vanilla, caramel or praline. Soft, sweet and comforting.
Ambery & spicy
With amber, saffron, cinnamon or tobacco. Warm and deep, for cold evenings.
Woody & leathery
With sandalwood, vetiver or leather. Dry and elegant, with velvety warmth.
Curious factWhen A. Vogel of Munich isolated coumarin from the tonka bean in 1820, he first mistook it for benzoic acid. That same year, the Frenchman Guibourt realised it was a substance of its own – and named it “coumarine”.
Knowledge to share
Myth or truth?
Statement 1
Tonka and vanilla come from the same plant.
Myth. Vanilla comes from an orchid, the tonka bean from the South American tree Dipteryx odorata.
Statement 2
Fougère fragrances smell of ferns.
Myth. Ferns barely smell. The family goes back to Fougère Royale of 1882, built around coumarin from the tonka bean.
Statement 3
In the USA, coumarin may not be added to food.
True. The US Food and Drug Administration has prohibited its direct addition since 1954.
Your result
DISCOVER TONKA PERFUMESFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between tonka and vanilla?
Vanilla comes from an orchid and is defined by the molecule vanillin; the tonka bean comes from a South American tree and is defined above all by coumarin. Tonka therefore feels a little drier, with notes of hay, almond and spice. Together, the two create a particularly rounded warmth.
Is tonka in perfume natural or synthetic?
Both are used: extracts from the bean, or coumarin, which has also been produced synthetically since 1868. Many compositions combine the two – what matters is the perfumer’s signature.
When should I wear a tonka fragrance?
It is at its best in autumn and winter, in the evening or whenever a scent should feel comforting. Paired with citrus or lavender, tonka also works lightly by day. It is best to test it on your own skin: with every bottle from 30 ml, we include a 2 ml sample of the same fragrance.
2 ml samplewith every bottle from 30 ml
Free shippingto Austria and Germany from €200
Boutique Bregenzevery fragrance to try
