Tonka bean is the seed of a tall South American tree, Dipteryx odorata. Once dried, it smells of fresh-cut hay, almond, blond tobacco and caramel. That scent comes mostly from coumarin, a molecule it contains in large amounts. Perfumers use it as an absolute, but most tonka notes rely on synthetic coumarin.
The seed of an Amazonian tree
Dipteryx odorata belongs to the Fabaceae, the pea and bean family. It is a rainforest tree that grows wild in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
The fruit looks like a large green almond with a thick shell. It holds a single seed, a few centimeters long, black and wrinkled once dry. This is what we call the tonka bean. The word is thought to come from an Indigenous language of Guiana. In Brazil the tree is called cumaru, and in French Guiana coumarou, which gave its name to coumarin.
Drying, rum soaking and frost
Once removed from the fruit, the seeds are left to dry for several weeks. They darken and develop their characteristic smell.
In Venezuela, a traditional step is to soak the dried beans in rum or alcohol for about a day, then let them dry again. As they dry, they become covered in fine whitish crystals. These crystals are coumarin rising to the surface. As with vanilla, this is called frost. A frosted bean is often seen as a sign of good quality.
Venezuela and Brazil are the historical origins of tonka bean. Part of the production also comes from West Africa, especially Nigeria, where the tree is cultivated.
Coumarin, the first great synthetic molecule
Coumarin was isolated from tonka bean in 1820. The German chemist August Vogel first mistook it for benzoic acid. That same year, the French pharmacist Nicolas Guibourt described it in turn and gave it its name. It is also found in other plants, such as sweet clover, sweet woodruff, cassia cinnamon and meadow grasses. It accounts for much of the smell of dry hay.
In 1868, the English chemist William Henry Perkin achieved its synthesis. Coumarin became available in quantity, at low cost. In 1882, Paul Parquet used it in Fougère Royale for the house of Houbigant. This perfume is often described as the first great fragrance to use a synthetic molecule, and it gave its name to a whole family, the fougères.
Today, the coumarin used in perfumery is almost always synthetic. It smells of hay, almond and a dry, slightly tobacco-like sweetness. On its own it is flatter than the bean. It is often paired with tonka absolute to bring back the depth of the natural material.
Coumarin, food and regulation
Tonka bean was long used in cooking and confectionery, and some chefs still use it in pastry. But coumarin is toxic to the liver in high doses. In the United States, the FDA has banned the addition of coumarin to food since 1954, which also rules out tonka bean.
In Europe, pure coumarin cannot be added to food. Its level is capped in products that contain it naturally through their ingredients, such as pastries made with cassia cinnamon. Tonka bean is still sold as a spice, to be grated in very small amounts.
In cosmetics, coumarin is one of the allergens that European regulations require to be listed on the packaging above a certain threshold. That is why it appears in the ingredient list of many perfumes, including those whose pyramid does not mention tonka.
Tonka absolute and what it really smells like
Tonka absolute is obtained by solvent extraction from the dried beans. It is a dark, thick material that sometimes crystallizes in the bottle because of its high coumarin content. Its smell is rounder than the molecule alone. You can pick up hay, bitter almond, pipe tobacco, caramel and a spicy edge.
Tonka behaves as a base note. It evaporates slowly, lasts a long time on the skin and gives warmth to a composition. It is also good at binding very different materials together.
It is often confused with vanilla. Both are warm and soft, and they are very often paired. But tonka is drier, more herbaceous and more bitter. Vanilla, covered in our article What is vanilla, leans toward cream and sugar. Tonka leans toward hay, almond and tobacco.
Fougère, tobacco, gourmand: tonka's accords
The fougère accord is built on lavender, coumarin and oakmoss, often with geranium and bergamot. It contains no fern, a plant that has almost no smell. The name evokes the scent of an imaginary forest floor.
With tobacco, tonka brings out the honeyed, hay-like side of the dried leaf. It also softens its harshness. In gourmands, it adds almond, caramel and praline, without the sometimes heavy sweetness of vanilla alone. It also appears alongside leather, oud, spices and iris, which it softens.
Tonka bean perfumes from our catalog
Every perfume below lists tonka bean in the pyramid published on its product page. Some make it their subject. Others use it to round out a tobacco, a leather or an oud.
Tonka in the spotlight
Tonkin Tonka 3, by The Unleashed Apothecary, puts tonka bean at the heart, with a warm skin accord and bitter almond, one of tonka's natural facets. The top is icy: fresh snow, pine, cold steel. The base brings together Tonkin musk, deer leather, fur and benzoin. The name plays on Tonkin, the region where the most prized musk once came from, and tonka, which has no connection to that region. See our introduction to The Unleashed Apothecary.
Tonka and tobacco
Latakia, by Tada Parfumeur, pays tribute to Latakia tobacco, cured over wood fires. Honey and dried fruit open the perfume, lavender and black tea form the heart, then come tobacco, amber, tonka bean and labdanum. Lavender and tonka together recall the structure of a fougère, pushed toward smoke. Our introduction to Tada Parfumeur tells the story of the house.
Otimo, by Pernoire, pairs tonka with tobacco, praline and patchouli in its heart, after a top of quince, cardamom and rum. The base lays down cedar, vanilla and osmanthus. According to the house, cedar and cardamom cut through the sweetness all the way through. See also our introduction to Pernoire.
Noir, by Aaron Terence Hughes, builds its heart on tobacco, between a top of black pepper, saffron, nutmeg and cardamom and a base of vanilla, tonka bean, oud, sandalwood, incense and civet.
Tonka in a fougère spirit
New York, by Widian, combines lavender, coriander and juniper in the top, geranium and iris in the heart, and tonka bean with vetiver, amber and incense in the base. Lavender, geranium and tonka are three elements of the fougère accord, enriched here with caramel in the heart. Our article on Widian introduces the house.
Legend, by Aaron Terence Hughes, is an aromatic woody fragrance. Tonka bean sits alongside apple, galbanum and ambroxan in the heart, over a base of oakmoss, dry woods, sandalwood and vetiver. Tonka and oakmoss echo part of the fougère structure.
The almond facet
Raw Cherry, by Aaron Terence Hughes, places tonka in the heart with cherry liqueur, sour cherry and dark chocolate. The base adds vanilla, nutmeg, oud, rose and amaretto. Cherry and amaretto reinforce the almond facet that tonka already carries.
Notorious, from the same house, brings together tonka bean, vanilla, ambrette seed, heliotropin and leather in its heart. Heliotropin adds a powdery, almond-like note that extends the tonka. The base lays down patchouli, cedar and rum. See our article on the story of Aaron Terence Hughes.
Gourmand tonka
Whore Red, by Aaron Terence Hughes, starts with passion fruit and sweet orange, moves through coconut and praline, and ends on tonka bean, vanilla and sandalwood.
Coliva, by Adi ale Van, composed by Giovanni Festa, is inspired by the wheat cake shared at Orthodox memorial services. The top blends licorice, frankincense, cocoa, coffee and white chocolate. The heart evokes baked bread with iris and cedar. The base brings together labdanum, tonka bean, butter, amber, vanilla and musk. See our introduction to Adi ale Van.
Tonka absolute
Two perfumes specify the use of the absolute. Itim Kati, by Tada Parfumeur, is inspired by the coconut ice cream sold on the streets of Thailand. Tonka bean absolute sits in the heart with jasmine, cotton candy, Siam benzoin and a palm sugar accord, beneath a top of coconut cream and condensed milk.
Morpheus, by Aaron Terence Hughes, combines amber, osmanthus and tonka bean absolute in its heart, between a top of cardamom, pink pepper and frankincense and a base of Thai oud, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli.
Tonka with leather and smoke
Adiere, by Adi ale Van, opens on a Cuba Libre accord and a cola accord, with lime, bitter orange and black pepper. The heart brings together tobacco absolute, a whisky accord, leather and an ink accord. The base lays down a smoke accord, vanilla absolute, tonka bean, amber, cocoa and oud. Here tonka softens a deliberately raw perfume.
Tonka with iris and violet
Amoral, by Pernoire, is presented by the house as the darkest of its Anima collection. The top combines black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and smoked prunes. The heart brings together violet, iris, oud and cypriol. Tonka bean arrives in the base, with orange blossom, amber notes and sandalwood.
You will find other tonka compositions in our selections of gourmand perfumes, oriental perfumes and spicy perfumes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tonka bean and coumarin?
Tonka bean is the dried seed of Dipteryx odorata, or the absolute made from it. Coumarin is its main odorous molecule. The coumarin perfumers use is almost always synthetic, and it smells simpler than the bean.
Does tonka bean smell like vanilla?
It is close in warmth and softness, but its smell is different. Tonka smells of hay, almond and tobacco. Vanilla is creamier and sweeter. Perfumers often pair them because they complement each other.
Is coumarin in perfume dangerous?
Food restrictions concern ingesting it in high doses. In perfumery, coumarin is permitted. It is one of the allergens that must be declared on the packaging in Europe.
Why are perfumes without fern called fougères?
The name comes from Houbigant's Fougère Royale, in 1882. It refers to an accord of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss that evokes a forest floor. The fern itself has almost no smell and is not used in these perfumes.
Is a tonka perfume always gourmand?
No. With lavender and moss, tonka makes a fougère. With tobacco or leather, it turns dry and smoky. Latakia, Legend and Adiere are good examples. How gourmand it feels depends mostly on the notes around it.
Further reading
Tonka bean is one of the materials covered in our Perfume materials guide, along with vanilla, sandalwood and oud. To compare a fougère tonka, a tobacco tonka and a gourmand tonka on your own skin, the perfumes mentioned are available as 2 ml samples, depending on the house, on our samples page.