Vanilla is the fruit of a climbing orchid, Vanilla planifolia, native to Mexico. The green pod smells of almost nothing: its scent develops during a long curing process that takes several months. Perfumers use it as an absolute or a CO2 extract, but most vanilla notes rely on vanillin, a synthetic molecule.
An orchid pollinated by hand
The vanilla plant is a vine in the orchid family. The Totonac people, in what is now the state of Veracruz, grew it long before the Spanish arrived, and the Aztecs used it to flavor cocoa. Brought to Europe in the 16th century, the plant long refused to bear fruit outside Mexico.
The reason is simple: the flower is built to prevent self-pollination, and its natural pollinators do not exist elsewhere. In 1841, on the island of Réunion, Edmond Albius, a twelve-year-old enslaved boy, worked out a way to pollinate the flower by hand with a thin stick. The technique is still used today in every producing region. Each flower opens for only a few hours, and each one has to be pollinated individually.
From flower to pod
After pollination, the pod takes eight to nine months to ripen. Picked green, it has hardly any smell. Its aromatic compounds are present in a bound, odorless form that is only released through curing.
Curing follows several stages. The pods are first dipped in hot water for a few minutes to stop their development. They then spend several days sealed in a warm place, where they turn brown and begin to smell. Next come weeks of drying, alternating between sun and shade, followed by several months of conditioning in boxes. A well-cured pod is supple, brown to almost black, and sometimes covered in fine crystals of natural vanillin, known as frost.
All of this work is done by hand, from pollination to sorting. That is why vanilla is so expensive, one of the costliest spices in the world after saffron.
Madagascar, Tahiti, Bourbon: the origins
Madagascar produces most of the world's vanilla, mainly in the Sava region in the northeast of the island. So-called "Bourbon" vanilla refers to the Vanilla planifolia of the Indian Ocean islands: Madagascar, Réunion and the Comoros. The name comes from Île Bourbon, the former name of Réunion. Its profile is rich, creamy and warm, with woody and slightly smoky facets.
Tahitian vanilla is a different species, Vanilla tahitensis. It contains less vanillin but more floral and anisic compounds. It smells more floral and fruity, with something close to heliotrope. Vanillas from Indonesia, Mexico, Uganda and Papua New Guinea each have their own profile, more or less woody, smoky or fruity depending on climate and curing.
Production depends heavily on Madagascar, which is exposed to cyclones. Vanilla prices have spiked several times after poor harvests, and perfumery feels the effect too.
Absolute, CO2 extract and vanillin
For perfumery, natural vanilla is obtained in two ways. The absolute is extracted from the pods with a solvent. It is a dark, thick and very rich material, with woody, amber and sometimes tobacco-like notes. Supercritical CO2 extract is closer to the smell of the pod itself, more gourmand and cleaner.
Vanillin, the main odor molecule in vanilla, was first synthesized in 1874 by the German chemists Ferdinand Tiemann and Wilhelm Haarmann. Today it is produced on a large scale, mostly from guaiacol, and is used in food as much as in perfumery. Its relative, ethylvanillin, does not occur in nature and smells several times stronger.
In most perfumes, the "vanilla" note relies on these two molecules, sometimes topped up with a share of absolute. Vanillin alone gives a sugary, pastry-like smell. The absolute adds a depth the molecule lacks: wood, rum, tobacco, a slightly animalic facet. The two often work together in the same formula. A product page that specifies the origin of the vanilla tells you what the house chose, without saying how much of the formula it accounts for.
What vanilla smells like
Perfumery vanilla goes well beyond sugar. A good absolute smells of warm wood, dried fruit, rum, blond tobacco and soft leather. It is a base note that evaporates slowly and gives a composition longevity and roundness.
It features in many accords. With labdanum and benzoin, it forms the amber accord of oriental perfumes. With heliotrope, it takes on a powdery, almond-like side. It is often confused with tonka bean, another warm, sweet note: tonka owes its smell to coumarin, which leans more toward hay and almond than vanilla does. Vanilla also appears alongside tobacco, rum, cocoa, coffee or fruit, and with white flowers such as jasmine or tuberose.
Vanilla perfumes from our catalog
All the perfumes below list vanilla in the note pyramid published on their product page. Some make it the subject of the perfume, others use it to soften a tobacco, an oud or a leather.
Vanilla in the foreground
Vanilla Mystique, by Tada Parfumeur, steers clear of the pastry register. Rum, lavender and saffron up top, then vanilla, heliotrope and jasmine in the heart, over a base of musk, CO2 oak extract and cedarwood. The lavender and oak make for a drier, more grown-up vanilla than most. Our profile of Tada Parfumeur tells the perfumer's story.
Decembrie 89, by Adi ale Van, goes further still. Composed by Jimmy Bodin, it layers three forms of vanilla: vanilla pod and hazelnut in the heart, then vanilla absolute, rum and Madagascar vanilla in the base, beneath a top of apple, orange and lemon. The perfume recalls a childhood memory from December 1989, during the Romanian revolution. See also our profile of Adi ale Van.
Madagascar vanilla
Tabac, by Aaron Terence Hughes, shows the classic pairing of tobacco and vanilla. Tobacco leaf up top, then Madagascar vanilla absolute, tobacco and Turkish rose in the heart, over a base of Burmese oud, cedarwood and ambergris. The vanilla rounds out the dry, smoky side of the tobacco.
Fever, from the same house, heads in a gourmand direction. Bergamot up top, plum in the heart, then Madagascar vanilla, heliotropin, amber, tonka, honey, sandalwood and white musk. The heliotropin picks up on the powdery facet of vanilla. Our profile of Aaron Terence Hughes explains the house's concentrations.
Bourbon vanilla and Indonesian vanilla
Pistachio Muse, by Zhufu, places vanilla on two levels: a vanilla cream in the heart, with almond paste and warm milk, then Bourbon vanilla in the base, with powdery musk and cashmere wood. Green pistachio and orange blossom brighten the opening. Our article on Zhufu presents the house's other perfumes.
From Spiritica, Suscepto evokes the Greek island of Tinos. Sea breeze, bergamot and eucalyptus up top, Damask rose and frankincense in the heart, then sandalwood, honey, beeswax and Indonesian vanilla. Here the vanilla brings a balsamic warmth to a marine, incense-laden perfume. Very few bottles remain. The house is covered in our article on Spiritica.
Gourmand vanilla
Poka, by Pernoire, fully embraces dessert. Caramelized popcorn, apple pie and cinnamon up top, roasted hazelnut, labdanum and dried apricot in the heart, then vanilla, musk, tonka and cedarwood. Vanilla and tonka close the composition on a soft base. Our profile of Pernoire covers the Swiss house in detail.
Radiant Memories, by Tada Parfumeur, is fruitier. Apricot, dried fruit and orange open onto a heart of orris, amber and jasmine, then a base of praline, vanilla and musk. Apricot and vanilla share a warm, golden facet.
Vanilla with amber and tobacco
Masar, by Pernoire, places vanilla in the heart, with amber, honey and tobacco, after a top of yuzu, cinnamon, labdanum and clove. The base brings together rosewood, tonka, sandalwood, leather and animalic notes. This is the amber accord described above, pushed toward tobacco.
Vanilla as a top note
Two perfumes make a less usual choice by placing vanilla right at the opening. White, Kanchaveli's first creation, pairs vanilla with bergamot and orange peel up top, then moves on to saffron and leather. The light vanilla of the start gives way, after a few hours, to a darker base. Our article on Bidzina Kanchaveli presents the Berlin atelier. Noir Pour Femme, by Aaron Terence Hughes, opens on vanilla, mimosa and brown sugar, passes through blackberry, and finishes on amber, musk, sandalwood, patchouli and civet.
Vanilla with oud and cocoa
Trat Treat 3, by The Unleashed Apothecary, pairs vanilla orchid with dark chocolate and cocoa absolute, at the heart of a composition that starts from blueberry and red wine and ends on an animalic oud, tonka, benzoin and hyraceum. The vanilla softens a perfume that keeps a wild side. See our profile of The Unleashed Apothecary.
Onyx, by Aaron Terence Hughes, uses vanilla absolute in a very dense base: oud, truffle, musk, civet absolute and patchouli, beneath a rose absolute and a heart of raspberry, saffron and blackcurrant. The vanilla acts as a bridge between the animalic and fruity facets.
Vanilla with white flowers
Guardian Angel, by Cæleste, is built in three accords. The first brings together neroli, tuberose, jasmine and heliotrope. The second combines musks, coconut milk, cardamom, vanilla and tonka. The last sets down frankincense, benzoin, myrrh and amber. Vanilla and coconut milk give the white flowers a milky softness. The house is covered in our article on Cæleste.
You will find more vanilla compositions in our selections of gourmand perfumes and oriental perfumes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between vanilla and vanillin?
Vanilla is the cured pod, or the absolute extracted from it. It contains hundreds of compounds. Vanillin is the main odor molecule in vanilla. Today it is produced synthetically, and it smells simpler and sweeter than natural vanilla.
Are vanilla and tonka bean the same thing?
No. Tonka bean is the seed of a South American tree. Its smell comes mainly from coumarin, which recalls hay, almond and tobacco. It shares the warmth and softness of vanilla, and the two are very often paired.
Why do some vanilla perfumes darken over time?
Vanillin tends to turn formulas brown, especially when exposed to light. This is a well-known and harmless effect. It does not mean the perfume has gone off. Keeping the bottle away from light slows it down.
Is a vanilla perfume always sweet?
No. Paired with lavender, tobacco, leather or wood, vanilla becomes dry, smoky or amber. Vanilla Mystique and Tabac are good examples. How sweet it feels depends mostly on the notes around it.
Is vanilla a feminine fragrance?
No. It appears in perfumes for every gender, from woody orientals to gourmands. The effect depends on the composition more than on the note itself.
Further reading
Vanilla is one of the materials covered in our Perfume materials guide, along with oud and sandalwood. To compare a dry vanilla, a gourmand vanilla and an amber vanilla on your own skin, the perfumes mentioned are available as 2 ml samples, depending on the house, on our samples page.