Tonka Bean Absolute
Details
- Botanical Name: Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd.
- Origin: Brazil
- Process: Solvent Extracted Absolute
- Plant Part: Dried Beans (Seeds)
- Cultivation: Conventional
- Use: Natural Perfumery. Always dilute.
- Note: Base to Middle Note, Excellent Fixative
- Aroma Family: Gourmand
- Aroma: Very rich, caramel-like, powdery-sweet aroma of new mown hay with a warm herbal and soft tobacco-like undertone; very tenacious.
- Contraindications: None known; please see Overview and Safety Considerations below.
Certificate of Analysis (COA)Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Overview
Tonka Bean Absolute
Our Tonka Bean Absolute is one of the finest perfume ingredients for fixation of natural perfumes. The absolute is obtained from Dipteryx odorata, a large tropical tree native to Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela, also cultivated in Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa. It bears fruit containing a single black seed or ‘bean’. The beans are removed from the ripe fruit and dried, then soaked in rum or alcohol for 12-24 hours to make them swell. When removed from the alcohol bath, they become dried and shrunken, after which a whitish powder of crystallized coumarin progressively accumulates on them. The beans are then coarsely pulverized and subjected to a two-step process – solvent extraction followed by an alcohol wash – to produce the absolute.1,2
Tonka Bean absolute is used as a non-floral sweetener for introducing warm notes in chypres, fougères, new mown hay bases, Amber bases, Lavender bouquets, etc. It can add a natural gourmand effect in white flower accords, such as tuberose, and also harmonizes well with vanilla, leather and tobacco notes. Prior to the availability of synthetic coumarin, tinctures of Tonka beans were long used as a source of natural coumarin, the compound responsible for the beans’ sweet Vanilla-like aroma.3 Groom states “About 10% of all modern quality perfumes contain Tonka, examples being Je Reviens, Raffinée, and Red, and it appears among the main ingredients of some 13% of quality fragrances for men.”4
Also worth noting, and contrary to coumarin’s reputation, Tisserand cites that “humans are not at risk from externally applied coumarin, and no toxic effects have been reported for any coumarin-containing essential oil or absolute. … We see no need for a coumarin dermal limit, either for toxicity or skin sensitization.”5
PLEASE NOTE: Tonka Bean Absolute is intended for use in perfumery only. Naturally occurring coumarin in Tonka Beans is considered safe for dermal use, and is not carcinogenic, not phototoxic, and not an allergen; this, however, is not the case with synthetic coumarin and coumarin derivatives.6 For a pre-blended and easy to use dilution of this oil, please see our Tonka Bean Absolute – 20%. If you are interested in using Tonka Bean for body and skin care purposes, please see the high-quality, organic Tonka Bean Butter that we carry.
For information regarding the use of Tonka Bean in perfumery, please see:
- Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Steffen Arctander, 1960, pp. 634-5.
- Artisan Perfumery or Being Led by the Nose, Alec Lawless, 2009, pp. 58-9, 70.
- Listening to Scent – An Olfactory Journey with Aromatic Plans and Their Extracts, Jennifer Peace Rhind, 2016, pp.84, 87.
- Complete Aromatherapy Handbook – Essential Oils for Radiant Health, Susanne Fischer-Rizzi, 1990, p. 213.
- “Fougère, Coumarin and the Bittersweetness of Green,” Ayala Moriel in SmellyBlog, October 2007, https://ayalamoriel.com/blogs/smellyblog/16972343-fougere-coumarin-and-the-bittersweetness-of-green?_pos=1&_sid=5bcb3f1d8&_ss=r
Aromatic Profile: Very rich, caramel-like, powdery-sweet aroma of new mown hay with a warm herbal and soft tobacco-like undertone; very tenacious. Excellent fixative properties.
Appearance: Off-white to brown, opaque, very thick paste-like mass that is solid at room temperature and requires special use instructions to blend. For a pre-blended and easy to use dilution of this oil, please see our Tonka Bean Absolute – 20%.
Use: Natural Perfumery.
Blending Suggestions: Dilute and add drop by drop to your blends until the desired effect is achieved.
Blends Well With: Amber Oil – Fossilized, Ambrette, Bergamot and other Citrus oils, Boronia, Butter CO2, Carnation, Cinnamon, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Coconut, Hay, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lavandin, Lavender, Linden Blossom, Liquidambar (Styrax) Oleoresin, Neroli, Oakmoss, Orange Blossom, Orris, Osmanthus, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Tuberose, Vanilla, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang. “[T]he effect of true tonka absolute goes far beyond that of the coumarin contained in the absolute… [and explains] … the continuous use of tonka absolute today, [more than] a century after the appearance of synthetic coumarin on the perfume… market.”7 Tonka Bean absolute is used as a “delicate and subtle quality fixative for fine fragrance use.”8
Safety Considerations: None known; dermal application of coumarin is not hazardous.9 Dilute before using. A patch test should be performed before use for those with sensitive skin.
1 Lawless, Julia. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, 2013, p. 193.
2 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 626.
3 Wells, F.V. and Marcel Billot. Perfumery Technology – Art: Science: Industry, 2nd ed., 1975/1981, p. 64.
4 Groom, Nigel. The New Perfume Handbook, 2nd ed., 1997, p. 330.
5 Tisserand, Robert and Rodney Young. Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed., 2014, p. 543-544.
6 Ibid.
7 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 624.
8 Lawless, Alec. Artisan Perfumery – or Being Led by the Nose, 2009, p. 70.
9 Tisserand, Robert and Rodney Young. Essential Oil Safety 2nd ed., 2014, pp. 455-6.
The FDA has not evaluated the statements on this website. No claims are made by Eden Botanicals as to the medicinal value of any products from Eden Botanicals. The information presented here is for educating our customers about the traditional uses of essential oils and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You are responsible for understanding the safe application of these products. If you have any questions, please call or email us for further information.
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Customer Reviews for Tonka Bean Absolute
- Tonka Bean ABS Review by Daniel
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Rating Excellent product! Not sure why the COA says that it is insoluble in alcohol? It absolutely is soluble in 190 proof. I have made many dilutions of this. It just has to be heated along with the alcohol before you add the two.(Posted on 5/14/2021)
- Refined, ancient, powdery, sweet and mysterious! Try it! Review by Black Pepper
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Rating Rare, sweet, ancient, creamy and powdery. Wow! Just wow! It's the scent of long ago, of familiar memories that yet never existed. It's like entering an attic and finding yourself in another dimension. It's possible the scent that attracts white unicorns to you. As a child, I used to have a doll whose face smelled like this. I shouldn't write this review by fear that there's not a bottle left by the time I get around to buying my own, but you simply have to smell it! This should be a bucket list add-on, next to see the Eiffel Tower, dive in Grecian waters and hike to the top of the Machu Picchu. It's from Brazil and I seem to have an affinity for their oils. I'm actually vanilla-intolerant and this is the perfect replacement, as that is a flavor I used to enjoy. Yes, it's sweet, gourmand and caramel-like. Oh, and it lingers, definitely a base note, that I can't stop smelling on my wrist. It's definitely exotic and pheromone-like, but not overpowering in the least. Slightly musky, I would add. Very pleasant. It's great by itself and it's not intimidating to a beginner perfumer like me: it seems to have only one stable facet but what a glorious one it is! Glad to read it is a "fixative", I look forward to experimenting with it. Thanks, EB! Pick up a sample, buy a bottle and thank me later but above all: leave some for me, please! =)(Posted on 7/23/2020)
- long lasting. Review by posypusher
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Rating stays a long time on the skin. I keep sniffing my wrist to enjoy the warm scent. very nice.(Posted on 12/17/2018)
- Creamy burnt sugar Review by Vala
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Rating It's the most intriguing thing for me, I cannot wait to order more and make items with this. Can't stop smelling it.(Posted on 5/22/2017)
- Amazing Review by Cananga odorata
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Rating A sweet mixture of almonds, cinnamon, and honey. Not to be missed.(Posted on 4/21/2016)
- Needed to say Review by Carlos
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Rating It has become indispensable to me. Grab it while you can! Quality, and good, exotic smell.(Posted on 1/7/2016)
- Not a bad buy Review by Carlos
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Rating It smells just as described. Powdery, caramel like with a vanilla resemblance. Not a bad smell. Really powerful in blends. If you are thinking of using 2 drops use 1, maybe less.(Posted on 11/18/2014)
- this tonka bean smells great Review by lisa
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Rating It smells wonderful. Be sure you read the informatiion. This is a solid substance. Looks like gray wax. Not a problem if you know.(Posted on 5/23/2013)
- Sweet Tonka Review by Wonderful
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Rating This Tonka smells really nice and sweet, almost like caramel. It mixes well with vanilla!(Posted on 2/21/2013)
