Tonka Bean 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: 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.