Tonka bean: the South American seed packed with coumarin

Where does tonka bean come from?

Tonka bean is the seed of Dipteryx odorata, a tree in the pea family (Fabaceae) native to northern South America; despite the name, it has nothing to do with Tonkin. Wikipedia's article on Dipteryx odorata describes black, wrinkled seeds with a smooth brown interior, and names Venezuela and Nigeria as the main producers, with Brazil and Colombia also growing it.

What does tonka bean smell like?

Tonka bean has a strong fragrance close to sweet woodruff, thanks to coumarin, which usually makes up 1 to 3% of the seed and occasionally up to 10%. Its flavour has been described as a mix of vanilla, almond, clove, cinnamon and amaretto. The French Wikipedia page on coumarin sums up the molecule's smell as freshly cut hay.

What does tonka bean do in a perfume?

Tonka bean appears in amber fragrances, where it partners labdanum and vanilla, and of gourmands, next to coumarin. Its story runs through coumarin: the molecule was first isolated from tonka beans in 1820 by A. Vogel, synthesised in 1868 by William Henry Perkin, and used in 1882 in Houbigant's Fougère Royale. Compare the bean with pure coumarin and with vanillin to hear what the whole seed adds.

What should you know about tonka bean?

Tonka's coumarin is regulated. The IFRA Standards restrict coumarin, with a maximum concentration for each product category, and list "Tonka bean camphor" among its synonyms. In the United States, the FDA has considered foods containing tonka beans adulterated since 1954, and many governments control it as a food additive. Tonka is still used to flavour some pipe tobaccos.