Tonka Bean

What does tonka bean smell like? Its scent comes from coumarin, which is sweet and hay-like and resembles vanilla beans. Tonka bean is the seed of Dipteryx odorata, a tree native to northern South America. The tree is also called cumaru.

The two plants are different. Vanilla comes from the pods of an orchid; tonka is the seed of a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae).

Tonka bean in PREMIEREPEAU

Tonka and coumarin are among the materials listed for Albâtre Sépia, composed by Florian Gallo. Albâtre Sépia is also part of the Discovery Set.

Where the smell comes from: coumarin

The scent of tonka comes from coumarin (C₉H₆O₂, molecular weight 146.14, CAS 91-64-5). Coumarin was first isolated from tonka beans in 1820. It can also be made in a laboratory by the Perkin reaction, from salicylaldehyde and acetic anhydride.

Tonka bean is a seed, not a single molecule, so this entry has no CAS number or formula of its own. The CAS number and formula above belong to coumarin.

Coumarin, IFRA and the food rule

• IFRA Standards: coumarin (CAS 91-64-5) is a Restriction, Amendment 49, 2020. The Category 4 (fine fragrance) limit is 1.5 %. IFRA's Annex on contributions from other sources lists tonka bean absolute (Dipteryx odorata) among the natural complex substances that contain coumarin.
• United States: 21 CFR 189.130 deems food containing added coumarin, as such or as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extract, to be adulterated (Federal Register order of 5 March 1954, 19 FR 1239). The rule concerns food.

Questions people ask

Is tonka the same as vanilla? No. They are different plants: vanilla comes from an orchid pod, tonka is a tree seed.

What is coumarin? It is the compound that gives tonka bean its scent, with the formula C₉H₆O₂ and CAS number 91-64-5. IFRA restricts its use in fragrance.

Where does tonka bean come from? The tree is native to northern South America.

Sources & Notes

• Coumarin, CAS 91-64-5, C₉H₆O₂, odor: PubChem CID 323
• Botanical name: IPNI · GBIF · Wikidata
• IFRA: IFRA Standard, Coumarin (Amendment 49) · Annex on contributions from other sources (51st Amendment)
• Scent and history: Wikipedia, Dipteryx odorata · Wikipedia, Coumarin · Biomolecules 2020
• US food rule: 21 CFR 189.130