Scent note · amber facet · Amber family

Tonka Bean scent notes

Creamy vanilla-almond warmth with balsamic edge.

Related names: tonka

Tonka beans are the wrinkled seeds of a South American tree, Dipteryx odorata. They smell like vanilla, almond and fresh hay all at once, thanks to coumarin, one of the oldest aroma chemicals in perfumery.

Tonka bean is a base note. It gives gourmand and amber blends a warm, slightly spicy floor and sits well with maple, almond and clove. Coumarin carries IFRA limits, so check each oil's certificate for your product type before setting a usage rate.

21oils · see the list

20as a base note

amberfacet

Tonka Bean pairs with

Maple3 of our 4 maple oils also carry tonka bean

Almond6 of our 9 almond oils also carry tonka bean

Clove8 of our 14 clove oils also carry tonka bean

Cinnamon5 of our 15 cinnamon oils also carry tonka bean

Patchouli4 of our 13 patchouli oils also carry tonka bean

Lime3 of our 11 lime oils also carry tonka bean

Tonka Bean oils lean

Creamy 5/13 Warm 3/8 Powdery 6/16 Spicy 10/27

Questions about tonka bean

Is tonka bean a top, middle or base note?

Mostly a base note. Of the 21 oils here that list tonka bean in their notes, 20 carry it in the base and 1 in the middle.

What does tonka bean pair well with?

Maple, almond and clove. 3 of our 4 maple oils also carry tonka bean.

More amber notes

Almond Sweet Vanilla Amber Balsamic Spicy Clove Warm Nutty Caramel Resinous Cinnamon Pumpkin Maple Gourmand Chocolate

Browse every note on the Scent Notes page, or read how families and facets fit together in The Fragrance Wheel guide.