Velvet Tonka

Tonka Bean: The Noble Gourmand Note of Perfumery
Tonka bean is one of the most captivating raw materials in contemporary perfumery. Derived from Dipteryx odorata, a majestic tree native to South America, also known as coumarou, it reveals a dense, textured, and warm fragrance.
At the heart of its fruit lies a dark, glossy seed, called sarrapia by local populations. Long unknown in Europe, this mysterious bean truly entered perfumery at the beginning of the 19th century, when creators discovered its warm, vanilla-like and enveloping scent.

An Ancestral Harvest: The Ritual of a South American Treasure
The cultivation and harvesting of tonka bean remain, to this day, an ancestral art, passed down with patience and respect. Between August and September, the fruits are not picked but gathered from the ground once they have fallen naturally, an indication that they have reached perfect maturity. The fruits are then opened one by one to release the precious beans. Carefully sorted, they are left to dry for several days under the sun or inside dry wooden houses. It is during this slow transformation that coumarin appears, a naturally occurring molecule responsible for tonka bean’s unmistakable scent, at once vanilla-like, almondy, tawny, and balsamic.

A Gourmand Spice Through the Centuries
When tonka bean arrived in Europe in the 19th century, it immediately intrigued with its carnal and enveloping fragrance. It began to be used to scent pipe tobacco, to which it brought roundness, smoothness, and depth. Very quickly, perfumers understood its potential: capable of softening an accord, adding texture, and enveloping a creation in a sensual halo.
Tonka thus became a transitional material between oriental-inspired fragrances and modern compositions, a true olfactory bridge bringing warmth, mystery, and softness.

Tonka Bean Today: A World of Refined Softness
In modern perfumery, tonka bean continues to play a central role. Its olfactory richness allows it to be by turns luminous and dark, soft and structured, comforting and mysterious. It lends niche creations a gourmand yet sophisticated character, always perfectly balanced. Tonka bean thus embodies a precious duality: a raw material born from South American forests and a natural elegance that has become a signature of haute parfumerie.