Vanilla in Natural Perfumes

The scent of vanilla conjures comforting feelings and arouses the senses. For many, vanilla has dessert and pastry associations synonymous with sweetness and satisfaction. For good reason. It has been used to enhance food with it's delicate, fruity nuance since the 1500's, primarily in chocolate drink introduced to the Spanish by the Aztec emperor Montezuma. It was called Chocolatl. 

As a perfumery ingredient, vanilla has a more profound quality. Vanilla is used as a fixative and base note. It adds depth, sweetness, tempers hard notes in the blend. It also has other nuances depending on the vanilla bean type and origin. Vanilla is a luxury perfume ingredient.

The use of natural vanilla is not common in perfumery, as the vanilla beans are expensive and the extraction process is costly. Often a synthesised vanillin or ethyl vanillin product is used to add the vanilla-like sweetness to the blend without the high cost of natural vanilla. Vanillin and ethyl vanillin can be created from natural or synthetic materials. 

In the creation of my eau de parfums, I use a tincture of vanilla bean. The bourbon vanilla or Madagascan type is actually Vanilla planifolia. It has a complex profile with sweetness, dried fruit, whiskey and woody notes. The Tahitian variety is Vanilla Tahitiensis, which is more sweet, fruity and slightly floral. The beans are tinctured in-house for several months before filtering. These are used in some of my ethanol based perfumes.

The use of natural vanilla in perfumery is unsurpassed by vanillin and ethyl vanillin in terms of complexity. The natural products brings a powerhouse of gourmand nuances and adds depth and dimension a perfume. Discover the natural vanilla note in the following perfumes. 

Cedar, Sandalwood & Bourbon Vanilla - uses vanilla planifolia as a feature note

Destined for Deadwood - uses vanilla planifolia and vanilla tahitiensis in the base accord

Pink Frangipani - uses vanilla tahitiensis in the base amber accord