Tonka

This stuff is beast mode. If you like Tonka and Fall/Winter spices, you'll probably love this one. Don't sniff too close, this one needs to be enjoyed as part of your scent bubble. 10/10 for quality, originality, and longevity.

This is a nice scent, but tonka beans sit at the back and plays a major support role rather than being the star of the show. Top: Pink peppercorn, Mandarin, Bergamot Heart: Ylang ylang, Clary sage, Coriander Base: Vetiver, Tonka, Amber Tonka opens, strangely, with a pink peppercorn, black pepper and a bitter mandarin. It transitions into a green and spicy scent after minutes, as the zest fades. Yes, the fruitiness of peppercorn is detectable, but the framework is very much green aromatics, almost culinary to my nose at one point. There are green herbs, peppery spices, citrus peels. Are we cooking or making a cocktail? Enjoyable. There is heat and dark soil in the background - we approach this warm earth very slowly. This is where the TONKA plays, supported by ambroxan and synthetic woody & vetiver notes. The combination in the dry-down forms a tobacco accord to my nose. The namesake of this perfume does not appear until later, in other words - well after the impression of this perfume has been formed. Whilst the tonka beans are deftly used, I think the naming of this scent would potentially confuse buyers into thinking they are buying a vanillin/coumarin bomb, or that tonka would punch us in the face with the first spritz. I would rename this perfume SCHINUS. But no, Tonka here is used in an indirect but creative manner, providing the deep, earthy and rounded aspects to this green, spicy scent. Rather than just being a vanilla substitute in the base, that is, the tonka here grounds and balances the scent. Projection is moderate after the first few minutes. For an EdT, longevity is fairly good on my skin. This is a very good and unusual perfume. Fans of spicy greens and savoury culinary scents would like this one. Just don't go in expecting a facsimile of vanilla.

A bit greener than I expected from the name, and leans rather more masculine (definitely a touch of barber shop in there) but as a woman, I find it a very wearable. It's a slightly unusual, spicy herbal aromatic fragrance. The mandarin and bergamot are not very prominent, and the tonka doesnt have a particularly vanillic aspect, but it all develops pleasingly on the skin and warms together nicely with the woods in the drydown. I now own all of Laboratory Perfumes' scents. Very much worth getting, and I hope there will be more at some point.

Yeah, zero tonka. Same DNA as the one labelled "Amber" (which smells nothing like Amber, and everything like Aventus.) Again, a green, spicy aftershave smell, zero tonka, don't be fooled. Shame on you Laboratory Perfumes, I thought this would be niche category; it's in fact false advertised as niche and gives you basic mainstream. A faint whiff of plastic in the background to add insult to injury. **Let's trade samples - I have loads, trust me I will put you off this one. UK only **

I echo the reviews stating this smells nothing like Tonka. I had Tonka absolute on one wrist and this Tonka on the other. Absolutely nothing in common. Must keep looking for an affordable linear Tonka.

Got this as part of the discovery set. Thought I'd definitely like it, as i generally like tonka, so squirted it straight onto pulse points. Big mistake. This one is a hard no from me, too harsh, too "macho" (and I say that as someone who generally prefers masculine leaning scents). It reminded me of lads in the 80s/90s. I actually had to scrub it off and try to overwrite the lingering remains with one of the other samples (Gorse, much nicer!)

I've been having fun working my way through a Laboratory Perfumes sample set I picked up last summer. I must say, I'm very impressed with this house. My collection currently comprises 80 full size bottles (most of them 100ml) so clearly I'm no fragrance minimalist. But if I were told I would have to really cut back to just half dozen fragrances from two or three brands tops (for me this would be minimalism, I'm very seasonal with my scents) then this house would be a contender. I love Amber, Gorse, and Samphire (all spring and summer scents in my opinion) but of their original lineup of fragrances, this is the only one I don't like. I wouldn't wear it, and I wouldn't buy it for someone else. I'm not a fan of the combination of aromatic, woody notes with the tonka bean. I'm actually not sure what fragrance this is similar too. Other than sample sets I only purchase perfumes that I love, so I don't own anything similar. BTW does it irk anyone else when Fragrantica has incorrect information with respect to dates in the description? Or is that just the librarian in me? They list Tonka as being released in 2010 but the brand was only founded in 2012 according their website. Anyways... You can tell this is a quality brand because they haven't rushed to market dozens of scents. They came out with their first four fragrances in 2012 and didn't deliver their fifth (Atlas) until 2017. I noticed they recently discontinued Atlas and replaced it with another, Helios, the sixth fragrance in their collection which isn't even on Fragrantica yet. I like to see that they are taking time developing their scents and giving them a time to reach an audience before discontinuing them. Taking five or more years to develop a new fragrance seems perfectly reasonable. It really endears me to the brand.

Purchased the sample selection box just today (5 x 5ml), I have started with Tonka on one hand and Samphire on the other. I will start with Tonka which after about 10 minutes and the passing of the sweet note at the top, all I can smell is Creed Aventus. I'm therefore scratching my head at the notes list which do not bear any resemblance to what my nose detects. It's perfectly fine as a clone of Aventus but I was hoping for Tonka? Surely that shouldn't be too much to ask given the name....?

If you are seeking a tonka based fragrance, this is NOT it. This is reminiscent of Kouros or Jazz circa 1990. It’s loud and spicy. It’s fresh and extremely long lasting, but I do not detect ANY of the creamy warmth of tonka bean. If you really want a tonka fragrance, go for Armani Prive Ambre Eccentrico Eau de Parfum or if you want something louder and less expensive than the Armani - Kenzo Jungle.

This is not a bad fragrance, very masculine to my nose. I can barely detect any tonka in this because it’s very spicy. It feels a bit like an early 90s fragrance. Definitely not a blind buy.

The least tonka smelling Tonka fragrance ever made? It's "nice" just doesn't smell like tonka (sweet, cream, warm), it smells fresh acidic and citrusy. Not interested in a full bottle.

Notes acc. to Laboratory Perfumes: TOP: Bergamot, Mandarin, Pink peppercorn, Cistus HEART: Ylang, Clary Sage, Coriander, Timber BASE: Vetiver, Mossy notes, Amber, Tonka bean

I expected a sweet and well blended Tonka, and this did not deliver that.