Laboratorio Olfattivo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The tonka bean announces itself immediately, rich and almost buttery, but cardamom's sharp pepper and neroli's bright neroli flesh cut through with insistent clarity—a sweet-spicy combination that crackles with tension. Dried fruits (prune, perhaps apricot) add a preserved, almost fermented depth that makes this feel lived-in rather than fresh.
The fragrance settles into something considerably more sophisticated as cashmeran and patchouli emerge, bringing earthy, slightly leathery shadows beneath the creamy tonka. Vanilla softens without surrendering; frankincense and Atlas cedar build a resinous backbone that transforms the composition from purely gourmand into something more contemplative, almost smoky. The spice lingers as a murmuring presence, preventing any single sweetness from dominating.
Musk, woods, and frankincense form the final architecture—a warm, lightly powdery base that suggests skin-scent territory. Tonka becomes a whisper rather than a statement, the woody elements gaining prominence whilst the cardamom and pepper fade to barely-perceptible ghost notes, leaving something intimate and amber-like that lasts as presence rather than projection.
Tonkade is a fragrance that wears its indulgence without apology. Marie Duchêne has constructed something deliberately sweet yet architecturally complex—a gourmand composition that refuses the easy trap of linear sugar. The tonka bean arrives immediately warm and creamy, but it's immediately complicated by cardamom's peppery bite and neroli's citric brightness, which prevents the opening from becoming cloying. There's an almost savoury quality here, the dried fruits adding a jammy density that suggests prune and fig rather than candy.
What makes Tonkade compelling is its restraint in the heart. Cashmeran and patchouli ground the composition with earthy, almost leathery undertones, whilst vanilla emerges not as a supporting sweetener but as a structural element—creamy and slightly animalic against the Atlas cedar's austere woodiness. This is where the spice accord (88%) truly justifies itself; the cardamom resurfaces here, now speaking in conversation with the deeper woody-resinous frankincense rather than fighting the tonka. The scent becomes meditative, almost amber-like in its warmth without ever feeling dated.
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4.0/5 (152)