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Vanille Tonka Nicolaï 1997

7.6 / 10 192 Ratings

A popular perfume by Nicolaï for women, released in 1997. The scent is spicy-oriental. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Sweet

Powdery

Gourmand

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Aniseed

Black pepper

Mandarin orange Lemon

Lemon

Heart Notes

Carnation

Cinnamon

Frankincense

Orange blossom absolute

Base Notes

Tonka bean absolute

Vanilla absolute

Tobacco absolute

Perfumer

Patricia de Nicolaï

Ratings

Scent

7.6192 Ratings

Longevity

8.0150 Ratings

Sillage

7.3133 Ratings

Bottle

7.0134 Ratings

Value for money

7.236 Ratings

Submitted by Chemist · last update on 02/16/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Tropical Comores Extrait

Shalimar Eau de Parfum

Tropical Comores Eau de Parfum

Café Chantant Eau de Parfum

Ballamour Toujours

10 Aomassaï

Reviews

13 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/16/2016

7.5Scent 6Longevity 4Sillage

AromaX
33 Reviews

AromaX

Helpful Review 3

A quiet skin scent with an attitude

The general impression of Vanille Tonka reminds me of a High Key concept where the slightest touches of shadows are creating an image on what seems to be an endlessly white background. It opens with a tingling sensation in my nose caused by the crispy lemon tickling against the fuzzy vanilla. A very similar effect I get in Habit Rouge and to a lesser extent in Shalimar by Guerlain. Then the scent almost disappears flowing out to a white canvas. The citrus brightness calms down and descends in form of an orange flower mist. The touches of warm spices are draping the fabric of canvas into a shape of an exotic flower. Incense deepens the curvy contours of the fluffy vanilla clouds spilling the bittersweet flakes of tonka.

It's a very soft scent spreading a delicate aura of a classic vanilla and tonka accord. To my nose it's too muted perhaps, but it's a great skin scent for those searching for a quiet perfume with an attitude. A nice light perfume for a day wear for the admirers of Habit Rouge or Shalimar.

04/28/2015

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Gold
726 Reviews

Gold

Helpful Review 3

Vanilla veil

Patricia de Nicolai is such a fantastic perfumer and Vanille-Tonka is one of her finest creations.

I love the punch of pungent black pepper and cinnamon in this beautiful fragrance. PdN is a master of blending cinnamon into various fragrances ("Maharadjah", "Sacrebleue"), and in Vanille-Tonka, it is one of the anchor notes, too. The vanilla is great, not too sweet, but intoxicating, a veil of tonka bean and incense complete the artful arrangement.

"Vanille-Tonka" is strong and exquisite, rich and warm. Basically not a daylight-perfume, it blooms most vividly in winter/autumn, but why not use it on a cold spring night like today?

02/28/2025

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Tanelv
81 Reviews

Tanelv

1

Five o’clock tea in a posh London cafe

I really didn’t expect this to become my fave from Nicolai. Sounded too simple and descriptive. I had a great time in their cute London store where I really got into Nikolai world. Most of the scents fell flat for me but this is the want kept growing on me.

It really serves honestly vanilla and tonka, with hints of cinnamon and incense on the backdrop. I don’t get citric notes at all … Reading other reflections on Vanille Tonka that speak about overwhelming lemon - where are my lemons ;? But that might be the reason I really enjoy it now too, it falls beautifully into lower accord.

It has modest old money touch, regal sweetness without becoming sticky or kitschy. And it’s soapy in a very old school way.

And yes, there is a carnation. Note that isn’t easy to digest. But it’s very well blended into the lower notes.

It’s hard to imagine the occasion though for wearing it. Five o’clock tea in a posh London hotel lobby or cafe?

Updated on 02/28/2025

05/21/2011

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Louce
138 Reviews

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Louce

Top Review

Vanilla-Tonka-Cinnamon: 3 x 1 = 1

The name is two-thirds true: As a work in progress in the lab, when Patricia de Nicolai was refining it, it surely was still called Vanilla-Tonka-Cannelle. The cinnamon note is an important part of the main accord and plays a significant role in shaping the unmistakable, unique scent of Vanilla-Tonka.
But first, there’s a juicy-sour mandarin. Mandarin is the citrus note that always brings a conciliatory sweetness and can quickly lead to a fruity character. This is skillfully prevented here: Lemon brings a sour swing, and the basil herb provides a slightly oily bitterness to counteract the overly sweet. This citrus note has a subtle spiciness and thus paves the way for the trio of main notes:

Vanilla...
... is presented in an unusual yet typical way. Rich, but not too opulent. Soft, but not overly soft. Peaceful-friendly-sweet, but not annoyingly trivial (as vanilla can sometimes become).

Tonka...
... is often a substitute vanilla. Just as NEC describes it: Not here! The tonka bean is finally allowed to show what it’s capable of: It is earthy, sweet-cool, almost nutty, and wonderfully spicy.

Cinnamon...
... shimmers here in the most beautiful matte gold spice. The soft, fine, and dim noble oriental aspect of cinnamon is celebrated here so extensively that its sharpness is lost. A bit of pepper is added for good measure.

Amazing, surprising, and artistically executed: All 3 main profile contributors are "broad notes." All 3 tend to develop a wide surface, working less towards a pointed scent goal, but rather promoting a horizontal unfolding of the scent spectrum. And yet, Vanilla-Tonka brings these 3 notes together precisely! Each of these broadly expansive notes results in a scent sum that is very concentrated and direct.
A distinct floral note softens the oriental-gourmand aspect, ensuring that there can be no confusion with sweet dishes, and a later incense adds an ethereal significance so that the scent can never be dismissed as trivial. Is there a mini touch of amber? I smell something.

A really nice and characterful fragrance that unites 3 broad themes into a beautifully concentrated single theme. An oriental, spicy, and slightly floral perfume. Shimmering, golden-yellow-sandy brown with orange-flaming reflections.
Charming-funny (but not erotic) and more suited for day than night.
A clever scent.

___________________________________
Many, many thanks and a big kiss to Inala (sample) and NEC (text) for the inspiration and motivation!

03/26/2014

8Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Leimbacher
2877 Reviews

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Leimbacher

Top Review 18

Reeperbahn Excursion from the Club of Santa Clauses

Vanilla and tobacco, vanilla and fruits, pure vanilla - I've experienced it all in varying quantities and qualities. However, placing vanilla alongside its similar brother tonka and building a winter fragrance around this sweet duo is something that not many have dared to do yet.

No wonder, as one quickly realizes here. This sweet Christmas explosion is so powdery and heavy that it’s hard to keep it under control or to dose it properly. Often, tonka or vanilla are used individually or together in a tame drydown of sweeter or woody scents - but to let both amplify each other and thus build the fragrance requires... The Titan would say: guts. But as a Guerlain heir, you can have those too.

Alongside a high-quality vanilla pod, I perceive dry tonka bean, dark and powdery. These are the stars of the show, the main actors, the powerful duo. Even though I can only emphasize again that the fragrance should be dosed discreetly and can be a weapon, I must also mention the notes that play supporting roles, but do so in a taming and disarming sexy way. Especially the scratchy-smoky incense and the citrus notes at the beginning distract a bit from the Christmas Eve focal point. The spices that appear later, like curry or nutmeg, then rather intensify and disturb, with cinnamon being the adopted son of the main couple anyway.

Bottle: almost a bit amateurish and independent looking.
Sillage: you become a Christmas elf surrounded by a cloud of powder!
Longevity: 10 hours and much more.

A real heavyweight and competitor for Tobacco Vanille and co. Anyone familiar with the well-known gourmand faces or fragrances should definitely stop by Mrs. Nicolai!

More reviews

Statements

23 short views on the fragrance

AromaX

9 years ago

7.5Scent 6Longevity 4Sillage

3

It could be a Light version of Shalimar or Habit Rouge for a casual daily wear. A perfect quiet skin scent with an attitude.

Ganii

7 months ago

3

Called "vanilla tonka" just for the scent to be pure citrus. And not even a good one, "toilet spray" kind of scent...

RisingChaos

3 years ago

9Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

2

Warm, resinous vanilla with a green, ashy tobacco leaf and touch of smoke. Powdery dusting of spices with a faint fruity nuance.

Alladream

4 months ago

6.5Scent 7Longevity 8Sillage

1

Vanille where? the aniseed dominates; this is one for kids in the mood for smelling like a Victorian-era sweet shop.

ParfumAholic

1 year ago

9.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

32

59

Yes, I was skeptical. A scent called "Vanilla Tonka" almost screams "sweet"! Ha, wrong thought. Here, +

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Gandix

2 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

30

43

There's a hint of tobacco
in the air
In the holiday mist a
lemon cake
with cinnamon crumbs
wrapped in tonka
adorned with garden clove
dipped in vanilla

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Spatzl

11 months ago

8.5Scent

24

34

Mandarin and anise set the tone for the vanilla-tonka scent. This dissolves all excess sugar into the air. ***

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Yatagan

1 year ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

23

14

You can really feel the Guerlain connection in PdN here: oriental vanilla with spice (cinnamon), floral notes, and tobacco: exquisite!

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Gold

5 years ago

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

20

8

A popular classic from PdN, not your average vanilla, but a spice-infused, cinnamon dream with a hint of incense and the typical Nicolaïade.

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Sweetsmell75

7 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

11

6

Lemon-Vanilla
*spiced with cinnamon*
Tonka bean brings everything into the right light in the base :)
A fine gourmand for anyone
who doesn't like it too sweet!

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