IFF launches sustainable tonka bean extract for greener fragrance innovation

LMR Naturals by International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) has released an addition to its Conscious Collection: Tonka Bean CO2Absolute. The extract has a “gourmand olfactive signature,” extending the natural ingredients company’s fragrance portfolio with gastronomically inspired palettes.

The new line comprises 12 sustainable, traceable natural ingredients for fragrance and flavor solutions. The ingredients are sourced using planet-friendly extraction techniques and produced with renewable, recycled supercritical CO2 technology.

The ingredient’s olfactory experience is characterized by “naturality, warmth, and velvety texture” for fine and consumer fragrances. With tonka bean’s origins in the Amazon rainforest, the product balances sensoriality that plays off comfort and coziness with hints of decadence.

“It has a brown sugar twist, a hint of buckwheat, and even a subtle touch of cocoa. It’s unexpectedly sweet and salty at the same time and deeply intriguing,” says Alexandra Carlin, senior perfumer at IFF.

Sustainable solutionsThe new tonka bean ingredient requires 32% less carbon to produce.

Tonka Bean CO2₂ Absolute is aligned with LMR’s sustainability efforts. 

“Our CO2 extraction unit in Aubrac has enabled LMR to develop a collection of extracts that seamlessly blends sustainability with high hedonic profiles for perfumers,” says Bertrand de Préville, general manager of LMR Naturals by IFF.

The sustainable sourcing practices for the Tonka Bean extract also improve the scent’s performance and cost efficiency. The extraction process requires lower energy consumption, resulting in lower environmental and fiscal costs compared to traditional solvent extraction. Furthermore, the process takes place at low temperature, does not leave residual petrochemicals, and maintains volatile and sensitive molecules.

This process results in an ingredient with a 34% lower cradle-to-gate carbon footprint than traditional Tonka Absolute.

IFF’s projects

The Tonka Bean update is part of IFF’s sustainable fragrance innovation efforts. The company is engaged in various streams of sustainable development, aiming to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions for its operations by 2040.

IFF recently invested €10 million (US$11.78 million) in its LMR Naturals site in Grasse, France, increasing its natural innovation capacity in the global perfume capital.

In late 2025, the company opened the fragrance industry’s “first” green hydrogen facility in Benicarló, Spain, powered by renewable energy from Iberdrola. The site aims to produce 100 metric tons of green hydrogen annually, reducing CO2 emissions and supporting the hydrogenation of over 50 fragrance ingredients.

In its R&D department, IFF recently introduced its Colibri robot at its Singapore fragrance production plant to accelerate and enhance precision in fragrance sampling. The system can produce 200 sample batches in eight hours, cutting time-to-market.