Tonka Impériale Guerlain (2010)

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Top 6 in Unisex Perfume

8.7 / 10 624 Ratings

Tonka Impériale is a popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men and was released in 2010. The scent is gourmand-sweet. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.

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Perfumer

Thierry Wasser

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Almond, Rosemary
Heart Notes	Jasmine, Tonka bean, Tobacco
Base Notes	Frankincense, Cedarwood, Stone pine wood

Ratings

Scent

8.7 (624 Ratings)

Longevity

8.3 (468 Ratings)

Sillage

7.2 (470 Ratings)

Bottle

8.8 (447 Ratings)

Submitted by Ripieno, last update on 05.06.2020.

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Reviews

06/04/2020

9
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage

Palonera

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Palonera

Top Review 27

La Danse Bacchanale

The other day under 'm almond tree
a cashmere dream floats down finely spun, quiet,

magical and light as a feather,
calibrated for sunlight,
sends me on a journey
Year by year it goes back,
lighter becomes the time luggage,
my worries disappear,

to hardly a handful of years',
no more silver thread in hair,
i'm standing on the morning of my life
In grandma's kitchen it's warm,
even warmer on grandpa's arm:
"Well, are you awake, my darling?
I know the stove cracked and you woke up from that But now we're having almond biscuits!"

A blink of an eye, a moment -
i'm sixteen now. First happiness,
the belly full of butterflies -

"Heliotrope" on the skin,
you smell strange and yet familiar
like all the new things,

that you teach me this year,
the exciting and wonderful
shaped me for my life.

You awakened my sensuality
and taught me tenderness,
the taking and the giving.

Sweetened tobacco, soft smoke,
the dancer's decorated belly -
La Danse Bacchanale.

The dream passed, and with it the feast.
On my skin a last rest
"Tonka Impériale".

22 Replies

08/08/2019

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Eyris

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Eyris

Top Review 15

In the arms of Tonka

I have been emotionally connected to the smell of the Tonka bean since I acquired my first Tonka fragrance at the Perfume Academy in Bremen. Although it was a very heavy, smoky oriental perfume and did not suit my usual taste at all, it soon began to have a soothing, comforting effect on me. Not the normal feeling of well-being that comes over you when you perceive a familiar scent, but an almost "psychoactive" way to calm me down.
It got so much into my head that I preferred to put on the perfume for myself alone in the evening or even only when I went to bed to let myself drift in the smell. I was well aware that the perfume contained tonka bean, but which ingredient I could attribute this effect to, I did not really know.

That changed when I decided yesterday to test a tonka bean fragrance in my trusted perfumery. Tomorrow is my final anatomy exam and I am the personified stress, so I hoped for distraction and a half hour fragrance holiday. That's how Tonka Imperiale fell into my hands. Already on the first breath it was clear - it is the tonka bean! The Tonka, my comforter, sleep guard and soothing spirit. Quite unlike my first Tonka perfume, this one is filled with sweetness and a bright, friendly perfume, framed by a spicy, woody note that ears me.
This perfume is my encourager, an encouraging word and a gentle embrace.

P.S.: Generally recommended for anyone who wants to smell good when failing a test ;)

9 Replies

03/13/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 8

Majestic!

Guerlain goes back to its majesty. I am not really a fan of tonka, so I procrastinated the approach to this scent. Which contrary to what I feared, is great. Beyond great! The opening is pure beauty, a sophisticated, rich, golden cornucopia of vanilla, amber, resins, aldehydes, jasmine, all together bringing in triumph a complex, faceted, rich, tremendously high-quality tonka note, well supported by a sweet, humid, rooty tobacco note. A warm, fairly unisex Oriental blend, slightly fruity too, refined and sumptuous and terribly pleasant to wear (at least for a while, especially for its first phase), well framed by a gentle breeze of petals and aromatic herbs which give this Oriental gem a touch of elegance halfway French and Mediterranean. The tonka note is perfect: dense, vibrant, round, precious, not cloying (to me it is, quite often) and not too almondy-roasted. It smells fresher and more vibrant than usual, partially probably due to its quality, partially to the simple yet totally clever composition which effortlessly enhances its nuances – from earthy to sweet. The tobacco note works perfectly in keeping the blend literally “down to earth”, providing a shady whiff of smoke, contrasting with flowers and citrus bringing their sunrays in. And in the middle, this vibrating, solid heart of gold made of amber, vanilla and tonka. Great and elegant silky-talc drydown, discreet and still carrying soft hints of tobacco and vanilla, with no synthetic aftertaste. A perfect blend of richness and Exoticism painted with French grace and sumptuosity, great and irresistible from the very first sniff to the last second on skin. Smells, and is, hell expensive, but (finally!) for a reason. Fantastic, and for me easily the best from this “exclusive” line.

8,5-9/10

08/16/2014

9
Scent 10
Longevity 5
Sillage 7.5
Bottle

Pipette
63 Reviews

Pipette

2

The Scent Without Edges

The Parfumo Community has given "Tonka Imperiale" very good ratings, which was one incentive for me to try it. After sniffing it at Bergdorf's, NYC, I was smitten. That was not the only time that I had examined it, over the years I often tested it. So, okay, break the bank and splurge, go ahead and enjoy. Said, done.

After that I read Kafka's blog article where she described it as sort of bland. (You can google the article.) Ah ha, bland you say. That is fine and good with me because sometimes I am just looking to spray something on that is pleasant and not attention-seeking or loud. Something like skin, but better. Something for every day.

But wait. Although "Tonka Imperiale" can easily be worn from morning to night every day, it is not limited to that - for an evening out, one could just spray more.

It is a fine and cultivated scent. Well blended from beginning to end. "The End" is after a long lasting period of easily 8 hours. The scent lingers softly and does not change in the base notes.

Mainly tonka bean, I am sure, but there is also a certain sleekness that continues throughout. Otherwise no edges, no roughness, and above all, no cheap notes. (Cheap notes I would describe as shrill or changing in the dry down to something offensively ugly; cheap perfumes often do that.)

It probably does not deserve as high a price tag as it has. But now that I have it, I will spray liberally and enjoy it. Leaving less good-smelling perfumes by the way side.

11/28/2012

6
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Very helpful Review 7

Sweet Tobacco and Wedding Cake

After my 'head over heels' reaction to Guerlain's Rose Barbare, I was very interested to get my nose on some of the other L 'Art et la Matière collection ... subconsciously hoping for more of the same! In the case of Tonka Impériale, it's unfortunately not 'instant love' ... but it definitely is 'like'.

I received a hefty 4ml sample of Tonka Impériale in a swap (thanks Tricciwoo) and on application the first thing that pops on my skin is the Tobacco. As a smoker, I am probably tuned in to this note ... if it is contained in a fragrance it's usually the first thing I smell. Here, the Tobacco is cuddled by the powdery-ness of Tonka and the marzipan sweetness of Almond. It smells like someone is smoking a pipe near a wedding cake :).
Unfortunately, Tonka Impériale has a very short life-span on my skin. It reminds me a little of Mugler's A*Men Pure Havane (which is much stronger and a lot less refined) with a bit more sweetness thrown into the mix. I've read that Tonka Impériale sticks to fabric quite well, so a full wearing is probably a good idea. It's extremely difficult to compare something one 'likes' to something one would sell a kidney for (and at the prices of the L 'Art et la Matière collection this could happen!), but as acceptable as this fragrance is it probably won't crack the nod for addition to my collection. I don't think it is 'special' enough ...

I have Iris Ganache also from this collection yet to try ... time will tell if the astounding beauty of Rose Barbare can be matched!

2 Replies