Vanillin is an aromatic chemical and the main component of vanilla fragrances and flavours. It's used in many perfumes, cosmetics and personal care products for its honeyed creamy almond notes.

Vanillin can be derived from the seed pods of Vanilla planifolia, a species of vanilla orchid native to Mexico and Central America. Due to the high cost of vanilla pods, most of the world's production of vanillin is synthesised from chemicals derived from other plants such as eugenia caryophyllata (clove).

REFERENCES

A Jenkins, B R Niederhaus, J A Gonzalez, Vanillin, Editor(s): Philip Wexler, Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Fourth Edition), Academic Press, 2024, Pages 721–726, ISBN 9780323854344, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-824315-2.00150-0.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (2024). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 1183, Vanillin. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Vanillin