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Tuesday, May 01, 2018

**REVIEW** Tonka Bean Oil from Piping Rock

I am SO disappointed in the Tonka Bean Oil that I just got. It has none of the vanilla scent that it's famous for and it wasn't even very moisturizing.

pay attention, please, to that label

Of course, I contacted Piping Rock immediately because, based on their product details, either I got something different than what was described or I got a bad bottle. This is the site's description of their Tonka Bean fragrance oil:

The rich, creamy aroma of our Tonka Bean Fragrance Oil brings together the warmth of amber, the subtle sweetness of vanilla and sophisticated notes of bergamot and lily.  (my bold/italics)
Uh, no, sir. Not my bottle they are talking about there. And, because I wanted to be sure that it wasn't just my nose being funny from this latest cold, I had a neighbor give the bottle a sniff. Nothing. She then tapped out some oil on the back of her hand and took another deep sniff. Her response? "I think I smell a little something, but not anything like vanilla or amber. Maye a hint of Bergamot." And she didn't sound too sure about that.

Now, I can't be super upset about the oil. For one thing, it's the first time that I have tried Tonka Bean oil, so maybe this is how it's supposed to smell (or not smell) like. I dunno. For another thing, Piping Rock has never disappointed me with the quality of the other products I've received from them. But I sure am upset at the response I received when I contacted them via the site's Chat function.

This is a copy of how I started the Chat:
"I recently ordered the Tonka Bean oil. I've never used any before now, but this one has almost none of the "sweetness of vanilla and sophisticated notes of bergamot and lily". There is actually almost no fragrance. Is that normal? I used perfumes that have Tonka Bean as a base or main note, but I don't know if the oil is so mild. I love everything else I have ordered and plan to be a repeat customer, but since I don't know Tonka Bean oil, was just wondering about this bottle."
His initial response was to parrot the site's description:
The fragrance contains - Rich, sweet, warm fragrance, with notes of vanilla and amber (my underline)

Ohhh-kay.

Notice that he uses that word "fragrance" the same as the product description and the bottle's label. Not just an oil but a fragrance oil...

 He then went on to assure me of the guarantee that's in place for one year from date of purchase (nice) so that I could return the unused portion (huh?)  with a short explanation (wait, what?) for a refund or "recreation" of the product.

Uh, here's the thing. I paid $4.99 for the little bottle. It would probably cost me that much plus a few pennies to ship this back. Also, why should I have to write any kind of an explanation? Maybe that's would be okay because maybe they want to make improvements, but why should I bother doing any of that for a $4.99 refund?

What I wanted was not a refund, but an explanation (short or otherwise) of why I wasn't getting any of the described fragrance from the bottle I purchased. Or maybe for the agent to tell me that the oil is not as strong as I expected.

At any rate, I am not happy with this oil and I'm trying not to let this bottle ruin all Tonka Bean oils for me. Or maybe all Tonka Bean oils smell exactly like this one. I don't know. All I know is that most of my favorite perfumes include Tonka as the base or main note and this is not what I expected. I mean, "fragrance" is all over the description and labeling so ... ~sigh~

I have to tell you all, if I weren't so happy with everything else I've gotten from Piping Rock, I'd be done with them at this point. As a matter of fact, if this had been the first thing I'd ordered, I'd have never ordered from them again.

Right now, I'm hoping to find another brand of Tonka Bean oil to compare with this one. You all know that I'm fair when it comes to writing reviews. I will tell the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to a product or brand. I'm in love with Piping Rock for the prices, the packaging, and (except for this oil) the quality of the products I've ordered.

I would love to hear from anyone who has tried Tonka Bean oil and can tell me if I'm expecting too much or not.

Peace
--Free