Ingredient
Vanillin
Benefits
Synthetic
Vanillin is probably the most famous synthetic aromatic compound ever created. It imitates the scent and taste of vanilla by reproducing its main note.
What is vanillin?
Vanillin was isolated from vanilla beans in 1858 by a French chemist (who also discovered lecithin in egg yolks!). A few years later, in 1874, two chemists found a way to synthesize the fragrant molecule, thus offering a very inexpensive alternative to vanilla.
Vanillin then flooded the market and became popular as a food flavouring, especially in ice cream and chocolate. It is also often found in perfumery, even if the scent of natural vanilla extracts is much more complex.