You can buy McCormick's vanilla flavoring here in the US that is completely artificial, so I know it's possible to make it without dangerous chemicals.

I wouldn't mind buying a nice, middle-of-the-road blend that contains some real Mexican vanilla mixed in with the artificial flavoring.

I know it's not real vanilla extract, because it's clear, but I'm ok with that as long as I'm not poisoning people with it. The flavor is so unique compared to commercial frostings (which come from a bucket - I asked the lady at Costco one time). My parents brought me back a bottle of Danncy clear 'pure vanilla', which smells fabulous and tastes great in decorator frosting. Big difference!! Really makes you wonder what the shadier types are leaving out! The English version: vanilla extractives, water, and alcohol. Here's the Spanish version (translated to English): vanilla bean extractives, water, alcohol, propylene glycol, natural coloring, and 0.1% potassium sorbate as a preservative. I found a picture on Ebay of Posa 'pure natural' vanilla (which is considered one of the safe ones) on which the ingredients are listed in Spanish and English. So it's hard to know if something labeled 'coumarin free' is truly safe. The trouble is, labeling laws are not necessarily enforced the way they are here in the US. In fact, it seems that most of the vanilla available to tourists is synthetic in some way, but not necessarily made with coumarin. I understand that the ultra-cheap vanilla sold in Mexico is likely to contain coumarin because it is made from tonka beans instead of vanilla beans. I searched the boards and found a couple of really old threads on this topic, but they were not quite what I'm looking for.

Best mexican vanilla extract