Ingredients · Not for the smell

Benzyl alcohol

Say itBEN-zil alcohol

Faint sweet-floral; turns almondy as it ages.

What it is

There to carry, keep or colour the perfume, not for its smell.

Where it comes from

natural in jasmine, ylang-ylang and hyacinth

What perfumers do with it

Solvent that softens harsh floral chemicals; also a mild preservative

Worth knowing

The same molecule preserves many injectable medicines.

Known in

Twilly d'Hermès (Hermès, 2017); Invictus (Paco Rabanne, 2013)

Rules

Limited. IFRA 51 cap 2.5% in fine fragrance; EU must-label allergen

On the label of 439 of the 1080 perfumes read so far

No. 5Chanel · printed “Benzyl alcohol”ShalimarGuerlain · printed “Benzyl alcohol”MitsoukoGuerlain · printed “Benzyl alcohol”Good GirlCarolina Herrera · printed “Benzyl alcohol”LibreYSL · printed “Benzyl alcohol”La Vie Est BelleLancôme · printed “Benzyl alcohol”

See all 439