alpha-Terpineol

Say itAL-fuh-ter-PIN-ee-awl

Sweet lilac-pine, soft floral with a slightly woody, earthy note.

What it is: A molecule made from a natural raw material.
When you smell it: Heart: the first hours.
What perfumers do with it: Inexpensive lilac and pine note; softens citrus and herbal accords; huge in soaps and cleaners.
Worth knowing: Classic 'pine oil' household cleaners owe their smell mostly to terpineol, not to pine needle oil.
Also called: p-Menth-1-en-8-ol; terpineol

On the label of 87 of the 232 perfumes read so far