Citronellyl formate

Say itsit-ruh-NEL-il FOR-mayt

Fresh, rosy-green and fruity, with sharp geranium-leaf bite.

What it is: A molecule made in a lab.
Where it comes from: natural in geranium oil
When you smell it: Top notes: the first minutes.
What perfumers do with it: Gives rose and geranium accords the leafy, sharp top note of real geranium.
Worth knowing: It occurs naturally in geranium oil and supplies much of that oil's leafy bite.
Also called: 3,7-Dimethyloct-6-enyl formate

Not on the label of any of the 232 perfumes read so far.