Dimethyl benzyl carbinol

Say itdye-METH-il BEN-zil KAR-bih-nawl

Fresh, green-rosy floral with lilac and hyacinth tones and good diffusion.

What it is: A molecule made in a lab.
When you smell it: Heart: the first hours.
What perfumers do with it: Used in lilac, hyacinth, muguet and jasmine reconstructions; adds a light green lift to marine notes.
Worth knowing: Majantol, a modern muguet alcohol, is built on a very similar molecular skeleton.
Also called: DMBC; 2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-ol

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

Sources