Ingredients · Not for the smell

Isopropyl myristate (IPM)

Say iteye-soh-PROH-pil mih-RIS-tayt

Odorless, light and slightly oily.

What it is

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

What perfumers do with it

Non-greasy carrier for alcohol-free perfume oils and roll-ons; also dissolves aroma materials

Worth knowing

Naked mole-rat queens give off this same compound to keep other females from breeding.

Also called

IPM