Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol

Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol is the main material used for reconstructions of rose. On its own it paints a picture of dried red roses, but in combination with the other rose alcohols (geraniol, nerol, and citronellol) an entire bloom emerges. Add cinnamic nuances, greenness and honey notes and you begin to paint the full picture of a wild rose, foliage and all. 

According to Arctander, “This material enters perfume compositions at the rate of 5-10-20% or sometimes much more. Its low cost, versatility and general acceptability on odor, its excellent stability are factors speaking strongly in favour of this otherwise relatively weak odourant. However, its odor is clearly demonstrated in an experiment with an apparently weak crystalline ftxative/odourant, such as [rose crystals]. With 5% of the crystalline material, Phenyl ethyl alcohol will smell not only much more rosy, it will last much longer, and its 'rough' topnotes are pleasantly subdued, it has 'three dimensions' instead of two.

“But it is in the 'everyday' perfumery that the subject alcohol is most appreciated. It is almost never 'out of place' in a composition, be it floral, balsamic, Oriental, mossy, herbaceous or 'modern-aldehydic'. It is an inevitable companion to the 'rose alcohols', Citronellol, Geraniol, Nerol, Dimethyl octanol [tetrahydro geraniol], etc. and it may receive fixation from Guaiacwood oil, Nitromusks, Coumarin and Heliotropin, Rosetone, Resinoids, etc. It blends excellently with the Linalool family, and with all the newer 'Lily’-alcohols, 'Muguet'-alcohols, etc. as well as in Lime and Spice blends.”

aromachem