Ingredient dictionary

Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate

Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that gives a soft, fruity-floral scent to personal care products. It is on the label of 17 products in our library. Checked against our library November 6, 2026.

What Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate does

Adds a soft, fruity-floral scent
Rounds out the overall scent of the formula
Helps cover the natural smell of other ingredients

Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate is a fragrance material made by chemical synthesis rather than taken straight from a plant. Chemists build it to give a specific smell, in this case a soft, fruity and floral note. Many fragrance materials are made this way because they give a steady, consistent scent.

In shampoo, formulators add it to give the product a pleasant scent during use. Most of the fragrance rinses away, but a faint trace can stay on hair. Like other fragrance materials, it is added in small amounts, and the scent is usually part of the product's overall character.

Good for

Shoppers who like a light, fruity-floral scent in their shampoo or hair care routine.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate safe?

It is a fragrance ingredient used in many rinse-off products. Like most fragrance materials, it can cause skin reactions in a small number of people who are sensitive to fragrance. If you have a known fragrance allergy, check the label and patch test a new product first.

Is Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate the same as fragrance?

It is one kind of fragrance ingredient. Labels often group scent ingredients under the single word fragrance or parfum, so this name may not always be listed by name, even when it is in the product.