SMELLBOOK REFERENCE · SB-0044
Plastic
Permanent ID: smellbook: · updated 2026-10-06, revision 4
Character EDITORIAL
Plastic smells clean, faintly sweet and synthetic, ranging from almost neutral to distinctly sharp.
Words: synthetic, clean. Families: Fresh and clean.
Met in: Car.
Evidence
Scientific evidence
- Volatiles emitted by plastic packaging films (CLM-PLASTIC-001). Jahan Zaib Ashraf, Sandra Pati, Danial Fatchurrahman, Maria Luisa Amodio & Giancarlo Colelli, Screening of volatile organic compounds emitted from different packaging materials: case study on fresh-cut artichokes, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2023.
Molecules named in these claims: octane, propanoic acid. A molecule listed here is named in a VERIFIED claim about this smell. It is not presented as the cause of the smell; each claim says what its source supports.
Cite
SmellBook. (2026). Plastic (revision 4, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:plastic. https://smellbook.com/smells/plastic
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