--- description: And, no, the answer isn't as simple as just "garlic". title: VIDEO: What Causes Garlic Breath? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38784613657e56fb/698696d3810bbb4be5c92186/garlic720.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's Why You Get Garlic Breath by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 9, 2014 8:10 PM CUT  A complex group of volatile organic compounds give you that distinct garlic breath. A complex group of volatile organic compounds give you that distinct garlic breath.American Chemical Society by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 9, 2014 8:10 PM CUT Garlic tastes good to eat, and it’s good for you — so how does it turn in to such a date-night killer after you’ve consumed it? The folks at the American Chemical Society and chemistry blog [Compound Interest](http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/05/05/what-compounds-cause-garlic-breath-the-chemistry-of-garlic/ "undefined") have done the research and narrowed it down to four volatile organic compounds. Strangely enough, none of these compounds are present in garlic until it is broken down or chopped, but when garlic’s structure is damaged, enzymes convert the compound Allin to Allicin, which is responsible for the smell. Allin then breaks down in to the four compounds and one of those – Allyl Methyl Sulfide – breaks down much more slowly and as the compound gets in to your bloodstream, the only ways it can excrete are through urine, sweat, or breath. There is a fix however – if you want to mask your garlic breath, your best options are milk, or parsley. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/"},"headline":"Here's Why You Get Garlic Breath","datePublished":"2014-06-09T20:10:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:18:21.652Z","description":"Scientists have narrowed down the exact chemical reason why your breath reeks after eating the stuff","url":"https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38784613657e56fb/698696d3810bbb4be5c92186/garlic720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38784613657e56fb/698696d3810bbb4be5c92186/garlic720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Garlic Breath","caption":"A complex group of volatile organic compounds give you that distinct garlic breath.","creditText":"American Chemical Society","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/","name":"Here's Why You Get Garlic Breath"}}]}] ```