Dimethyl sulphide: Aroma, Smell and Safety | PatientsCann UK

Dimethyl sulphide

dimethyl sulphide, DMS

pronounced: dy-METH-il SUL-fide

A simple, everyday sulphur smell found across many foods.

Everyday sulphurFormula: C2H6SModerately potent
Aroma family
Everyday
Formula
C2H6S
Mass
62.13 g/mol
Main note
Sweetish

Dimethyl sulphide · 62.13 g/mol

The molecule

Chemical structure

This is the accurate skeletal structure of Dimethyl sulphide, drawn from PubChem data. Each corner and line-end is a carbon atom. The yellow S marks sulphur, the atom that gives this whole family its powerful smell.

SweetishCooked vegetableCabbageMarine

About

What is Dimethyl sulphide?

Dimethyl sulphide, or DMS, is one of the simplest sulphur smells there is: two methyl groups either side of a single sulphur atom. It is everywhere in food and nature.

You have smelled it in cooked sweetcorn and cabbage, in beer, and even in the sea air at the coast. In cannabis it adds a light, savoury background note.

What the research says

The Science

Unlike the prenyl compounds, DMS is not special to cannabis. It turns up across the plant and food world, which is why it is so well understood.

In cannabis it is a minor player, adding a soft savoury edge rather than a defining smell.

Aroma snapshot

How Dimethyl sulphide Smells

Everyday sulphur family
SweetishCooked vegetableCabbageMarine
Smell strength: Moderately potent

Familiar from cooking; sweetish at low levels, cabbagey when strong.

You might also smell it in: Cooked sweetcorn, cabbage, the sea breeze, beer and truffles.

Its role in the smell

Part of the Whole

Sits quietly in the background, adding a gentle savoury lift rather than a smell of its own.

Good to know

A Note on Safety

Dimethyl sulphide is an aroma compound, present in cannabis in trace amounts. It is not a medicine and has no dose of its own. What matters for you is the whole product and how it is prescribed.

Always choose and adjust your medicine with your prescriber and pharmacist, never by smell alone.

Questions

Dimethyl sulphide: Common Questions

Is dimethyl sulphide unique to cannabis?
No. It is one of the most common sulphur smells in nature, found in cooked vegetables, the sea and many drinks. In cannabis it plays only a small background role.
Is it harmful?
It is a normal, widespread food aroma present in trace amounts. It is the smell, not a medicine, and there is no known concern at these tiny levels.
Back to full Sulphur Compounds Guide
Important: This page is for education only. It is not medical advice. Research into cannabis sulphur compounds is very new, and most work so far is about smell, not treatment. The garlic comparison is about chemistry, not proven health effects. Always speak to your prescriber before changing your treatment. PatientsCann UK does not recommend any specific cannabis product.

References

  1. Oswald, I.W.H., Ojeda, M.A., Pobanz, R.J., Koby, K.A., Buchanan, A.J., Del Rosso, J., Guzman, M.A. and Martin, T.J. (2021) 'Identification of a new family of prenylated volatile sulfur compounds in cannabis revealed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography', ACS Omega, 6(47), pp. 31667-31676. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04196.
  2. Russo, E.B. (2011) 'Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects', British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), pp. 1344-1364. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x.
  3. National Center for Biotechnology Information (2025) PubChem Compound Database. Bethesda: U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Accessed: 3 August 2026).