 Garlic is known to cause bad breath (halitosis) and body odor, described as a pungent "garlicky" smell to sweat.This is caused by allyl methyl sulfide (AMS).AMS is a volatile liquid which is absorbed into the blood during the metabolism of garlic-derived sulfur compounds; from the blood it travels to the lungs (and from there to the mouth, causing bad breath; see garlic breath) and skin, where it is exuded through skin pores.