We investigated whether ${eta}$-galactosidase (${eta}$-gal)-containing Escherichia coli cells could transfer a galactose to 2-phenoxyethanol, resulting in 2-phenoxyethanol galactoside (PE-Gal). PE-Gal was confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, we also confirmed that a galactose molecule was covalently bonded with PE during thin-layer chromatography analysis of the ${eta}$-gal hydrolysate of PE-Gal. The yield for PE-Gal synthesis was about 37.5% (weight basis), which was about 7-8 times greater than that of a previous report. In addition, the concentration of ${eta}$-gal (0.96 U/ml) used in this PE-Gal synthesis was about 20 times less than that in a previous report.