PAHs are traditionally thought to form around carbon-rich AGB stars,where the presenceof inner-wind shocks and nucleation seeds can aid their formation. However,my recent workhas shown that the formation of benzene – thought to be the rate-limiting step in theformation of larger PAHs – can be efficient in other environments,namely the dense toriaround the evolved stars of pre-planetary nebulae and in the inner regions of theaccretion discs around young stars. I will discuss the chemical pathways to the formationof benzene in these regions and the subsequent formation of larger PAHs.