Will a New Discovery About Body Odor Lead to Better Deodorants?
By Emily Matchar
July 20, 2018
There’s nothing like being on a crowded subway in summer to make you consider body odor. Why do we smell in the first place? Why can some of us manage to get away with skipping a shower after the gym, while others reek after a quick walk to the park? And how does deodorant work (or not)?
As to why some people smell more or differently than others: age, diet, genetics and—yes—hygiene do play a role. But much has to do with bacteria. Sterile sweat has no scent. But the bacteria who thrive in the cozy moist environment of your armpits convert sweat molecules to smaller compounds, leading to bad odors. Depending on the type of bacteria that happen to live in your particular pits, the odors can range from sour to meaty to oniony to rotten egg-like. Deodorants work by killing some of the bacteria, by covering odors with perfumes, and, usually, by reducing the amount you sweat in the first place. But, as anyone who’s stood nose-to-armpit with a whiffy stranger on a summer subway knows, they don’t work perfectly.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/will-new-discovery-about-body-odor-lead-to-better-deodorants-180969695/
