Body odour: A smelly way to say “I love you”

We all sweat – it’s part of what makes us mammals. It’s also really important; sweating helps us keep our bodies at the same temperature and gives toxins and other nasty things a way out of our bodies. So why does everyone think that sweating is a bad thing?

If you’re like most people, your answer is “because it stinks!” But that’s not true. Sweat actually doesn’t smell at all! The smell people think of as “sweat” is all thanks to a special sweat gland in your armpits. When you’re a kid, the sweat under your arm is odourless, just like on the rest of your body. But when your body starts to change into an adult, the sweat glands in your armpits start to make a different kind of sweat.

This sweat contains proteins, fatty acids, and chemicals called pheromones – the same chemicals that bees use to talk to each other! Scientists think that if you fancy someone, it’s partly because you like the smell of their pheromones. In fact, in Elizabethan times, ladies used to put peeled apples under their arms when they were dancing, and when the apple absorbed the smell of their sweat, they would give it to their sweethearts to say “I love you!”

The really nasty smell most people think is sweat comes from tiny living things called bacteria. Bacteria absolutely love the fatty acids in armpit sweat. They gobble it up, and it’s the waste that comes out of them when they’re finished that really stinks! Fortunately, a good wash under your arms can get rid of most of the bacteria (and their stinky smell goes with them).