EVER WONDER?
What causes body odor (BO)? 🧼
Where does body odor (BO) come from?
Body odor happens when sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin.
Your body has two types of sweat glands:
Eccrine glands are found all over your body. They make watery sweat with salt. This sweat does not smell.
Apocrine glands are found in places like your armpits and groin. They make thicker sweat with fats and proteins. This sweat doesn’t smell at first, but bacteria break the fats and proteins down, and that process creates smells.
What else affects our body odor?
Genetics: Your genes affect how much you sweat, the kinds of bacteria on your skin, and how strong you smell. Some people naturally smell less.
Diet: Foods like garlic, onions, spicy food, red meat, and asparagus can make smells stronger.
Stress: Stress sweat (which is produced by apocrine glands) usually smells stronger than exercise sweat.