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full screen Hormones in high gear combined with poor hygiene can lead to a pungent pubescent smell. Archive image. Photo: Isabell Höjman/TT
A little baby smells lovely. When the baby becomes a teenager, however, it is not as tempting to sniff their neck. Now the researchers have found the chemistry behind the pungent puberty smells.
In puberty, most things change. Bodies grow in length, emotions can sway and hair appears in new places. In addition, something happens with body odor that becomes sharper and more prominent.
Now German researchers have got to the bottom of what it is in the teenage scent that makes it so prominent. In one study, they compared scent samples from teenagers between 14 and 18 years old with samples from children between 0 and 3 years old.
– The most surprising thing is that there weren’t that many differences in the chemical composition, says Johan Lundström, professor and smell researcher at the Karolinska Institutet.
40 chemical compounds
In total, the toddlers and teenagers had about 40 chemical compounds in common. But in the teenagers, who had not used deodorant at the time of the test, there were more steroids and carboxylic acids than in the young children.
It is when steroids and carboxylic acids come into contact with bacteria from skin and clothing that the really sharp and often less pleasant smells arise.
– The glands that produce these are controlled by the hormones, and the hormones go into overdrive during puberty. If it happens in combination with the teenager being careless with hygiene, the same little baby that you thought smelled fantastic 15 years later can smell like a wrestler’s bra, says Johan Lundström.
Although the glands produce the substances that smell, it is possible to take the tip of the most intense ones. By showering, changing clothes and using deodorant, preferably with alcohol, it gets better.
Disgust for own child
The researchers mention that some studies have shown that teenage parents can perceive the smell of their own children as extra unpleasant, especially when it comes to children of the opposite sex. There have been theories that it fulfills a biological function for one to feel discomfort and avoid procreating with one’s offspring at all costs.
– It is very difficult to prove that this would be the case, but in general, scents fulfill extremely important functions in mammals, including humans, says Johan Lundström
In addition to showering and wearing clean clothes, Johan Lundström has an additional tip to keep teenage odors at bay. But according to most people, that is probably easier said than done.
– In fact, the more emotionally involved someone becomes, the more active the glands become. So be careful not to make the teenager angry or sad.
The study has been published in Communications Chemistry.