scientists found out what children’s armpits smell like during puberty

Scientists have discovered that children’s body odor can resemble the scent of flowers or soap. However, during puberty, chemical compounds that affect it create aromas of cheese, goat meat, or even urine.

About this writes The Guardian with reference to the results of a study which published in the journal Nature.

13 children under the age of three and 13 adolescents aged 14 to 18 participated in the study by German scientists from the Friedrich-Alexander University in Bavaria.

T-shirts with cotton linings in the armpits were created for them, and they had to sleep in them for one night.

After that, the scientists extracted the chemical compounds found in the cotton pads and separated the mixture of substances into its component parts with the help of a solvent.

It is noted that the teenagers did not eat spicy or too smelly food before going to bed.

Also, when washing before going to bed, they did not use scented detergents. The linens on their beds were also washed with unscented detergents.

When the scientists extracted the chemical compounds that absorbed the armpit pads, they found that the pads from the teenagers’ armpits contained two steroids that smelled of sweat, urine, musk, and sandalwood.

They also had elevated levels of six carboxylic acids that produce unpleasant odors, including cheese, goat and wax.

The babies’ samples had higher levels of ketones (a substance that affects body odor) that smelled like flowers and violet-scented soap.

Scientists have explained that during puberty, sweat glands and sebum secretion are activated in teenagers, as a result of which body odor may increase.

The results of the study may help in the creation of deodorants that are able to mask specific odors, the scientists added.

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