Puberty alters nearly everything. Height increases, muscles gain strength — and frequently, body scent intensifies. Presently, researchers have pinpointed certain substances responsible for teenagers' inherent fragrance.
In contrast to that of infants and young children, adolescent body odor contains two malodorous steroids and elevated concentrations of carboxylic acids, as outlined by scientists in a March 21st publication in Communications Chemistry. These compounds are generated through bacterial breakdown of underarm perspiration and sebum, the oily secretions ensuring skin moisture, potentially influencing the discernible shifts in body odor during puberty.
"Development brings about shifts in body odor," remarks Helene Loos, a chemist at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. "There exists a remarkable variety of distinct odor compounds found in body odors."
Loos and her team gathered body odor samples from 18 teenagers aged 14 to 18 and 18 infants aged 0 to 3 who had worn cotton pads under their arms overnight. When the body odor was fractionated into individual components, it was discovered that young children and teenagers share over 40 compounds.
Although certain chemical classes displayed no distinction between age groups, the presence of carboxylic acids was more pronounced in teenagers. These compounds encompassed a blend of pleasant aromas, evaluated by a trained panel for olfactory cues as fruity, soapy, or grassy, alongside less appealing ones with notes reminiscent of cheese, must, or goat-like musk.
Researchers also isolated two steroids exclusively present in the body odor of teenagers. One, known as 5α-androst-16-en-3-one, emits scents reminiscent of sweat, urine, and musk. The other, labeled 5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol, exudes notes of musk and sandalwood.
Despite participants abstaining from deodorant and using unscented body wash and detergent for two days before the study, a few elements from scented products were still detected.
Notably, some compounds known to contribute to potent body odor were not identified, notes biochemist Andreas Natsch of Givaudan, a fragrance and flavor manufacturer headquartered in Vernier, Switzerland. These chemicals might necessitate alternative detection techniques or may become more apparent after physical exertion or perspiration.
In future work, Loos hopes to look for those compounds and to study how BO changes at other stages of development.
