Despite what you might think, it’s not our sweat that smells. The real culprit is the bacteria that live on our skin.
Natural bacteria on our skin feed on our sweat and release the smell we call body odour, also known as bromhidrosis. The warm, damp conditions of the underarms make them an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. The sweat from our apocrine glands, which are more prone to releasing odour, get trapped in this area. This can also result in sweat patches on our clothes.
Body odour starts to occur during puberty. Men tend to suffer more from body odour than women as they sweat more from their apocrine glands. However, women actually have more sweat glands overall.
Certain foods like curry, garlic or spices, alcohol, and some types of medication can also make our sweat smell unpleasant.
If you sweat a lot, you may find that body odour is becoming a problem. Here are a few things that could help:
Rexona has a range of antiperspirant innovations to help with body odour including 48-hour protection and our extra protection antiperspirant, Maximum Protection.