Becoming a teenager means that you’ll probably need to break out the deodorant. A new study investigated how people’s smell changes with age—and found that teens have a strong odor. Scientists from Germany had toddlers and teens sleep in shirts with cotton pads sewn into the armpits. The researchers then analyzed the chemicals in the sweat absorbed by the pads.
It turned out that the very young children smelled clean and flowery because their sweat contains more ketones. These compounds—substances made of two or more chemically combined elements—can smell like soap and violets. Teen sweat, on the other hand, contained higher amounts of musky-smelling compounds, like carboxylic acids. These smell like cheese, goats, and dirt!
Scientists think that changes in body odor may serve a purpose. Parents may provide more care to a sweet-smelling baby, while they give stinky, independent teens more space