{"id":472381,"date":"2026-03-12T23:58:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T23:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/472381\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T23:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T23:58:24","slug":"the-so-called-old-person-smell-is-very-real-and-heres-how-to-know-if-it-will-happen-to-you-as-you-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/472381\/","title":{"rendered":"The So-Called “Old Person Smell” Is Very Real, And Here’s How To Know If It Will Happen To You As You Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you remember how your favorite grandma smelled? If you think back to a beloved elder, you might be able to summon up the memory of a scent that\u2019s been described as a blend of stale oil and musty cardboard. It might remind you of opening up old books or unpacking a box of vintage clothing. And while it\u2019s much more subtle than the sweaty body odor of youth, it\u2019s definitely noticeable and probably filed away in your memories as \u201cold person smell.\u201d\"Three<\/p>\n

Jena Ardell \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

As it turns out, that smell is an actual biological phenomenon, caused by an epidermal change that happens to everyone as they age. According to skin experts, every birthday after age 40 increases the likelihood of these changes in the way skin smells. Research<\/a> has identified the culprit as something called 2-nonenal (pronounced noh-neh-nahl), an organic compound known as an aldehyde.\"Two<\/p>\n

Katiuscia Noseda \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: “I Knew Instantly That He Would Be Dead Soon”: Doctors Are Sharing The Biggest Health Issues Patients Ignored Until It Was Too Late, And Whew, I’ve Been Warned<\/a><\/p>\n

That \u201caging odor\u201d is caused by increased production of this aldehyde in older people, which is the source of a distinctive, dusty \u201cgranny\u201d smell. Not all aldehydes smell the same, by the way, and another example is cinnamaldehyde, the organic compound that gives cinnamon its characteristic flavor and aroma, explained Dr. Delphine J. Lee<\/a>, chief of dermatology and residency program director at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.\"Close-up<\/p>\n

MASTER \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

We spoke with dermatologists and other experts to get to the bottom of why this happens.Here\u2019s what changes in your skin to produce the scent.\"An<\/p>\n

Jena Ardell \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: “It’s Not Normal”: Doctors And Nurses Are Calling Out The Biggest Health Warning Signs You Should Never Ignore<\/a><\/p>\n

The compound 2-nonenal has its own unique scent, and it proliferates as people get older. \u201cAs we age, several things happen simultaneously in our skin,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Sonal Choudhary<\/a>, a dermatologist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. \u201cAntioxidant defenses in the skin decline, the composition of our sebum changes, and our cumulative UV exposure and environmental stress increase oxidative damage in the skin.\u201d As these things are weakening the skin, 2-nonenal has an opportunity to make its presence known.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch suggests measurable increases in 2-nonenal typically begin after age 40, with more noticeable accumulation in the 50s and beyond,\u201d Choudhary said. \u201cIt\u2019s a gradual process, not an instant switch. The intensity of the smell varies significantly from person to person depending on genetics, skin type, lifestyle and environmental exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something that happens to most people, said dermatologist Dr. Naana Boakye<\/a>,\u00a0founder of Bergen Dermatology<\/a>. \u201cEvidence suggests that 2-nonenal production is a common age-related phenomenon, not something limited to a small subset of people,\u201d she noted. \u201cStudies consistently detect this grassy, greasy scent in older adults of both sexes. While levels vary between individuals, there is no evidence that only certain people produce it.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may not be able to smell it yourself if you\u2019re producing it.\"Elderly<\/p>\n

Leland Bobbe \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: People Are Sharing Their Biggest “How Doesn’t Everyone Know This?” Facts, And I’m Honestly Embarrassed I Never Realized Some Of These<\/a><\/p>\n

Since so many factors, including genetics and lifestyle, contribute to the condition of your skin, you may get lucky and avoid the 2-nonenal odor altogether. And even if that distinctive smell does show up, remember that it\u2019s all in the\u00a0nose of the beholder. \u201cPeople can exaggerate that this smell is unpleasant or disgusting,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt may even be more neutral or pleasant than the body odors of younger and middle-aged people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Choudhary mentioned, this process happens gradually, and that gives your brain an opportunity to become accustomed to the new scent, thanks to something called olfactory adaptation. You might not notice a prevalent scent after a while, since brains often filter out familiar odors, while staying alert for new information. An example of this \u201cnose blindness\u201d is that we might notice a friend\u2019s house always smells a certain way but are probably unable to detect our own home\u2019s unique scent.<\/p>\n

Unlike sweat, it doesn\u2019t wash off easily.\"Three<\/p>\n

Michael Prince \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Since 2-nonenal is a fatty acid, it won\u2019t easily dissolve in soap and water, the way sweat does. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get rid of this molecule, because it\u2019s very sticky,\u201d said Danielle Reed<\/a>, chief science officer at Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research institute that studies taste and smell. \u201cIt loves to stick to your skin and it loves to stick to fabrics. You\u2019ll remove some of it when you bathe, but your body is constantly making it, so washing isn\u2019t a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boakye suggested it might be helpful to use antioxidant-based cleansers. She also said products with ingredients that bind aldehydes, like tannins, may help reduce odor persistence in some people. \u201cPersimmon soap, which contains tannins, has a plausible mechanism and a long history of use, though large randomized trials are lacking,\u201d she noted. While none of these experts recommended specific products, Mirai\u2019s clinical persimmon soap<\/a>,\u00a0with Japanese persimmon and green tea extract, is popular and highly rated.<\/p>\n

Recent research has looked at the potential role eggplant extract<\/a> might play in reducing the oxidative stress that contributes to 2-nonenal formation. In a study published last year, researchers said the fruits, leaves, stems and roots of eggplant, along with their active ingredient N-trans-feruloylputrescine, exhibited excellent 2-nonenal scavenging activity. But that\u2019s a \u201csomeday\u201d option, Lee said: \u201cHuman clinical data remain limited, so this should not be positioned as a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

An older study<\/a> was initially positive about how the consumption of white button mushroom extract could alleviate body odor in subjects aged 50 to 79, but there have not been large clinical trials to follow up on that.<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s still no sure-fire way to completely eliminate it from your skin, experts agreed. \u201cIf you could figure this out, you\u2019d be very rich, but so far there\u2019s nothing that\u2019s truly helpful,\u201d Reed said.<\/p>\n

Related:

HuffPost.<\/a><\/p>\n

You Might Like: 36 Products From Amazon\u2019s \u201cMost Wished For\u201d Section That\u2019ll Make You Go \u201cOoooooh!\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

You Might Like: If You’re Tired Of Digital Everything, Check Out These 53 Analog Products<\/a><\/p>\n

Also in Goodful: We Found That There Are Only 8 Types Of Best Friends In The World And I Bet We Can Guess Which One You Are<\/a><\/p>\n

Read it on BuzzFeed.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Can you remember how your favorite grandma smelled? If you think back to a beloved elder, you might…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[88250,168710,59,1666,102,168708,168709,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-472381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-body-odor","9":"tag-danielle-reed","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-getty-images","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-organic-compound","14":"tag-sonal-choudhary","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}