Why Some People Don't Have Body Odor

You may have noticed that some people barely smell, no matter how much they sweat. It isn't better hygiene or discipline. Genetics plays a big part, and the science points to one specific gene.

How One Gene Shapes Body Odour

It's called ABCC11, and it strongly influences whether your sweat contains the compounds skin bacteria can break down into odour. It comes in two versions, and the "odour-free" one is spread unevenly around the world. In European populations only about 2% of people carry it; in East Asian populations it is far more common, with estimates of 80 to 95%. People with this version produce far fewer of these odour-forming compounds, so they usually have very little underarm odour, even when they sweat normally.

The same gene gives something else away: your earwax type. The "odour-free" version comes with dry, flaky earwax; everyone else has the wet kind. It sounds random, but it's one and the same switch in your DNA.

What Scientists Discovered About Genes and Skin Bacteria in 2024

Your genes don't just influence what your sweat glands release. They may also be linked to which bacteria live under your arms.

In a 2024 study published in Scientific Reports, researchers Bruce R. Stevens and Luiz F. W. Roesch examined the underarm microbiome of 25 people with different variants of the ABCC11 gene.

They found significant differences in the bacterial communities associated with these genetic variants. ABCC11 explained approximately 5% of the variation in microbiome composition in their study.

The researchers also identified differences in the predicted abundance of microbial genes associated with PatB, a bacterial enzyme involved in producing 3M3SH — a powerful sulfur-containing compound responsible for a characteristic type of underarm odour.

The finding suggests a connection: human genetics and skin bacteria may be linked through the same biochemical pathway that creates body odour. These are estimates of microbial function, not direct proof that genotype alone determines how strongly a person smells.

Your genes help determine which odour precursors your body releases. The bacteria living on your skin determine how some of those precursors are transformed into molecules we can smell.

Scientific source: Stevens & Roesch (2024), Interplay of human ABCC11 transporter gene variants with axillary skin microbiome functional genomics, Scientific Reports.

Sweat Doesn't Smell — Bacteria Do

Here's the part that applies to everyone, not just the genetically lucky. Sweat itself is almost odourless — mostly water and minerals. The smell only appears when bacteria on the skin break down the compounds in apocrine sweat.

The main culprits are specific microbes — Staphylococcus hominis and Corynebacterium species — that carry enzymes turning odourless sweat into pungent molecules: thioalcohols that smell sharp and oniony, and volatile fatty acids that smell sour.

People with the "odour-free" ABCC11 variant typically release much lower amounts of certain characteristic underarm odour precursors. That greatly reduces one major pathway to body odour, but it does not mean every possible source of odour disappears.

And that leads to the point that matters for the rest of us: odour isn't about sweat, it's about bacteria. That's the part that can be influenced.

What This Means for Everyone Else

If you're not in that 2%, you're not condemned to a daily battle. Your genes set whether your sweat contains odour precursors — but which bacteria dominate your skin is far more changeable.

This is an active research area. Work led by microbiologist Dr. Chris Callewaert has shown that the underarm microbial community can shift, and that changing which bacteria dominate can change how a person smells. The distinction is the whole point:

• Genetics (the ABCC11 gene) — you can't change it.
• The microbiome (which bacteria live on your skin) — you can influence it.

Most people fall into the second category. Body odour there isn't written permanently in DNA; it depends on how bacteria on the skin break down sweat.

What Antiperspirants Do to the Underarm Microbiome

Conventional antiperspirants don't just reduce sweat. Scientific research shows that their use can also change the number and composition of bacteria living under your arms.

In a 2016 study published in PeerJ, Urban and colleagues investigated the underarm microbiome of people with different deodorant and antiperspirant habits.

When participants stopped using these products, the number of culturable underarm bacteria increased. When antiperspirants were applied again, bacterial numbers declined dramatically.

The researchers also found differences in bacterial community composition and species richness between people with different long-term product habits.

These findings demonstrate that underarm products influence more than the immediate sensation of sweat or freshness. They can also change the microbial environment in which body odour develops.

Scientific source: Urban et al. (2016), The effect of habitual and experimental antiperspirant and deodorant product use on the armpit microbiome, PeerJ.

Working With the Microbiome Instead

ZINDEO isn't a deodorant or an antiperspirant — it's an anti-odorant. It doesn't mask odour with fragrance and doesn't block your glands. Instead, it supports the skin microbiome while targeting the bacteria associated with body odour, not the sweat itself.

Sweat still happens — it's supposed to. What makes the difference is how bacteria on the skin break down sweat.

RESET SET MAX is the complete routine for stronger body odour or for switching from an antiperspirant: SALSOAP® preps the skin, while the Roll-on and cream complete the routine. When the cream runs out, you refill the jar.

RESET SET MAX — SALSOAP® + Anti-odorant Roll-on + Anti-odorant Cream. Try RESET SET MAX →

You Can't Change Your Genes, but You Can Change the Bacteria

Genetics plays an important role in the production of certain underarm odour precursors, but it is only part of the picture. What isn't fixed is the environment the bacteria on your skin live in. Odour doesn't come from sweat; it comes from what the bacteria do with it. That's exactly where you can step in.

Sources: American Society for Microbiology (asm.org); Science (science.org); Medical News Today; research on the underarm microbiome by Dr. Chris Callewaert. Educational content, not medical advice.

Peer-reviewed scientific studies:

• Stevens & Roesch (2024) — Interplay of human ABCC11 transporter gene variants with axillary skin microbiome functional genomics. Scientific Reports.
• Urban et al. (2016) — The effect of habitual and experimental antiperspirant and deodorant product use on the armpit microbiome. PeerJ.
• Harker et al. (2014) — Functional characterisation of a SNP in the ABCC11 allele: Effects on axillary skin metabolism, odour generation and associated behaviours. Journal of Dermatological Science.