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[Astarte]

I've never had BO under my arms so...nah :v

 

[Jailer of Hope]

Yeah I don't wear deodorant. My coworkers found it surprising when I told them. I've been told a few times I even smell good without any sort of synthetic fragrance. I didn't realize it might be genetics.

 

[SillyEskimo]

My wife does.

 

[scarlet]

Asian here.

I sweat a lot, so deodorant is a must.

 

[Grakl]

I'm mixed, so I guess it's appropriate that I don't need deodorant if I shower, but I put it on any way just in case.

 

[Alcotholic]

I put on deo, because i want to smell good. Thanks old spice!

 

[rokkerkory]

hell yes i do, gross

 

[septicore]

I do use deodorant but there are days I forget to put it on but nobody ever complains or say I have BO.

 

[Zoe]

I'm stinky with wet ear wax. Just a couple more things that I pulled from the wrong half along with big bones and body hair

 

[Diablos]

So what happened to the unfortunate people over the past 'several thousand' years who had smelly pits? Were they pushed off a cliff before they had a chance to procreate?

 

[Grakl]

I'm stinky with wet ear wax. Just a couple more things that I pulled from the wrong half along with big bones and body hair

Body hair is the wooooorst lmao, I assume you still get less though?

 

[teruterubozu]

I'm half Asian so I deodorize one armpit.

 

[zoozilla]

Dry wax, BO-free motherfucker checking in.

Hoo-fuickign-yeah, aby

 

[Zoe]

Body hair is the wooooorst lmao, I assume you still get less though?

Yeah, it's not like I'm abnormally hairy or anything, but with white-level amounts of hair and dark Asian hair, it tends to stand out (or at least I'm self-conscious about it).

 

[vern]

How come when I ride the subway in Shanghai during the summer 50%(at least) of the guys smell like b.o.?

 

[plainr_]

I do use deodorant when I'm out just in case and also because the one I'm rocking right now smells good. But I do think some asians are truly blessed with this. I can sweat all day and not emit any body odor.

 

[Grakl]

Yeah, it's not like I'm abnormally hairy or anything, but with white-level amounts of hair and dark Asian hair, it tends to stand out (or at least I'm self-conscious about it).

Oh gotcha, yeah black hair shows up way easier than every other color ofc

 

[derExperte]

I also have dry earwax and was freaked out to discover as a kid that some of my classmates had wet earwax.

How do you discover something like that? I need a detailed explanation.

 

[jerry113]

How do you discover something like that? I need a detailed explanation.

A kid was being gross and picking earwax outta his ear and it looked different from mine :X

 

[i am unagi]

After my boyfriend (Korean) and I moved in together I noticed he never bought deodorant. He has one stick. I think he's had it for a year.

I asked how he manages to keep the stick so long.

He said, "I don't really use it. I don't stink." Bullshit, right?

I then demanded he not wear it and let me smell his armpit after a day of work.

No smell.

I couldn't freaking believe it.

Edit: He also has dry earwax, which I didn't even know was a thing. I noticed this because he never used Qtips and had this special ear wax thing like a long tweezer. They sell them at Asian markets.

 

[SuperStiltzkin]

Nope. I shower regularly though. My armpits never sweat and I have dry earwax. I thought earwax was supposed to be dry?

 

[timetokill]

OP... you stink

 

[Darksol]

Yeah, this is one of those sorts of things that I always thought was just nonsense stereotypes spread online. When I actually learned about the genetic reason behind this, I was legitimately shocked.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Yep. Yours looks like this, right? This is dry.

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/what-your-earwax-says-about-your-ancestry

Yup, it's dry and flaky. I never knew people had wet earwax. It just sounds like ear boogers really (yeah, I know, both are mucus).

 

[daveo42]

What the hell is up with people thinking they don't have BO. Wear some deodorant OP? You got some funky pits.

 

[bobbytkc]

yes every day. The no smell thing is a myth. I think people who think they don't smell either aren't cognizant of the fact or don't sweat enough. Armpit odor is the result of bacteria and everyone has bacteria on them.

Did you not read the OP? Asians lack a substance bacteria feeds on to grow.

That sounds like science, not myth to me. It isn't as if scientific american is irreputable.

 

[345triangle]

you literally cannot buy antiperspirant in japanese drug stores, just perfumey spray stuff — and people don't stink. that would seem to back up the science.

 

[bobbytkc]

What the hell is up with people thinking they don't have BO. Wear some deodorant OP? You got some funky pits.

Travel to japan and korea. Nobody uses deoderant.

 

[Erudite]

I'm like you OP. My ex thought I was really weird for not wearing deodorant, despite never complaining about BO. Still don't wear any to this day.

 

[Renekton]

How come when I ride the subway in Shanghai during the summer 50%(at least) of the guys smell like b.o.?

Probably sanitation / environment issue.

 

[bobbytkc]

How come when I ride the subway in Shanghai during the summer 50%(at least) of the guys smell like b.o.?

I guess they don't shower every day. These things accumulate.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Yeah, Asians that smell bad is usually due to bad hygiene. I remember sitting on the bus with my mom next to this guy from out of town. He smells really funky. Let's face it, it doesn't matter what race, if you don't bathe for a month, you're gonna smell bad.

 

[linsivvi]

What the hell is up with people thinking they don't have BO. Wear some deodorant OP? You got some funky pits.

What the hell is up with people who do not read the OP? Get some reading glasses.

 

[YoungHav]

Body odor is caused by bacteria munching on a chemical that is produced by human sweat glands. Apparently 90% of East Asians lack the gene that produces said chemical. No food for odor-producing bacteria = less body odor manufactured.

That gene happens to also encode for whether you have wet or dry earwax.

Is this just armpits or... other places?

 

[Replicant]

IME, People tend to smell the worst if they consume large amount of curry in their daily diet. That and goat.

 

[daveo42]

What the hell is up with people who do not read the OP? Get some reading glasses.

I did. Doesn't mean you don't have BO OP.

 

[udiie]

Edit: He also has dry earwax, which I didn't even know was a thing. I noticed this because he never used Qtips and had this special ear wax thing like a long tweezer. They sell them at Asian markets.

being half asian, i thought this thing was normal, but i never understood the purpose because i had wet earwax. just seemed useless lol
it all makes sense now

and yeah, deodorant is a must.

 

[marimorimo]

The wet earwax thing-it's so weird for me because I've had both. When I was a kid I had waxy or wet earwax and then one day it became dry. That surprised me at first. Nowadays I fluctuate between waxy and dry earwax.

 

[HalfwayOrb]

Mind's blown.

 

[linsivvi]

I did. Doesn't mean you don't have BO OP.

I am not the OP and no you did not.

Several years ago ago, scientists discovered that a gene called ABCC11 determined whether people produced wet or dry earwax. Interestingly, people who produce the "dry" version of earwax also lack a chemical in their armpits that bacteria feed on to cause underarm odor.

"This key gene is basically the single determinant of whether you do produce underarm odor or not," Day said.

"They're spending their money, exposing their skin to what may in a few instances not be good for their skin. It sort of suggests to me that there are a lot of conformists around," said study co-author Ian Day, a genetic epidemiologist at the University of Bristol.

Reading is fundamental.

 

[Shanks D Zoro]

I had always found it confusing why deodorant was non existent, or if available then way over priced here in Korea. then I read that Asians don't have BO, but do have hard ear wax.

I do find it has become more available here, maybe they are trying to tell us smelly foreigners something

 

[Buddha Beam]

My wife is Filipino and never wears deodorant. She also is naturally hairless, save for her head and eyebrows. I've never asked her about her ear wax though.

I have wet and dry ear wax. I think. I mean, it's not like its dripping off the q-tip or something. And sometimes I get this sort of dry crust(?) and the more outer part of my ear. I always thought it was just dead skin but I guess it's ear wax. Is that dry ear wax or do I have something else going on..?

Anyway, I stink like a barge when I don't wear deodorant. The gulls follow me around.

 

[daveo42]

I am not the OP and no you did not.

Reading is fundamental.

Ooops...you aren't the OP. I don't pay as much attention to those without avatars.

Plus, that still doesn't mean you don't have body odor. Or OP. Or anyone.

 

[black_13]

I wish I didn't have that sweat gene either. I apply deodorant twice a day. Can't wear anything but short sleeves or else I can have sweat rolling down my sides.

I never have met an Asian guy who needed deodorant but I take the bus with alot of older asian males and I notice their bad breath or bad hair smell alot.

 

[The Hermit]

Mind's blown.

every day I learn something new on Gaf

this is the wet version btw

 

[soco]

IME, people are often not good judges of how much they stink. Also, just because people don't tell you that doesn't mean you're stank-free.

I definitely have friends who often don't wear deodorant, and many of them can get fairly stanktastic. I didn't use to tell them because I figured they already knew. Apparently, that's not the case, and they're just so used to it that they don't notice.

For the benefit of all, if you take public transit or go out to nice restaurants on hot days, wear deodorant.


Also, mandatory euro-disclaimer: half a bottle of cologne still cannot hide the smell of BO.

 

[linsivvi]

Ooops...you aren't the OP. I don't pay as much attention to those without avatars.

Plus, that still doesn't mean you don't have body odor. Or OP. Or anyone.

So? I even quoted the part of the article not included in the OP where it pointed out wearing deodorant is a waste of time if you do not have that gene.

I don't pay attention to posters who do not read, so bye.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Yes.

 

[Szu]

Reminds me of this Russell Peters bit.

http://youtu.be/KcEFJ-teCwk

 

[theusedversion]

I'm in Thailand. The store next to my apartment is a decent size. Has lots of feminine care products. But they only carry two bottles of axe spray for men's deodorant. Nothing else. I haven't paid any attention to the women's deodorant but I will check next time. Never gave it much thought before this thread but now that you mention it, it does seem like stores carry very little deodorant. Especially compared to back home in the US.