Why do cities smell?

Cities smell due to a mix of concentrated human activity, transportation, waste, and industry, creating complex "smellscapes" from traffic exhaust, food stalls, and garbage to unique regional scents like salty air or coal smoke, with heat and humidity intensifying many odors. Key factors include vehicle emissions, decaying organic matter from food and waste, industrial byproducts, and even human bodily fluids in public spaces.

Do cities have smells?

Cities are often bustling with a myriad of smells—street food, traffic exhaust, and various industries. Living in a city might expose individuals to a diverse range of scents, potentially heightening their sense of smell over time.

What is the old lady's smell called?

Nonenal® (also known as 2-Nonenal) is a naturally occurring compound responsible for the distinct odor associated with aging. It typically appears after age 40, becoming more noticeable in both men and women.

What is the best smelling city in the world?

Taking the coveted top spot as the nicest smelling city in the world, with a smell score of 8.3 out of 10, is Athens, Greece. Known for its lively street markets and food culture, the aroma of fresh produce, herbs, and traditional Greek cuisine permeates the Athenian air, creating an unforgettable scent experience.

What is the smelliest part of our body?

The smelliest parts of the body are typically the armpits, feet, and groin, due to a high concentration of apocrine glands and bacteria that break down sweat into strong-smelling compounds, with feet often developing a cheesy odor from trapped moisture, while the mouth (breath) and skin folds (under breasts/belly) can also become quite smelly. The intensity varies, but these areas are hotspots for body odor (bromhidrosis). 

Why Does New York City Smell So Bad? - Cheddar Explains

Why do I smell fishy between my legs?

Common causes of a fishy odour include poor hygiene, gingivitis, bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections. Advanced kidney or liver disease may also cause this condition. In the patient described here, a less common cause was found.

What is the smelliest town in America?

While there's no single official "stinkiest town," recent studies point to Houston, Texas, as a top contender due to pollution, industrial facilities, and sewage complaints, though other cities like Baltimore (sanitary complaints), San Bernardino (dirtiness), and places with specific smells like Gilroy, CA (garlic) or Steubenville, OH (industrial) also get mentioned for their unique odors or poor air quality. The title often depends on the study's focus, from pollution to general sanitation. 

Which ethnicity has the least body odor?

Most of the world's population has the gene that codes for the wet-type earwax and average body odor; however, East Asians are more likely to inherit the allele associated with the dry-type earwax and a reduction in body odor.

What is the rarest smell in the world?

Orris. Distilled from the root of the bearded iris flower, orris is one of the rarest perfume ingredients in the world. Despite its high price, which in some cases have cost more than gold, the orris's scent has been sought out by people across the world.

What age is body odor the worst?

Usually, this happens when females are 8–13 years old, and males are 9–14. But it can also be normal to start puberty earlier or later. Bathing every day, especially after a lot of sweating or in hot weather, can help with body odor. So can wearing clean clothes, underwear, and socks each day.

What soap has a nonenal smell?

Nonenal odor soap targets the "old person smell" (2-nonenal), a scent caused by skin aging, by using specific ingredients like persimmon extract (kaki tannin) to break down the water-resistant compound, which regular soaps can't effectively remove. These specialized soaps, often from Japanese brands like Mirai Clinical, neutralize nonenal at the source, offering long-lasting freshness for body, armpit, and foot odors, making them popular for those seeking to combat aging-related smells. 

What two tastes do elderly lose first?

Remaining taste buds shrink as we get older too, resulting in diminished sense of taste. Typically, seniors notice this loss of taste with salty or sweet foods first.

What is the most recognizable smell in America?

Q: Yale study says coffee is the most recognizable scent—what's second? A: Peanut butter.

Do humans give off a scent?

All three major skin glands—apocrine sweat glands, eccrine sweat glands, and sebaceous glands—can produce chemicals that become odorous.

What US city smells like cereal?

On certain days in Buffalo, New York, when the wind is just right, the city smells like Cheerios. That's right, Cheerios. The sweet aroma from roasting oats has been radiating from the General Mills plant along the Buffalo waterfront since 1941.

Who has the no body odor gene?

The gene itself exists in everyone, but the inactive variant (linked to lower odor production) is most common in the East Asian community. ¹ In fact, many people of East Asian descent naturally produce less underarm odor because their sweat contains fewer odor-forming compounds.

What ethnicity sweats the most in the world?

African populations were the most likely to have the "sweat-prone" genes with 29.9%, followed by the Europeans at 22.6%, Latin Americans at 20.4%, and Asians at 18.7%. Regions with higher temperatures tended to have a higher percentage of people with the genetic predisposition for sweating a lot.

Does wet earwax mean body odor?

Yes, wet earwax (sticky, brownish) is strongly linked to more noticeable body odor because the same gene (ABCC11) that causes wet wax also affects apocrine sweat in the armpits, leading to smelly compounds when bacteria break it down, while dry earwax (flaky) is associated with less odor.
 

What is the least desirable city in the US?

Clever Offers survey shows Nashville and Tampa top the list of best cities to live, as D.C. remains the least desirable with 28% calling it the worst. Key Details: Clever Offers survey finds 69% of Americans like where they live, down from 73% in 2024, while 73% say they could be convinced to move to another state.

What's the nicest smell in the world?

According to a study conducted by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Oxford University, the most pleasant scent is vanilla , followed by peach . The list also includes scents like freshly cut grass, coffee, chocolate, and the sea .

What is the smelliest place on Earth?

There isn't one single "smelliest" place, but strong contenders include Rotorua, New Zealand, for its intense geothermal rotten-egg smell (hydrogen sulfide); Seal Island, South Africa, due to massive colonies of fish-smelling fur seals; and places like Mumbai, India, or Ipswich, Australia, for overwhelming urban mix of sewage, exhaust, spices, and industrial waste, though Ipswich is known for specific toxic smells.
 

Does pubic hair cause odor?

Yes, pubic hair can contribute to odor because it traps sweat, oils, and bacteria, which combine to create a stronger smell than skin alone; regular washing and trimming can help manage this, as hair provides a surface for odor-causing bacteria to thrive, especially in warm, moist conditions. While hair serves protective functions, keeping the area clean and dry is key to preventing noticeable odors from this bacterial breakdown of sweat and oils. 

What are the smelliest parts of the body?

Sweating and body odor most often affect the underarm and groin areas, the palms, the bottom of the feet, and the head, face and scalp. It's common for some people to sweat more or less than other people. Body odor also can vary from person to person. It might smell tangy, oniony, sour or some other strong odor.

Why does my pee smell fishy?

Fishy-smelling urine is often caused by dehydration, certain foods (like asparagus, garlic, fish), medications, or vitamin supplements (especially B vitamins), but it can also signal a urinary tract infection (UTI) or, rarely, trimethylaminuria (Fish Odor Syndrome). A UTI causes foul smell, cloudy urine, and burning during urination, requiring antibiotics. If the smell persists with other UTI symptoms or you have concerns, see a doctor to rule out infection or rare metabolic issues.