Armpit Odour

Armpit odour is a problem for most adults (whether they admit it or not), and usually gets worse with age. In some people, it can be so mild that deodorants aren’t necessary, but in others, it can be so strong as to literally drive people away. Most people have some odour, especially after exercise, and prefer to do something about it. There has actually been very little study into what happens in your armpit …. most of the research, by the cosmetics industry, has been aimed at preventing the smell from being noticed. This is accomplished in two ways, through the application of either antiperspirants or deodorants.

Incidentally, one reason why women’s armpit odour is less offensive is probably because of the practice of shaving the armpit region. This is only a relatively recent practice; before about a hundred years ago, most Western women left the hair under their arms and on their legs, and still do in some cultures today. That a woman should have a bare armpit and shaven legs was an idea introduced by advertisers, who wanted to sell more razors; they linked the idea of a bare armpit and smooth legs with beauty, youth, and innocence, and their campaign worked … most women accepted this new idea that body hair on women was ‘unsightly’, and still accept it today, at least in Western culture. More