What Causes “Old Person Smell”? Experts Explain The Distinctive Scent That Comes With Age

I turned 38 two weeks ago. It’s something I feel uncomfortable enough admitting to myself, let alone to the internet, but here we are. Like the helium balloon I kept from my surprise party, which has started to sag and wrinkle in the time since, the realization that I’m approaching the big 4-0 has been, well… a little deflating. Not because there’s anything wrong with getting older. It’s a privilege to age, and I have enormous respect for the people who’ve been doing it longer than I have.

But it’s a little daunting when every reel your algorithm shows you treats aging like a problem to be solved: fighting wrinkles, gray hairs, and so on. I’d largely accepted those things, but the fact that aging can also change the way we smell? That wasn’t exactly on my bingo card.

Thinking about it, though, it makes sense. I still remember precisely how my late grandmother smelled. Not in a bad way—it’s simply one of those sensory details that remains tied to a person long after they’re gone. And I’ve recognized that familiar scent in the homes of other older friends and relatives, too. But it turns out it’s not just perfume, lotion, and mothballs. Experts say we really do smell different with age, and “It’s one of the most universal, least talked-about parts of being human,” according to dermatologist Dr. Roya Javid.

This is exactly the kind of thing that sends me down a research rabbit hole: wrinkles had me learning about peptides and serums; “preserving muscle mass” had me oversubscribing to strength training programs. This time, I had to find out what the experts have to say about “old person smell”—and whether it’s actually something we should be worried about.