The Wellbeing Edit

Is “Old Person Smell” Actually Real?

  • By Maurice E. Morales

Published: Monday, August 24, 2026

Published by The Wellbeing Edit Research Desk 
Full references and study details are available at the bottom of this page.

One person says:

“That’s because they’re not showering.”


Another:

“I can smell it on myself. I bathe daily and use deodorant!”


Then someone else pushes back:

“Sorry, not all old folks smell like that! I don’t, my kids would tell me! I’m 75, and I smell great!”


Three completely different reactions.

Same strange topic.


And that’s pretty much what happens every time people start talking about “old person smell.”


Some call it musty.

Others say oily. Stale. Grassy. Old books.


One person even said:

“my pillow smelled like fryer oil”


Different people. Different words.

Yet they keep describing something they believe they recognize.


And there’s another strange pattern.

Often, the person affected is the last to notice it.

And That’s the Awkward Part

A wife feels completely normal while her husband notices something different — but doesn’t say a word.

A mother carries on as usual while her adult daughter quietly picks up on a change — and has no idea how to tell her.


Someone recognizes the smell because it takes them straight back to visiting their grandparents as a child.


And kids?

Sometimes they simply say what adults would never dare say.


But most people stay quiet.


Because telling someone they smell is hard.

Telling someone they smell “old” feels almost impossible.


Meanwhile, the person at the center of it may be doing everything exactly as they always have.

Same showers. Same deodorant. Same clean clothes.


So we wanted 3 answers:

Is there really a body scent linked to getting older — or is it just a rude stereotype?
 

If it is real, why does someone else so often seem to notice it first?


And if someone showers every day, uses deodorant, and feels clean… how would they ever know?

The Stereotype Got One Big Thing Wrong

In 2012, researchers decided to test whether age could actually be recognized through body odor.


They collected body-odor samples and asked 41 people to smell them.

And something strange happened.


Participants could actually distinguish age from body odor alone, with the clearest identification coming from the oldest donor samples.


So the basic idea wasn’t completely made up.

Body scent really can change with age.


But that doesn’t mean someone is dirty.

It doesn’t mean they don’t shower.

And it doesn’t mean every older person smells the same.


The stereotype was crude.

The change itself was real.


But the biggest clue had actually appeared 11 years earlier.

Source: Mitro et al., PLOS ONE, May 30, 2012.

In 2001, Researchers Found the Compound

In April 2001, Japanese researchers analyzed body odor from people aged 26 to 75.


They didn’t simply ask:

“What does this person smell like?”


They analyzed the actual compounds using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

And one stood out.


It was detected in the participants aged:

40 and older.

Not 70.

Not 80.

40+.


Its name was:

2-nonenal


Researchers described it as a compound with a greasy, grassy smell.


They also linked it to age-related changes and oxidation of oils on the skin.

That doesn’t mean everyone suddenly develops a noticeable odor on their 40th birthday.


But it does mean “old person smell” was never a very accurate name.

This wasn’t simply about being clean or dirty.

Something was changing in the chemistry of the skin.

So What Is 2-Nonenal?

Skin naturally contains oils made up of different fatty acids.


As we age, the composition of those oils can change — including an increase in certain omega-7 fatty acids on the skin.

When these oils are exposed to oxygen, they can undergo a process called oxidation.


Think of oxidation as the gradual breakdown of skin oils through a normal chemical reaction.

As some of these omega-7 fatty acids break down, they can create a specific odor compound:

2-nonenal.


Researchers have linked 2-nonenal with the characteristic greasy, grassy odor associated with aging skin.


Suddenly, some of those descriptions start making more sense.
 

Greasy. Grassy. Oily. Stale.


But that created another question:

If another person can notice the change… why might the person themselves miss it?

There’s actually a reason for this

This change doesn’t happen overnight.

It can happen little by little.

Over years.


And the human nose does something strange with smells it experiences again and again.

It starts turning them down.


Scientists call this "olfactory adaptation".

Most people know it as:

Nose blindness.


And it has actually been studied.

In 1996, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center had people live with the same odor in their homes for two weeks.


After repeated exposure, participants became less sensitive to that specific smell.

The odor was still there. Their nose had simply adapted to it.


That study wasn’t about 2-nonenal specifically.

But it shows why a familiar smell can become harder for the person around it every day to judge.


Which makes one real question we found hit differently:

“Can you smell yourself?”


Someone can shower.

Use deodorant.

Put on clean clothes.

Feel completely normal.

Yet their own nose may not always be the best judge of a slow, familiar change.


One person put the fear simply:

“I live alone and worry that I won’t be able to smell myself.”

If Someone Is Clean, Why Can It Still Be There?

This is where things get tricky.


Regular soap is great for dirt, sweat, and everyday body odor.

But it can struggle to fully deal with 2-nonenal.


2-nonenal comes from skin lipids and is not water-soluble.

So simply washing more doesn’t necessarily solve the specific problem people are describing.


Which helps explain comments like:

“My daughter smell it on me. I bathe daily and use deodorant!”

So what can actually be done about it?

When someone is lucky enough to notice an unfamiliar body odor, the usual responses are predictable: more deodorant, fragrance, or stronger cleansing.


But those approaches are designed for different problems.


Deodorant mainly targets underarm sweat and odor, while 2-nonenal forms from oils on the skin and isn’t limited to the armpits.


Fragrance can cover the smell, but it doesn’t remove the underlying 2-nonenal.

Some people say the scents simply mix, creating a heavier smell that can feel even more associated with the stereotypical “old-person smell.”


Others try glycolic acid, exfoliators, loofahs, or body scrubs.

Some report temporary improvement.

One person put it simply:

“I tried a lovely pineapple exfoliant but the smell came back the next day.”


And repeatedly exfoliating larger areas can become drying or irritating, especially as skin gets more sensitive with age.


So the question may not be how to clean more aggressively.

It may be whether there’s a better way to deal with 2-nonenal itself.

Japan Had Been Looking at This Problem Differently for Decades

Long before scientists knew the name 2-nonenal, people in Japan were already using an extract made from astringent persimmons.

It’s known as "kakishibu".


Historically, it was used on materials such as cloth, paper, and wood, for its odor control effects.


Then in 1984, researchers Takeo Mimasu & Kuniji Torii tested its deodorizing effect more directly.

They placed 4 different malodorous gases inside sealed 5-liter containers.

They added powdered astringent persimmon juice.


Waited 10 minutes.


Then measured how much remained.

The persimmon preparation showed strong deodorizing effects.

The work was later patented in 1991.


So what was so interesting about this fruit?

The Answer Was Tannins

Astringent persimmons are naturally rich in tannins.

Tannins are natural plant compounds that can interact with certain odor-causing molecules.


That made persimmon especially interesting for this problem, because 2-nonenal is created when skin oils break down through oxidation.


So instead of simply covering an unwanted smell with more fragrance...

persimmon offered a completely different approach.


For the first time, there was a reason to think something might actually work with the chemistry behind the odor itself.


But that was still only a reason for hope.


The important question remained:

Would persimmon actually work on 2-nonenal-related body odor in real people?

Then Researchers Put It to the Test

In September 2012, researchers published a human study in the Journal of Japan Association on Odor Environment.

They tested a soap containing a plant-polyphenol blend made from:


Astringent persimmon, green tea, oolong tea, and tiencha.

The study included 20 men aged 43 to 75.


They used the soap every day for four weeks.

And researchers didn’t rely on:

“Do you feel fresher?”


They actually measured the 2-nonenal coming from the body.

And after four weeks...
 

It dropped significantly.


Not completely gone.

Dropped.


Measured odor intensity improved significantly too.

That mattered.


Because for the first time in this story, there was human evidence that a persimmon-based approach actually worked for 2-nonenal.


And if researchers measured that kind of drop in just four weeks, it naturally raises another thought:

Could something as simple as changing the soap used regularly make a meaningful difference over time?

Source: Tatsuguchi et al., Journal of Japan Association on Odor Environment, September 25, 2012. 20 men, ages 43–75, four weeks.

And the Soap Was Doing Something Else Too

Remember how 2-nonenal forms?

Oxidation.


The tested soap also showed antioxidant activity.

And one of its ingredients was green tea, naturally rich in antioxidants.


The study tested the formula as a whole rather than separating each ingredient.

But the antioxidant activity gave us another useful clue:


A good everyday formula may need to do more than simply wash away existing odor.

It may also make sense to support the skin against the oxidation involved in creating 2-nonenal in the first place.

From the Study to Something Practical

The study answered the big question:


Could a persimmon-based formula actually reduce measured 2-nonenal?

Yes.


But the important part is real astringent persimmon extract — not simply a soap scented to smell like persimmon.


Then came the practical side.

If something like this was going to replace ordinary soap and be used regularly on skin that naturally becomes drier and more delicate with age, removing odor couldn’t be the only goal.


It also needed to:

Clean without leaving skin feeling stripped.
Help maintain moisture and softness.
Support the skin against oxidation.
Avoid covering the result with another strong fragrance.


That gave us a much clearer picture of what an everyday nonenal soap should actually do.

CHECK AVAILABLE NONENAL SOAP →

But Isn’t Any Persimmon Soap the Same?

Not necessarily.


There are plenty of cheaper bars online with “persimmon” on the label.


Some are even marketed as things like “soap for old people.”

And that was a red flag for us.


Because if a seller reduces the entire issue to “old people smell,” it suggests they may not fully understand either the science behind 2-nonenal or the people actually dealing with it.


And with aging skin already tending to become drier and more sensitive, a harsh or stripping soap can create a whole new problem: tightness, dryness, and irritation.


So we didn’t want to choose a product just because it said “persimmon” on the label — or because it was marketed around being “old.”


We wanted something built around the actual problem:

2-nonenal, regular use, and aging skin.


That’s where Nagomi came in.

Where Nagomi Came In

That search led us to Nagomi Nonenal Soap.


Even the name made more sense.

Not “old people soap.”

Nonenal Soap.


Because the problem isn’t someone’s age. It’s 2-nonenal.


Nagomi starts with persimmon extract to address the odor itself, alongside green tea extract for antioxidant support.


But just as importantly, it was designed with regular use on aging skin in mind.

Glycerin and hyaluronic acid help the skin hold onto moisture, so cleansing doesn’t have to mean leaving the skin feeling dry or tight.


And there’s no added fragrance.

No floral cover-up.
No strong “persimmon scent.”
No perfume trail trying to convince anyone the soap worked.


Just a simple approach built around the things this investigation kept pointing back to:

Target 2-nonenal. Support aging skin. Don’t mask the result.


That’s what made Nagomi stand out.

Nagomi Nonenal Soap

Made for 2-Nonenal & Aging Skin

CHECK NAGOMI AVAILABILITY →

60-Day Risk-Free Trial

There Is One Catch

Nagomi is produced in batches, and stock can run low when demand increases.


So for someone who would rather deal with that uncertainty before another person ever has to mention it...


It may be worth checking the current stock before this batch is gone.

CHECK NAGOMI AVAILABILITY →

References & Research

We believe readers should be able to check the research for themselves. Below are the primary scientific sources referenced in this article.
 

1. Haze S, Gozu Y, Nakamura S, et al. (2001).
2-Nonenal Newly Found in Human Body Odor Tends to Increase With Aging.
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 116(4), 520–524.
This is the study that identified 2-nonenal in the 40+ participants studied and linked it with age-related changes in skin lipids.


2. Mitro S, Gordon AR, Olsson MJ, Lundström JN. (2012).
The Smell of Age: Perception and Discrimination of Body Odors of Different Ages.
PLOS ONE, 7(5), e38110.
This controlled study tested whether people could distinguish age groups using body odor alone.


3. Dalton P, Wysocki CJ. (1996).
The Nature and Duration of Adaptation Following Long-Term Odor Exposure.
Perception & Psychophysics, 58(5), 781–792.
Participants exposed to the same odor in their homes for two weeks became less sensitive to that specific odor — the phenomenon commonly described as “nose blindness.”


4. Tatsuguchi I, Matsuoka T, Izumi R, Ijichi S, Shibata H. (2012).
Preventive Effect Against the Aged Men’s Body Odor by the Soap Containing Polyphenol.
Journal of Japan Association on Odor Environment, 43(5), 362–366.
A four-week study of 20 men aged 43–75 found significant reductions in measured 2-nonenal and odor intensity after daily use of a soap containing a plant-polyphenol blend with astringent persimmon and tea extracts.


5. Goto T, Mimasu Y, Mimasu T. (2026).
History of Kakishibu—Before and After the Plastic Era.
In Traditional Knowledge for Green Innovation with Japanese Persimmon Tannin, Kakishibu.
This historical review describes traditional kakishibu use and documents the 1984 deodorizing experiments with astringent persimmon juice, later patented in 1991.


6. PubChem — 2-Nonenal.
U.S. National Library of Medicine / National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Used for physical-property information, including 2-nonenal being insoluble in water and soluble in fixed oils.

 

Editorial note: This article is for general informational purposes and is not medical advice. Individual body odor can have many causes, and persistent or sudden changes should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

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