The No-B.O. Gene

Dear Madame L,

Here's a good one for you: 

Supposedly some people have a rare gene which makes them not have under-arm body odor.

And supposedly you can tell if you are one of those people by whether your ear-wax is dry instead of sticky. Do you believe this?

Sincerely,

Feeling Hoaxed

Dear Hoaxed,

Madame L learned in high school a fairly reliable way to check for the no-B.O. gene without sticking your fingers in your ears: take a sniff under your arms. 

However, since you asked, Madame L has found the news release from Bristol University, where a study was recently conducted which did indeed find that some people don't need deodorant.

Madame L must take this moment to congratulate the authors of the study and report, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, for their perspicacity, as well as the perspiration they must have suffered while conducting such a difficult study. 

As one of the report's authors said, "...three quarters of those who do not produce an odour regularly use deodorants; we believe that these people simply follow socio-cultural norms. This contrasts with the situation in North East Asia, where most people do not need to use deodorant and they don’t.”

BTW, check out the online Journal of Investigative Dermatology, which always has some interesting, and free, articles posted.

And, instead of being afraid of being hoaxed or duped by the advertisers of deodorants, when in doubt, assume you do produce body odor.

Sincerely,

Madame L