Do people really smell different as they get older? The truth behind ‘old person smell’ | Well actually | The Guardian Skip to main content Skip to navigation Close dialogue 1 / 1 Next image Previous image Toggle caption Print subscriptions Search jobs Sign in Eur Europe edition UK edition US edition Australia edition International edition The Guardian - Back to home The Guardian News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Show more Hide expanded menu News View all News World news UK news Climate crisis Ukraine Environment Science Global development Football Tech Business Obituaries Opinion View all Opinion The Guardian view Columnists Cartoons Opinion videos Letters Sport View all Sport Football Cricket Rugby union Tennis Cycling F1 Golf US sports Culture View all Culture Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage Lifestyle View all Lifestyle Fashion Food Recipes Love & sex Health & fitness Home & garden Women Men Family Travel Money Search input google-search Search Support us Print subscriptions Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us The Guardian app Video Podcasts Pictures Newsletters Today's paper Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Crosswords Wordiply Corrections Tips Search input google-search Search Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us ‘It’s just a natural byproduct of skin ageing – not dirt, not poor hygiene.’ Photograph: rubberball/Getty Images View image in fullscreen ‘It’s just a natural byproduct of skin ageing – not dirt, not poor hygiene.’ Photograph: rubberball/Getty Images Well actually Do people really smell different as they get older? The truth behind ‘old person smell’ Experts say that the smell comes from a chemical compound called 2-nonenal, and it can show up much earlier than one expects Jillian Pretzel Thu 3 Sep 2026 18.00 CEST Last modified on Thu 3 Sep 2026 23.44 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Last week, my mom complained that she’s starti