Buckle up for this one, fam, because today, Reddit delivered us a mom who asked the question some of us have been too afraid to ask ourselves: Is that teen boy smell normal, or is it, like, something to be concerned about?
“Are teenage boys usually this smelly? My 13 yr old is ripe af,” a mom wrote on the parenting forum, adding that her 13-year-old is going through a growth spurt right now, and along with it, she’s noticed he has a very distinct odor all of a sudden.
“It’s like corn chip smell,” she wrote. “I wash everything…we have hard floors (thankfully) but somehow his smell is embedded in that room. Of course HE don’t smell it but his father and I definitely do. What the h*ll is that smell and how do I break it to him easy that his sh*t does in fact stink?”
Isn’t that just the age-old teenage boy question? What is that teen boy smell?
Luckily, the internet is full of advice—the top-voted comment centered on the corn chip nature of the odor, and what that might indicate.
“Corn chip scent typically indicates yeast. Make sure he’s bathing well, and getting in all the cracks and crevices,” the commenter wrote.
Another commenter replied to that with even more advice.
“Also, just as important and something often overlooked: drying his body appropriately and fully,” they offered. “We all assume this just happens with a towel, but a lot of people don’t fully dry creases etc before putting on clothes. It’s not just for larger bodies though that is common, but also just hard to reach places. A hair dryer and fan is your BFF as someone in a larger body myself!”
A dad on the forum dropped by to confirm that the stank might just be regular boy stank.
“As a former teenage boy it just happens one day,” he wrote. “And yes it’s ripe af. Best thing you can do is make sure he’s showering daily or more, have plenty of body wash and soap on stock, and keep the laundry going. That last one is key, clothing holds the funk in especially hoodies and jackets that don’t get washed as frequently as other clothing.”
Others in that thread recommended washing clothes with vinegar to help get smells out, as well as making sure to air out his room on a regular basis. You know how teens can be with keeping the door shut.
And one parent took a more nihilistic view: “My 13 y/o flaps his arms to share his pit stank with the house. It’s not going away till he moves out.”
So what IS that teen boy smell? Here are some explanations
The primary reason teenage boys develop stronger body odor—and this can be common for teens of all genders—is due to puberty and hormonal changes, particularly the increase in testosterone. These changes trigger several effects:
- Increased activity of apocrine sweat glands, which produce a thicker type of sweat that bacteria love to break down, causing odor
- Higher production of sebum (oil) from the skin, which can also be broken down by bacteria
- Generally increased sweating due to higher metabolism and body temperature, more physical activity, and developing stress responses
Other contributing factors often include:
- Poor hygiene habits as teens adjust to new body care needs
- Irregular showering or clothes washing
- Diet changes that may affect body odor
- Increased sports participation leading to more sweating
The smell itself comes from bacteria breaking down proteins in sweat, particularly from apocrine glands found in areas like the armpits and groin. The bacterial breakdown process produces volatile organic compounds that we perceive as body odor.
This is a normal part of development, though it can be managed through:
- Regular showering
- Using deodorant/antiperspirant
- Wearing clean clothes
- Using antibacterial soap in key areas
Most boys gradually learn to manage their hygiene as they mature, and while the potential for strong body odor remains, it typically becomes less noticeable with proper care.
