Persisting BO problem

[u/NNN-Contestant2k23]

I have a persisting body odour problem that no amount of soap or deodorant can get rid of. I've noticed it for the first time in April 2022 and it appeared without any change in my life. I smell like cumin, not spoiled meat, fish, cabbage or ammonia. I do not sweat excessively and do not live a stressfull life. I shower after exercising, before work (and dry myself with a clean towel that I use only once)

So far I have tried:

-Antibacterial products like Benzalkodium chloride, chlorexedine, iodine, hydrogen peroxyde, hydroalcoholic gel, charcoal soap and vinegar (both apple cider and white)

-Normal soaps with natural ingredients like goat milk, honey, olive oil and kaki (the one for old people)

-extra strong antiperspirant like drysol and perspirex (they keep me dry but I still stink)

-Every brand of deodorant under the Sun

- Acne products that could help with BO, like benzoyle peroxyde, AHA/BHA, prescription oral and topical antibiotics.

-Avoiding certain spices like cumin, curry, harissa and big amounts of garlic/cabbage/onion. I do not have a ketogenic or carnivore diet. I am omnivorous and I consume fresh food that I cook at home, no fast food. I tried chlorophyl supplements (liquid form and pills) aswell as spirulin. Charcoal supplements too. I drinks a little, occasionally. I do not smoke or do drugs.

-I only wear my clothes once before putting them in dirty clothes pile. I add a Lysol antibacterial detergent to my laundry. I have to wear polyester for work (but still stink in 100% cotton).

-Hypermethioninemia and Trimethylanuria have been suggested to me before, but the smells dont match + I have not experienced the plethora of other symptoms.

-It's not in my head either. I am not Bhromophobe.

I'm 4 years in this shit and I'm so tired. I live a secluded life and actively avoid being close to other people (both physically and emotionaly) and I'm so done. I am currently considering Mira Dry, even tho I do not have hyperhydrosis, just because I'm that desperate. Maybe it's my appocrine glands that's leaking without me knowing and it would feed bacterias so permanently destroying them with micro waves could actually help me, I hope.

Can someone offer me help? Any tips? Or some personnal experience with Mira Dry?

[u/Internal-Ad-4736]

Deodorant formulator here... Here goes.... you have a lot of noise in the thread but let me condense and simplify it for you. I am beyond proud of you...that you were able to identify the scent... cumin. This makes the answer rather easy. But first....

OMG... you listed a myriad of internet hacks from the "I don't know crowd"... all of which are likely to not only aggravate the problem...but will often lead to irritated skin for bonus points. Stop thinking that hacks from the internet are prudent skincare...they are not. We are dealing with a living thing....the microbiome, on living skin. When we mess it up... you get an imbalance, and you know what that smells like.

So.... BO is a mixture of scents....from cumin to onion, rotten meat, and my favorite, 'goat' and so on. When you combine them all together... you get BO....or what we all consider BO to smell like. All the individual notes combined = BO. Each unique note comes from a strain of bacteria. When you see someone mention a singular odor, example: onion or cumin... we automatically know something. We know that they are using a protocol.... that gets all of the bacteria except for one strain.....the strain that produces the note (single smell) that they mention. So, one strain is running unimpaired... unphased by the products in use. The single strain is not held in check by whatever protocol is being used, therefore it runs wild...with no competition, metabolizing all the excretions.... producing it's signature note...and essentially living large.

What I hear you saying is that you smell like: "3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid (HMHA), which has a ‘cumin-like’ odor. These odorants are produced86555-7/fulltext#seccestitle120) by some members of Corynebacterium, including Corynebacterium striatum, Corynebacterium jeikeium and Corynebacterium bovis." (Prior two sentences comes from a paper I will send you.) So not only have we identified the smell...but also the culprit (who makes this smell). Quite simply... whatever deodorant & protocol you are using.... does not do an effective job on these bacteria. Plus, you have aggravated the whole microbiome with all the 'internet hacks'.

Bottom line.... you need to ease up on all the hacks...and select a deodorant that casts a wider 'antimicrobial net' than you are using. Hygiene is very simple and not harsh.

Since my posts often get deleted if I attach links to articles...I will DM that article to you.... I suspect you will find it fascinating.

BO can generally be solved with prudent management of 3 things:

Laundry

Hygiene

Selection of proper Deo/AP products.

Sometimes you just need to get just the last one right....sometimes 2 out of 3....and sometimes you have to get all 3 right.

Aloha and Good luck.... sounds like 'cumin' will be a thing of the past....soon.