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The Daily Insight

Why do my armpits smell even with deodorant?

Author

William Smith

Updated on March 29, 2026

The bottom line. Smelly armpits occur when bacteria break down the otherwise odorless sweat on your skin. Some people sweat more than others and have a condition called hyperhidrosis. This excess sweating can lead to body odor.

How do you get rid of smelly armpits?

Home remedies to get rid of smelly armpits

  1. Use rocksalt. Put some rock salt in a bucket full of lukewarm water.
  2. Spray apple cider vinegar. Take 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and mix it with 1/2 a half of cup of water.
  3. Use potato.
  4. Apply baking soda with lemon.
  5. Use tomato juice.

Why are my armpits smelling so bad recently?

Changes to body odor may be due to puberty, excessive sweating, or poor hygiene. Sudden changes are typically caused by the environment, medications, or foods that you eat. However, body odor, especially sudden and persistent changes to your normal odor, can sometimes be a sign of an underlying condition.

Why do I still smell after using deodorant?

Research has found that the salts in antiperspirants can cause an imbalance of bacteria. The aluminum compounds kill off the less smelly bacteria, giving the smellier bacteria more opportunity to thrive, causing more body odour.

Why have my armpits started smelling more?

Why does my left armpit smell and my right doesn t?

If you are right-handed like most of the world, you will use that arm more and produce sweat that leads to molecules that release Organosulfur compounds called Thioalcohols which contain pungent odor. Therefore, your right armpit will smell more than your left.

What causes underarm body odor?

Bacteria on the skin flourish in moist areas lacking oxygen, known as anaerobic conditions. The result of this bacteria proliferation is the unpleasant underarm odor often referred to as B.O., or body odor. As pre-teens enter puberty, hormones begin to surge. Sweat glands produce underarm moisture, which can begin to smell.

Very sweaty armpits or hyperhidrosis

  • Genetic predisposition such as TMAU
  • Poorly washed or wearing your clothes more than once
  • Why does one armpit smell worse than the other?

    This is another reason why right-handed people tend to experience a right armpit that smells more offensive than the left armpit and left-handed people tend to experience a left armpit that smells worse than the right. These are the three common reasons why one armpit would normally smelly worse than the other.

    What makes your underarms stink?

    It is a common misconception that excessive amounts of sweat cause underarm odor, but sweat by itself usually has little to no detectable smell. The smell is caused by the interaction between sweat and bacteria often found in the underarm area.