Can you remember how your favorite grandma smelled? If you think back to a beloved elder, you might be able to summon up the memory of a scent that’s been described as a blend of stale oil and musty cardboard. It might remind you of opening up old books or unpacking a box of vintage clothing. And while it’s much more subtle than the sweaty body odor of youth, it’s definitely noticeable and probably filed away in your memories as “old person smell.”
As it turns out, that smell is an actual biological phenomenon, caused by an epidermal change that happens to everyone as they age. According to skin experts, every birthday after age 40 increases the likelihood of these changes in the way skin smells. Research has identified the culprit as something called 2-nonenal (pronounced noh-neh-nahl), an organic compound known as an aldehyde.
That “aging odor” is caused by increased production of this aldehyde in older people, which is the source of a distinctive, dusty “granny” smell. Not all aldehydes smell the same, by the way, and another example is cinnamaldehyde, the organic compound that gives cinnamon its characteristic flavor and aroma, explained Dr. Delphine J. Lee, chief of dermatology and residency program director at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
