Sweaty smells

Is sweat just water? No. Sweat contains many other molecules besides water. Ninety-nine per cent of our body is covered in sweat (eccrine) glands. These glands produce a dilute solution of sodium chloride, potassium chloride and urea, together with small amounts of metabolic waste products such as lactic acid. Aprocrine glands, sweat glands which are found only in the armpit and groin, produce small amounts of fatty secretions comprising compounds such as cholestrol and steroids. Bacteria on the skin surface and on nearby hair follicles break down these compounds, producing carboxylic acids which are responsible for the smell associated with body odour (BO).