In Singapore, body odour is a subject that many do not discuss or try to understand the reason behind it. Deodorant is a necessity for us, in our hot and humid weather, we want nothing more than to ensure we feel clean and smell good throughout the day.
A place with no D-odorants.
Deodorants can be found anywhere here, in supermarkets, pharmacies and even convenience store… However, there’s a country where they’re not so easy to find: Korea.
Singapore has long been taken over by the K-wave, with regards to all things beauty. But have you noticed that none of the K-brands have deodorants among their product lines?
So why are they so hard to find? Interestingly, it has to do with… genes, yes you heard right! Genes…
The ABCC11 factor.
In a study conducted by the University of Bristol, researchers found out that a specific gene, known as ABCC11, was responsible for smelly armpits. Those with this gene also have wet or sticky earwax rather than dry earwax. The conclusion of the study according to the Journal of investigative Dermatology, was that this particular gene was the only factor that decided whether your underarm smells or not.
According to the study, over 97% of people who are of European or African descent have the “smelly sweat gene”, and 50-70% of people in Southern Asia, the Pacific Islands, Central Asia, Asia Minor and indigenous Americans have smelly armpits. What’s crazy is that, most Koreans lack the ABCC11 gene, this makes them free from body odour. Now we know why it’s so hard to find deodorant in Korea. So if you’re heading to Korea be sure to bring one along!
