# What scent is baby powder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622 "2000-04-29T21:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/1 "2000-04-29T21:44:42Z")
There are a lot of products that claim to be “baby powder” or “powder fresh” scents - deodorants, lotions, air fresheners, etc. But what is the scent used for baby powder itself, that these other products derive it from? When I was a buyer, I asked this of several J&J reps, since their powder is the standard. None knew, nor could I find the answer at J&J’s site (I will admit I haven’t checked there since last year.) Does anyone know what floral or other scents are used? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/2 "2000-04-29T23:00:30Z")
I’m guessing you’ll just get an answer of, “It smells like baby powder.” You know, like you can’t REALLY describe what a rose smells like, because it just smells like a rose. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/3 "2000-04-29T23:41:20Z")
Baby Powder is made from Babies!!! sorry… ---
**Author:** ![lswote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lswote/32/5737_2.png) [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/4 "2000-04-30T20:21:01Z")
I don’t know, but nothing matches the wonderful frangrace of a freshly bathed baby. I still have the lingering memories of my granddaughter out of the tub frolicking on the bed as we attempt to dress her, her gentle frangrance and her squeals of laughter … sorry … digressing here. Maybe baby powder is powdered heaven. ---
**Author:** ![annalamerino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@annalamerino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annalamerino)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/5 "2000-04-30T20:51:33Z")
I just happen to have a shaker of it. I quote: **Ingredients: talc, fragrance** So, it’s not the smell of just talc. I would love to get plain talc. I put it in my shoes on hot days and don’t really want the scent fighting my deodorant.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/6 "2000-05-01T00:13:21Z")
Garfield226 - I know what you mean, but a rose is natural and baby powder isn’t. Some kind of natural scents (or artificial, I guess) must have been used. Iswote - “Maybe baby powder is powdered heaven.” Absolutely wonderful! annalamerino - I tried but couldn’t think of a single brand of unscented talcum powder, but you could probably find this from a company that sells “make your own soaps and lotions and toiletries.” Either online or at a craft store maybe. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/7 "2000-05-01T15:09:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Baby Powder is made from Babies!!! > sorry… > \*\* Darn you for beating me to it. {sigh} And don’t apologize for it – own your immature and tasteless sense of humor. I do. WRT the OP: You’ll have to ask J&J and other makers what fragrance(s) exactly are going into the talc. Since this is usually a trade secret, good luck. For unscented talc, try a place that sells billiard accessories. Table pool talc is unscented from what I olfactorally remember. I don’t think pool hall devotees want to smell baby fresh. ## Peace. _It takes over 50 babies just to make one container of baby powder._ ---
**Author:** ![annalamerino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@annalamerino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annalamerino)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/8 "2000-05-01T15:23:26Z")
Thanks for the tip. Can’t wait to try it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ptahlis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@Ptahlis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptahlis)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/9 "2000-05-01T15:38:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I’m guessing you’ll just get an answer of, “It smells like baby powder.” You know, like you can’t REALLY describe what a rose smells like, because it just smells like a rose. > \*\* That might be true if baby powder was the only thing that smelled like baby powder, but all sorts of other products are made using the same scent, even the kitty litter I buy. That means that there is some formula/recipe used to produce this scent. They add _something_ to the mix to get that scent. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/10 "2000-05-01T15:51:15Z")
> [@](#): > > lswote > …the lingering memories of my granddaughter out of the tub frolicking on the bed as we attempt to dress her, her gentle frangrance and her squeals of laughter … \*\*sorry … digressing here. > > Maybe baby powder is powdered heaven.\*\* Apologies very much unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/11 "2000-05-01T20:30:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > That might be true if baby powder was the only thing that smelled like baby powder, but all sorts of other products are made using the same scent, even the kitty litter I buy. That means that there is some formula/recipe used to produce this scent. They add _something_ to the mix to get that scent. > \*\* Perhaps they’re adding baby powder. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scent-is-baby-powder/16622/12 "2000-05-02T04:55:16Z")
Grind up a piece of chalk. Peace.