# Why does it smell like swiss cheese behind my ears? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895 "2011-07-21T19:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheBaptiste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f6c823/32.png) [@TheBaptiste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBaptiste)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/1 "2011-07-21T19:18:23Z")
If I swipe my finger behind my ear and then smell it, it smells just like swiss. Even within hours of a shower. The sides of my nose have a similar scent. Is this normal or a sign of impending doom? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/2 "2011-07-21T20:44:20Z")
If there are holes back there too, _then_ it is time to worry. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/3 "2011-07-21T20:52:24Z")
I have noticed a cheesy smell behind my ears as well although I don’t think it is Swiss. There are a few parts of the body that start to smell like cheese after a few days of not bathing. The technical term for a body cheese smell is called Fumunacheese or at least that is what we called it when I was younger. I knew a guy once whose whole head smelled like cheese all the time. His nickname was (wait for it) - Cheese. I got into a fight with him once and I couldn’t get the cheese smell off my hands and arms for two days. You could have it worse than you do now. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/4 "2011-07-21T21:23:51Z")
From the locations I would guess it is sebum. Which smells pretty damn nasty, although it’s actually bacterial activity, not the sebum itself. Try using a hardcore antiseptic wash after your shower, like Betadine. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/5 "2011-07-21T21:25:28Z")
Mine smells like Parmesan, I guess because I’m Italian. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/6 "2011-07-21T21:34:04Z")
Just be glad it’s not Limburger. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/7 "2011-07-21T21:37:53Z")
Mine smells like bleu cheese. It started about 30 years ago and never went away completely. It smells worse when it is associated with a slight flaking that sometimes occurs. My theory is that it is infection with the same fungus that causes [onychomycosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toenail_fungus), because it smells the same and regular use of Nizoral shampoo ameliorates it completely, including the flaking. As soon as I discontinue the shampoo, it comes right back. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/8 "2011-07-21T21:45:36Z")
You know the old saying: “Men smell like cheese, women smell like onions”. Wait, [what](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4378948/Men-smell-of-cheese-women-smell-of-onion.html)? > [@](#): > > Men however sweat in a different way - scientists found high levels of an odourless fatty acid which released a cheesy smell when exposed to enzymes produced by bacteria in the armpits. > > Christian Starkenmann, who led the study, said: “Men smell of cheese, and women of grapefruit or onion.” ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/9 "2011-07-22T00:49:02Z")
I just tried this and got a chocolate smell for my ears. Nothing of note for the sides of my nose, though. Very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/10 "2011-07-22T17:49:57Z")
As long as we’re on the subject, beginning-to-get-stinky feet smell like Fritos. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/11 "2011-07-22T17:58:26Z")
Have you tried scrubbing all the crevices behind your ear with an old soft toothbrush? Sometimes just showering doesn’t do the trick. I learned that from the crevices behind my toddlers’ sons ears. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/12 "2011-07-22T18:10:42Z")
Are you turning into Shrek? ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/13 "2011-07-22T18:40:12Z")
So long as nothing else on you smells like pastrami or rye, you’re probably safe. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/14 "2011-07-22T18:43:38Z")
Do you use a washcloth to wash behind your ears? You probably just need to exfoliate better. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/15 "2011-07-22T18:52:31Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Do you use a washcloth to wash behind your ears? You probably just need to exfoliate better. Concur. _Betadine?_ ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/16 "2011-07-22T19:15:01Z")
And you know those fatty acids in **Crazyhorse** ’s link? [They change with age](http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v116/n4/abs/5601027a.html) so you have lots to look forward to. The taste and smell [of Swiss cheese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese) owes much to its high amounts of acetate and propionic acid produced by a variety of bacteria, including Propionibacterium. [Propionibacterium species thrive](http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/5/672) in areas of the skin that have more sebaceous glands, like the face and scalp. (That study looking at Propionibacterium acnes populations but applies to others as well.) Behind the ears is an area that sebum collects no matter how good you are at washing. I am betting you are smelling the propionic acid and acetate produced by the Propionibacterium species. Much better than the isovaleric acid produced by some Staph species (that’s the classic[bad foot odor](http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/w05-130) smell). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/17 "2011-07-22T19:46:58Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Do you use a washcloth to wash behind your ears? You probably just need to exfoliate better. Maybe use a grater. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/18 "2011-07-22T19:58:48Z")
And there is [this study too](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbdv.200690015/abstract). So what fatty acids an individual’s skin produces varies from individual site to site and with intra-individual age, likely by arousal state, and inter-individual as well, including by gender. Which bacteria are colonized where (producing which enzymes to produce which products from those fatty acids) also has variation between sites likely with age, and between individuals, including by gender. [More on the bacteria of the skin](http://www.sciencemag.org/content/324/5931/1190.full) (but behind wall I think). > [@](#): > > We characterized the topographical and temporal diversity of the human skin microbiome with the use of 16S rRNA gene phylotyping, and generated 112,283 near-full-length bacterial 16S gene sequences from samples of 20 diverse skin sites on each of 10 healthy humans (7) (fig. S1 and table S1). Nineteen bacterial phyla were detected, but most sequences were assigned to four phyla: Actinobacteria (51.8%), Firmicutes (24.4%), Proteobacteria (16.5%), and Bacteroidetes (6.3%). Of the 205 identified genera represented by at least five sequences, three were associated with more than 62% of the sequences: Corynebacteria (22.8%; Actinobacteria), Propionibacteria (23.0%; Actinobacteria), and Staphylococci (16.8%; Firmicutes). At the species level, we observed greater diversity than revealed by culture-based methods (2). … > > … Propionibacteria species and Staphylococci species predominated in sebaceous sites (Fig. 1A). Corynebacteria species predominated in moist sites, although Staphylococci species were also represented (Fig. 1B). A mixed population of bacteria resided in dry sites, with a greater prevalence of β-Proteobacteria and Flavobacteriales (Fig. 1C). … In general, sebaceous sites were less diverse, less even, and less rich than moist and dry sites … ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/19 "2011-07-22T21:17:39Z")
I wash twice daily. And it _still_ smells cheesy. Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895/20 "2011-07-22T21:43:29Z")
Well you can’t change the fatty acids in your sebum. And I doubt that harsher washing or Betadine or an over the counter antibiotic cream would alter the balance or numbers all that much. I’d wonder if one of the topical antibiotics aimed for Propionibacterium acnes (for acne) such as a [topical clindamycin](http://www.drugs.com/pro/clindamycin-topical.html) applied to the areas twice daily would do it though. Does the smell bother you or those who get that close to you enough to bother doing it though? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-smell-like-swiss-cheese-behind-my-ears/589895.md?page=2)