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Persimmon soap for old person smell

(94 Posts)
PinkCosmos Tue 15-Jul-25 11:39:20

I was reading a post on Mumsnet yesterday. It was by a woman who had her elderly mother living with her. The mother had her own rooms. The daughter was complaining about the 'old lady' smell eminating from her rooms.

Apparently, the official name for old person smell is nonenal. It was identified by the Japanese.

The skin has antioxidant defences which naturally weaken with age. This antioxidant protection disrupts the effect of the oxidation of lipid acids on the skin’s surface. As it declines, it can no longer prevent the oxidation process, so the acids that are broken down create a chemical called 2-nonenal or old lady smell.

Not all old people will have the smell.

Apparently, persimmon soap can help to eliminate the smell. You can buy it quite cheaply on Amazon

I was not aware of this but thought it would be useful to pass on to Gransnetters.

No offence intended smile

CariadAgain Wed 16-Jul-25 17:54:40

Esmay

Persimmons are usually sold as Sharon fruit
I love them .
I notice that Amazon sell them as dried fruit .They must be delicious.
Doesn't kaka have a rude meaning ?!
Or maybe that's the effect that they have on people !

I'm reminded again that I'm from a city - hadnt realised - but I don't think I've spotted persimmons for sale in this little town I'm in now since I moved here #sighs.

There was a period where I steadily worked my way through all the exotic fruits I could find - and then I was used to buying the ones I liked regularly after that. That's one I'm used to buying - well I was....

JamesandJon33 Wed 16-Jul-25 17:55:43

On another note…there was often an old man shopping in our local Sainsbury’s, when we were there. He always smelled very strongly of TCP. I really had to concentrate to not wonder why!!!

foxie48 Wed 16-Jul-25 17:56:48

Most older people experience a change in how they smell, it's part of the ageing process unfortunately and is related to our ability to break down certain lipids as we age. Good hygiene will help but on hot muggy days it's difficult to prevent some build up of sweat on our bodies, especially if we are still active. We don't notice our own smell so it's a kindness to tactfully tell your partner or friend if you notice they have a bit of a musty smell. I can guarantee that the soap I recommended is really effective

shysal Wed 16-Jul-25 18:06:26

I worry about being an old woman who smells of wee, although I can't smell anything. I have occasional slight stress incontinence and wear period pants to absorb any drips. I shower morning and evening and of course wear clean pants. I have started to spray myself and the underwear with the new Sure whole body deodorant. I feel much fresher, but it is possibly just my imagination.

hollysteers Wed 16-Jul-25 18:44:03

I was amused when I read about one of my favourite French authors, Colette. She was very pleased with herself when she stuck one of those two tubes rubber gadget thingy I used to wash my hair with yonks ago with no shower, on to her bath taps and proclaimed she now had a “shower”.

hollysteers Wed 16-Jul-25 18:45:08

BTW shysal, don’t worry, you sound extremely clean to me!

BlueBelle Wed 16-Jul-25 19:02:33

We do get sone smelly people and not necessarily old come in the shop here or on the buses These are my absolute hates
Cannibis users, smell 🥴
Pet dogs especially when they ve been in the sea, smell 🤮
Talcum powerder covering up peed pants, smell 🤢
Toddlers toddling around in dirty nappies, smell 😷
Extra stale nicotine smell 🤧

Stillness Wed 16-Jul-25 19:20:02

I was in a a cafe once with my granddaughter, then 8, and she snuggled up to me and said ‘why do all old people smell the same”. The lady sitting nearby burst out laughing and I was mortified. I said “why do children always smell the same” and we laughed. But it’s made me quite neurotic…and now when I see her I always spray one of my best perfumes on beforehand!!

foxie48 Wed 16-Jul-25 19:24:43

Thing is BlueBelle older people don't necessarily smell because they have problems with hygiene, it could and probably does affect most people as they age. I think it's really good that we have threads like this as it helps to raise awareness. It was a thread on here that made me realise that the musky smell that I really disliked on my OH was a common problem. Fortunately, our relationship is good and I could talk to him about it and we solved the problem. I'm very sensitive to "smells", just wish I could solve the problem of bad breath in my terrier and stop him rolling in stuff he shouldn't!

NotSpaghetti Wed 16-Jul-25 19:59:39

I really dislike this smell and notice it on other older people a lot.
It can permeate homes and furniture.

I would love a source of reasonably priced soap as I'm not convinced we can prevent it and I'd be happy if a soap could stop it developing!

I know that taking a medication (an anticoagulant) has made my own body smell odd (not horrible, just different) - though my nearest and dearest say not, so maybe I'm another one who is sensitive to smells.
I hope I can smell this myself (and stop it) if it happens!

Maggieanne Wed 16-Jul-25 20:23:32

I read once that burglars opened the letter-box of houses and if they could smell "old people" then the occupants were in danger of being burgled.

Esmay Wed 16-Jul-25 20:29:59

The area in which I live stinks of skunk .
I hate smell of it ,but what really concerns me is the damage that it does to the brain from long-term use .

Granmarderby10 Wed 16-Jul-25 20:52:02

I agree Esmay but no one seems to take it seriously anymore.

knspol Wed 16-Jul-25 21:14:49

Oh my goodness another thing to worry about, wish I hadn't read this!

Kimski44 Wed 16-Jul-25 21:51:34

Very interesting thread - and it’s definitely a thing! One thing I often notice (and I personally don’t have a great sense of smell) is women who say, “oh, my hair’s so dry - I don’t have to wash my hair more than once a week”…. when in fact their hair (or maybe it’s their scalp) smells malodorous….. I wash my hair every 2 - 3 days max, but my tip is to either spray rose water in it in the second day or put some talc (preferably Yardley in either Rose, or Lily of the Valley which is even fresher and nicer) in my hands and just jushz it through near the roots. It works like dry shampoo but with a fresher fragrance.

MickyT Wed 16-Jul-25 22:11:44

Well I shower every day, and shave my head, so I'm not smelly, and my son and his partner would tell me if I was, and I ask them now and again also, and I'm 80, so I'm not worrying

FranP Wed 16-Jul-25 23:45:00

One gran used to smell of mothballs and my mum smelled of her clothes which had a sort of stale smell.

I know that my sense of smell is not as good as it used to be too, so I am more careful about making sure I and my clothes are washed every day.

winterwhite Thu 17-Jul-25 07:42:16

I agree knspol I rather wish I hadn't read it either.

If I've understood correctly, regardless of how often we wash ourselves and our clothes and how well we air our houses we may nevertheless emit an unpleasant smell named nonenal just because we're old.

We're lucky if we aren't men because this smell is apparently more prevalent with men. It is said to be preventable by use of special persimmon or Japanese soap but it isn't clear how this can be proved.

That certainly adds up to something else to worry about.

Esmay Thu 17-Jul-25 08:54:04

Granmarderby -I think that the consumption of skunk is so widespread that it cannot be monitored by the police .
I can smell it in my neighbourhood ,where I shop and if I ride on the bus .
I employed a DIY guy who cane very highly recommended by my local Catholic Church.
At first , he seemed exceptional and after a while I found his behaviour frightening and unpredictable .
He was a very heavy consumer of skunk .

CariadAgain Thu 17-Jul-25 09:14:58

Getting more and more concerning as I read on......

I thought it was just the looks that went as one got older - cue for watching those YouTube videos of famous women as they get older, ie to see just how old they are before they stop looking like themselves iyswim. Not gonna give an accurate picture - literally - because a lot of them will be doing stuff like plastic surgery on themselves. Given that proviso and attractive women are still attractive in their 30's, things start looking a bit more "tired" in their 40's, visibly older in their 50's and unrecognisable by about 70.

Not a reassuring picture all round......I can see some benefits to wearing that "shroud" (aka yashmak) - ie hide the lot - even though anyone who ever wanted me in one would have an obvious death wish and me making sure to wear the briefest clothes I have next time I spotted him......

PinkCosmos Thu 17-Jul-25 09:22:02

Seapebble

Pinkcosmos - you mentioned "I don't need it yet" but how do you know? With odours I think the last to know is often the source. I get on the bus sometimes during the day and am sure some of the very clean looking smartly dressed passengers don't know.
Same could be said for young guys in the morning in shops and offices- um hello? It's the morning fella - no excuse.

I don't suppose I do know. I am sure my DH would have commented if I had an 'old person' smell. He is definitely not nose blind smile

As other posters have said, not washing every day, not washing hair, wearing clothes that haven't been washed regularly will all contribute - at any adult age.

My DS has been using the local bus service recently. He says the smell is terrible when the bus is full.

nanna8 Thu 17-Jul-25 09:28:03

Years and years ago I hear that women over 50
Don’t smell
Don’t yell
and Don’t tell
Make of it what you will.

PinkCosmos Thu 17-Jul-25 09:29:43

Here is a recent article from the good old Daily Mail which says that if you eat mushrooms four times a week it will eliminate nonenal (old person smell).

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14838493/Old-people-smell-cured-everyday-food-aging.html

J52 Thu 17-Jul-25 09:33:42

People of all ages smell. The summer seems to bring out males particularly, with body odour. In the winter some smell of clothes that have been worn when cooking chips!
I have a particularly keen sense of smell.

NotSpaghetti Thu 17-Jul-25 10:48:40

2-nonenal is not the same as "regular" BO, J52