5 Ways People Deal With Nonenal (“Old Person Smell”), Ranked by How Directly They Tackle the Cause

If you are reading this, you probably already know what nonenal is: the oily, slightly stale-smelling compound that starts to appear on skin from around the age of 40. It was identified by researchers in Japan in 2001, it affects men and women alike, and it has nothing to do with poor hygiene.

What most people want to know is simpler. What actually helps? We looked at the five approaches people try most often and ranked them by how directly they deal with the cause: an oily residue that does not dissolve well in water and clings to skin and fabric.

We make a persimmon soap, so we are not neutral. We have tried to be fair about the alternatives all the same, and several of them are worth doing alongside.

Japanese households have used persimmon (kaki) juice as a natural deodoriser for centuries. The fruit is rich in tannins, plant compounds that are thought to bind to oily, odour-carrying residues. After nonenal was identified in 2001, persimmon soap became the standard answer to it in Japan.

Why it ranks first: it is the only option on this list aimed at the residue itself, and it fits into a routine people already have. You swap your usual soap for it and wash as normal, paying a little more attention to the chest, back, neck and behind the ears.

Worth knowing: results vary from person to person, and nonenal already in clothing and bedding takes a wash or two to clear. Look for a bar with real kaki extract that is gentle enough for daily use, and a guarantee that lets you test it properly.

Nonenal clings to fabric as stubbornly as it clings to skin, which is why collars, pillowcases and the inside of jackets are often where people first notice it.

Why it helps: washing pillowcases twice a week, and adding a cup of white vinegar or a scoop of bicarbonate of soda to the wash, clears the build-up that re-scents clean skin.

The limit: it deals with what has already transferred, not with the source. It works best alongside option 1.

These are made for the smell of sweat, which is caused by bacteria breaking sweat down. They do that job well.

The limit: nonenal is not produced by bacteria. It comes from skin oils breaking down in contact with air, so removing bacteria leaves it largely untouched. Strong antibacterial soaps can also be drying on mature skin when used every day.

This is most people’s first instinct, and it is understandable.

The limit: nonenal is oily and does not dissolve well in water, so extra showers with the same soap tend to give the same result. Hard scrubbing and very hot water strip the skin’s natural moisture, and skin that is dry and irritated is no fresher for it.

Fragrance is pleasant, and there is nothing wrong with wearing it.

The limit: it covers rather than removes. A scent layered over nonenal tends to mix with it instead of cancelling it out, and it fades within hours while the residue stays on the skin.

Nonenal is an oily residue, so the approaches that help most are the ones that remove oily residue: a persimmon tannin soap on the skin, and more frequent washing of the fabrics it transfers to. Antibacterial soap, extra showers and perfume are aimed at a different problem.

A healthy diet, drinking enough water and keeping active are good for skin generally, and some people feel they help. They work slowly, so treat them as a complement rather than a fix.