Let’s be honest—no one wants to be the “stinky person.”

If you’ve ever worried about body odor (BO), the good news is this: it’s completely manageable once you understand what’s actually causing it.

Why Do We Smell in the First Place?

Body odor isn’t just about sweat.

👉 Odor happens when sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin.

So if you want to prevent BO, you need to target one (or both) of these:

1. Reduce sweat
2. Reduce bacteria

That’s it. Simple in theory—very doable in practice.

Step 1: Reduce Bacteria on the Skin

One of the most effective (and often overlooked) ways to cut down odor is by reducing the bacteria that cause it.

A great option? A benzoyl peroxide wash—yes, the same ingredient often used for acne.

Why it works:

• It has antibacterial properties
• It helps reduce the bacteria that create odor when mixed with sweat

How to use it:

• Apply to areas prone to odor (like underarms)
• Let it sit briefly before rinsing
• Use consistently, but not excessively if you have sensitive skin

Many formulas are designed to be gentle and include soothing ingredients like ceramides, so they don’t overly dry or irritate the skin.

Step 2: Reduce Sweating

The second piece of the puzzle is controlling how much you sweat.

This is where antiperspirant comes in.

Important distinction:

• Antiperspirant → reduces sweating
• Deodorant → masks odor with fragrance

If you’re only using deodorant, you’re not addressing the root cause.

The #1 Mistake Most People Make

Using antiperspirant in the morning.

👉 The best time to apply antiperspirant is actually at night.

Why?

Your sweat glands are less active while you sleep, which allows the active ingredient (like aluminum chloride) to:

• Absorb properly
• Block sweat more effectively

Then it continues working throughout the next day.

Can You Use Both?

Yes—and it often works best.

• Use antiperspirant at night to reduce sweat
• Use deodorant during the day if you want added freshness

This gives you both function and fragrance.

When to See a Dermatologist

If you’re doing all of the above and still struggling with odor, it might be time to look deeper.

A dermatologist can help rule out:

• Excessive sweating conditions
• Skin imbalances
• Other underlying causes

And recommend stronger or more targeted treatments if needed.

Final Thought

Body odor isn’t about being “unclean”—it’s about biology.

Once you understand that it comes down to sweat + bacteria, you can take simple, effective steps to stay fresh and confident.

Follow Dr. Schneider on                TikTok          Instagram          Facebook

Want the transcript for this video instead?  

 For some reason lately I've been around kind of a lot of stinky people, and as a board certified dermatologist, I don't want that to be you. So let me tell you my tips to avoid. Bo. Before we get to that, make sure that you save this video, you follow along so that you don't miss any future tips. Okay. And before we go through the tips, it's really important to know why do we smell?

We smell when sweat is mixing with bacteria. Okay? So there's kind of two ways that we can help prevent body odor. Number one, we can decrease the sweaty. Number two, we can decrease the bacteria. So here's how you're gonna do both. First of all. You are gonna get a wash, like a benzoyl peroxide wash, something like sevy, acne, foaming.

Cleanser, don't quote me on the name that has benzoyl peroxide in it. It is, um, has ceramide, so it's soothing to the skin. It's not super harsh, even though it is using that antibacterial component that's gonna cut down on the bacteria, okay? Less bacteria, less bacteria mixing with sweat to give you the steak.

Then you're going use an antiperspirant, anti perspiring preventing sweating. That you wanna put on at night, your body needs time to absorb the aluminum chloride in it so that you sweat less. Okay? So you want to decrease the bacteria, decrease the amount that you're sweating. You can use a deodorant too, and that can give you a nice scent, but it doesn't decrease sweating.

Make sure you're using that antiperspirant at night. If these things are not working and you still feel like. Is it me? Maybe it's time to see a dermatologist so you can figure out what you can do about it.