Earwax and Body Odor

Earwax is produced by glands in the outer ear canal. Its purpose is to trap dust and other small particles and prevent them from reaching and potentially damaging the eardrum. Earwax may also prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in the ear canal.

There are two types of earwax: the wet type and the dry type. Wet earwax is believed to have uses in insect trapping, self-cleaning, and prevention of dryness in the external auditory canal of the ear. It also produces an odor and causes sweating, which may play a role as a pheromone. Dry earwax is believed to cause less odor and sweating.[1,4] Asians and Native Americans are more likely to have the dry type of Earwax, whereas Caucasians and Africans are more likely to have the wet type.

Earwax type is determined by a variation in the ABCC11 gene which has alleles - T and C (or A and G). People with the T variant have dry earwax while people with the C variant have wet earwax. This gene also encodes the proteins that transports sweat out of pores in our armpits, and attracts the bacteria that cause axillary odor. People with dry earwax don't produce the protein, so they don't make the apocrine underarm sweat.[3,4]

Related to:
cerumen, axillary odor