As anyone who has ever shared a home with a teenager will know, you can often smell them before you see them.
But it is not their fault, for scientists have confirmed they really do have their own scent.
Researchers analysed odour samples from infants and teenagers – both male and female – aged between zero and three, as well as 14 to 18.
Cotton pads were sewn into the armpits of clothes worn by the participants for one night, with the older participants’ scents containing higher levels of acids described as ‘cheesy’, ‘fruity’ and like ‘urine’.
The infants’ samples, however, were noted as ‘violet and soap-like’.
Experts attributed the results to differences in the age groups’ hair follicle activity.
The team, from Erlangen-Nuremberg University in Germany, wrote in the Communications Chemistry journal, “Body odours contribute differently to interpersonal communication between parents and their offspring at different stages.”