Getty ImagesThroughout history, people have gone to extraordinary lengths to cover up or eliminate body odour long before deodorants and hot showers were a daily norm. Different cultures, time periods, and social classes developed their own curious solutions, some of which were surprisingly inventive… and others that were downright repulsive.
Here are some of the most bizarre methods people once used to deal with body odour, and what they tell us about how hygiene and social expectations have evolved.
Rubbing the body with vinegar
In mediaeval Europe, vinegar wasn’t just for cooking or preserving food—it was considered a basic cleaning agent. People would douse themselves with strong vinegar to cut through sweat and mask unpleasant smells. Sometimes herbs like rosemary or thyme were added for a more pleasant scent. While it wouldn’t have stopped sweating, it might have helped with bacteria, which is what actually causes odour in the first place.
Applying lead-based powders
During the Renaissance and into the Georgian era, personal hygiene was limited, especially among the upper classes who believed bathing could make you ill. Instead of washing, people often powdered their bodies, particularly under the arms, with mixtures containing lead and other minerals. These powders could absorb moisture and dull any obvious odour, but they were also toxic, slowly poisoning the wearer with long-term exposure. The pale look was fashionable, but it came at a cost. Lead poisoning from cosmetics was a real danger.
Using sweat-absorbing armpit pads
In Victorian Britain, people began to worry more about body smells, particularly with the rise of the middle class and a growing obsession with cleanliness. To avoid embarrassing stains or odours, some men and women wore washable cloth pads under their arms, held in place by straps or sewn into clothing. These early sweat guards were reused over and over and had to be washed frequently to stay effective. The concept was a forerunner to modern underarm shields.
Perfumed gloves and accessories
Rather than washing their hands or bodies, wealthy people in the 17th and 18th centuries sometimes relied on perfume-soaked gloves, scented handkerchiefs, or pomanders (decorative balls filled with spices and herbs) to disguise body odour. These items acted as personal air fresheners, held to the nose during public outings, or used to subtly deflect attention from poor hygiene. Perfume was not just a luxury but a daily essential for the upper classes.
Bathing in wine or milk
While regular bathing wasn’t a daily ritual in many societies, there were periods where the wealthy indulged in luxurious soaks—not necessarily for hygiene, but for skin-softening or therapeutic reasons. Some Romans and later European nobles bathed in wine or milk, believing it cleansed and purified the body. Cleopatra is famously said to have bathed in donkey’s milk, though the reality was likely more symbolic than effective in reducing odour. Milk baths were more about softness than sanitation.
Chewing spices to alter body scent
In some cultures, including parts of India and the Middle East, it was believed that what you ate could affect how your body smelled. Chewing on cardamom, cloves, or fennel was thought to produce a sweeter natural scent. This practice continues in some places today, often as a breath freshener — but historically, it was also believed to influence overall bodily aroma. It reflects the idea that internal health was connected to outward impressions.
Using urine as a cleanser
This one might make you wince. In Ancient Rome, stale urine was used as a cleaning agent — including for laundry, teeth, and yes, body cleansing. Urine contains ammonia, which is a powerful cleanser. Public urinals often had jars where people could collect the liquid for cleaning purposes. While it might have had some sterilising properties, the smell likely traded one kind of stench for another. Urine tax records show how widely it was used.
Wearing herbs and flowers in clothing
People in Tudor and Elizabethan England often stitched sprigs of lavender, rosemary, or mint into their clothes to help mask body smells. In a time when full-body washing was rare, these fragrant additions provided a hint of freshness. Some carried small nosegays or tussie-mussies — miniature bouquets designed to keep unpleasant odours at bay while out in public. These floral accessories were more than decorative — they were protective.
Smoking the body with incense
In parts of the ancient Middle East and Africa, people would “smoke” themselves with scented resins or incense. This practice, known in some places as dukhan, involved sitting over a small burning vessel filled with aromatic woods or spices. The smoke would cling to the skin and hair, giving a lingering scent that could last for days. It was a social and sometimes ceremonial form of grooming.
Powdering with crushed minerals or starch
In 18th-century Europe, people sometimes used crushed minerals like alum or talc to powder their bodies — both to reduce sweating and to mask odour. Starch, particularly from rice or wheat, was also common. These powders were often perfumed with floral or citrus oils, though they did little to tackle bacteria — the root of most body odour. Modern deodorants eventually evolved from this combination of absorbents and scents.
Body odour might be a natural part of being human, but the ways people have tried to deal with it across time range from the mildly effective to the downright dangerous.
Whether it was vinegar rubs or powdered lead, these bizarre solutions remind us how far we’ve come in our understanding of hygiene — and how desperate people once were to stay sweet-smelling in a less-than-clean world. Some methods were oddly effective, others purely symbolic, but all reflect the enduring human drive to appear clean, fresh, and socially acceptable.
