[Ewigkeit]

I worked in Biotech for a while and spent years working with various cell lines i.e cancer. Cancer has a distinct smell. I was out shopping one day and the scent hit me, I turned around and next to me was an elderly man in a wheelchair. I am definitely a super smeller. After developing chronic migraines I'm now very sensitive to scent, every product I use has to be unscented and I have to avoid crowded areas due to the risk of setting a migraine off. It's the super power I wish I didn't have.

[saagarjha]

Is it the cancer or the treatment that you're smelling?

[Ewigkeit]

It smelled like the cell culture lab. I wouldn't know what the treatment smelled like but it's possible the treatment might have smelled like DMEM.

[0xdeadb00f]

This is my thought as well. A specific medication that is secreted when sweating, or an odour picked up during a treatment process.

[dredmorbius]

Radiation therapy leaves a distinct oder I can detect.

[highwayman47]

How would you describe the smell?

[Ewigkeit]

Similar to "old person smell" but more distinct.

[nsgi]

How do you know it was an old person with cancer rather than just an old person who smelled like an old person?

[robotresearcher]

A family member died of brain cancer. He smelled distinctly unsettling, even frightening.

I don’t know if it was the cancer I smelled or messed up chemistry due to the cancer. But the smell made me feel deep dread.

[DanielleMolloy]

I’m curious - as you are in research - can you give a few more details? How can it have a distinct smell? That would mean patients or cells are exposing some material, right?

[Ewigkeit]

The cells are kept warm which might have carried the scent better. I'm not sure exactly what the cells are expressing that caused the smell.

[bik]

excuse me, which brands are you using? (face wash/ shower/shampoo) cuz I am a sensitive smeller too, I haven't found good products so far.

[Ewigkeit]

I use Whole Foods 365 fragrance free body wash, shampoo and conditioner. For a moisturizer I use Alba very emollient original unscented, for face I use Body Merry, night cream along with Cosmetica pure hyaluronic acid serum and the blue unscented type of chapstick. For a leave in conditioner I use my kids Little Twig unscented conditioner. They also sometimes use the Equate kids 3 in 1 unscented body wash/shampoo/conditioner. For deodorant I use a small bit of Secret unscented, it has a masking fragrance which is noticeable to me but the least offensive unscented deodorant I've found, and I've tried a lot of products. I also like the Alba leave in conditioner and styling cream which are unscented but possibly discontinued. I hope this helps!

[DrAwdeOccarim]

The green label Dove bar for general shower soap: https://www.amazon.com/Dove-Beauty-Bar-Sensitive-Skin/dp/B00... Cerevie for facewash: https://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Hydrating-Facial-Cleanser-Frag... The creamy Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo Fragrance Free https://www.burtsbees.com/product/burts-bees-baby-shampoo-an...

[tim333]

Not sure which country you are in but my girlfriend has problems so I've checked the options in the UK a fair bit. There a quite a few products labelled 'sensitive' and unperfumed in the shops here eg. shampoo, washing liquid and so on which are mostly good. Some other products I've failed on eg. bio washing liquid, toilet cleaner.

[buckminster]

I have sensitive skin and I stopped using shampoo last winter. I was worried about greasiness but it was no trouble at all.

[snarfy]

I use baby shampoo for everything. It's face wash, body wash, shampoo, shaving gel, etc, and has no perfumes.

[bik]

thanks guys