Q: Why does my butt smell?
A: A mild, musky odor is normal. After all, your butt is a warm, low-airflow area where sweat and bacteria naturally create smell. If you’re wondering why your butt smells even after washing, trapped moisture, leftover residue, hair, or overwashing that disrupts the skin’s microbiome are common culprits. Strong, fishy, sour, or foul odors, especially with itching, discharge, pain, or constant dampness, may signal irritation, infection, or another medical issue. One thing to note: An odor may be a symptom of hemorrhoids. While hemorrhoids themselves don’t smell, they can lead to discomfort or hygiene challenges, making things harder to clean, and can also secrete mucus that may have a slight smell. If odor persists despite gentle hygiene, it’s worth checking in with a doctor.
Digestive health is having a moment, and somehow poop has become a conversation topic, like we’re back on the playground in first grade. But even as we get more comfortable talking about bowel movements, we still avoid the reality that your butt isn’t supposed to smell like roses.
The truth is, a mild, musky odor is completely normal. According to Evan Goldstein, DO, an anal surgeon and co-founder of Future Method, the anal area functions a lot like your armpits. “They’re both hard-to-reach areas, there’s not a lot of air, and there’s moisture,” he says. “All of that, combined with sweat glands, can affect the smell.”
Like armpits, the anus doesn’t get much airflow — which is why some odor is common. Because your butt plays a role in digestion and elimination, however, changes can sometimes signal something more than sweat alone. Smell may also alert you to a health issue. For example, hemorrhoids can produce mucus discharge, which may contribute to a distinctive smell that can’t be easily fixed by hygiene alone.
Why Paying Attention Back There Matters
Getting familiar with your behind is an important part of overall wellness, including understanding what’s normal for you and what isn’t. Changes can be harmless, but they can also reflect irritation, infection, or hygiene habits that are actually making things worse.
“The everyday grime from life’s activities isn’t limited to our hands and faces. It accumulates across our entire body, including the anal region,” Goldstein says. “We sweat, we poop, we have sex, all of which creates bodily waste and fluids.”
By now, you’ve probably developed a cleaning routine that works for you. Though, if you’re frequently noticing that your derrière feels less than fresh, overcleaning may be the issue. Using harsh or antimicrobial products can disrupt the anal microbiome, the good bacteria that helps protect against infection. When that balance is thrown off, irritation, odor, and even infections become more likely.
How To Clean Your Butt the Right Way
The anal area is delicate, which means how you wash it matters. Goldstein notes that the skin there is thin and easily irritated, so it needs to be treated with care.
Best Practices
Use a bidet or rinse with water
Shower after pooping when possible
Wipe front to back using soft toilet paper
Exfoliate your skin a few times a week.
Avoid wet wipes and scented products
Exfoliating (just your outer skin, not inside your crack) can help slough off dead skin cells, where bacteria may congregate and cause funk. And skip the wipes. According to Goldstein, leftover moisture is the problem. “It just festers and causes a change in bacteria that leads to irritation,” he says.
The goal is to clean thoroughly while wiping as little as possible, then make sure the area is completely dry before getting dressed. Lingering dampness can increase the risk of bacterial or fungal infections — and, yes, a lasting odor.
Why Does My Butt Smell (Even After Washing)?
Smell can hang around like your last situationship for a few reasons:
Moisture trapped between the cheeks, sometimes from using a product that leaves moisture behind
Hair holding onto sweat or residue
Overwiping that irritates skin and causes micro-tears
Butt Smells: What’s Normal vs. What’s Not
Understanding what kind of smell you’re noticing can help pinpoint the cause.
Normal Butt Smells
Mild musk or mustiness (especially after sweating)
Temporary poop smell after using the bathroom
Slight odor at the end of the day
These usually resolve with gentle hygiene, drying, and a change of clothes.
Signs Something May Be Off
Strong, fishy, sour, or foul odor
Smell that returns quickly after washing
Odor paired with itching, discharge, pain, or moisture
Medical Causes of Butt Odor
Sometimes, odor isn’t about hygiene at all. Common medical contributors include:
Hemorrhoids: Can cause mucus leakage that traps odor
Anal fissures: Painful tears that make cleaning difficult
Yeast or fungal infections: Often itchy with a sour smell
Bacterial infections or intertrigo, aka inflammatory rashes: Redness, irritation, foul odor
STIs: Discharge with a distinct smell
Skin inflammation or rashes: Break down the skin barrier
Anal leakage or weakened pelvic floor: Stool or mucus residue
Rectal prolapse: Can lead to mucus leakage and odor
Butt Odor Symptoms and What They Might Mean
Your butt doesn’t need to smell like nothing, but it should smell like you. And once you know what’s normal, it’s a lot easier to tell when something’s off. Match what you’re noticing to the signs below.
Odor + Itching
What might be happening: Fungal irritation, moisture rash, or sweat buildup.
Why it smells: Yeast and bacteria thrive in warm, damp environments, which can lead to itching and a sour or stale scent.
What to try: Keep the area dry, skip scented products, change out of sweaty clothes promptly, and wear breathable underwear.
When to see a doctor: If itching persists, worsens, or if you’re unsure where the odor is coming from, your doctor (a primary care doc or your gyno) can be your first line of defense in helping pinpoint the cause and recommending treatment.
Odor + Mucus
What might be happening: Inflammation or hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins in or around the anus — are extremely common and linked to constipation, straining too hard when you poop, pregnancy, or long periods of sitting. When irritated, hemorrhoids can leak small amounts of mucus or stool residue. That moisture can get trapped, mix with sweat, and cause lingering odor — even if you’re cleaning regularly. It can make wiping uncomfortable and allows residue to stick around longer.
Why it smells: Mucus leakage can trap bacteria and stool residue, leading to odor.
What to try: The fix usually isn’t more scrubbing. Gentle rinsing (bonjour, bidet), keeping the area dry, improving stool consistency with fiber and hydration, and using a thin layer of barrier cream can help.
When to see a doctor: If mucus is frequent or accompanied by bleeding.
Odor + Discharge
What might be happening: Bacterial infection, yeast infection, or an STI. Some sexually transmitted infections can affect the anal area directly, even without anal sex, or cause discharge and odor that seem butt-related. In other cases, the source may be vaginal, but the scent or discharge is more noticeable near the anus because of proximity. When discharge is present, it can upset the bacterial balance in the area, which is why odor often appears alongside it.
Why it smells: Discharge can disrupt the local bacterial balance, leading to odor.
What to try: Schedule a doctor’s appointment.
When to see a doctor: Any anal discharge should be medically evaluated.
FYI: Yeast infections aren’t just vaginal. The skin around the butt and between the cheeks can also be affected, especially when moisture, sweat, or tight clothing create a swampy environment. At the same time, odor you notice near the butt doesn’t always originate there — vaginal yeast infections can be more noticeable around the anus, making the scent seem butt-related even when it’s not.
Odor + Soreness or Stinging
What might be happening: Fissures, micro-tears, or skin irritation.
Why it smells: Open or irritated skin is harder to clean and more prone to bacteria. You may also notice soreness or stinging.
What to try: Stop overwiping, only use water to clean the inside of your butt while in the shower, and apply a barrier cream.
When to see a doctor: If pain doesn’t improve.
Odor + Constant Dampness
What might be happening: Excess sweating, tight fabrics, or mild leakage.
Why it smells: Persistent dampness around the butt usually comes down to sweat or fabric that doesn’t breathe and allows odor-causing bacteria to thrive. Mild leakage can also play a role, including small amounts of stool, mucus, or urine that collects near the anus. This is more common with things like pelvic floor weakness, coughing or laughing, exercise, pregnancy, or postpartum changes.
What to try: Wear moisture-wicking underwear, avoid tight synthetic fabrics, change underwear after sweating or workouts, and make sure you’re fully dry after showering or using the bathroom.
When to see a doctor: If dampness is ongoing or unexplained, or if it feels like stool is leaking even after using the bathroom.
Practical Fixes for Butt Odor
If your butt tends to smell by midday (or sooner), the goal isn’t aggressive cleaning. It’s reducing the things that trap moisture, residue, and bacteria. Small tweaks to grooming, fabrics, and post-bathroom habits can make a noticeable difference.
Hair
Hair can hold onto sweat, moisture, and residue, which can contribute to lingering odor. Trimming or waxing your pubic hair can help reduce buildup. Skip shaving, which can increase irritation, ingrown hairs, and micro-tears.
Sweat and Moisture
Dampness is one of the biggest drivers of butt odor, especially when it gets trapped. Goldstein says that older underwear can hold onto sweat, while newer styles are designed to improve airflow.
Going commando could also be a game changer. “Some people don’t wear underwear at all, and the aeration is better, especially during summer months,” Goldstein says. Swapping underwear midday can also help, particularly after workouts or heavy sweating.
Leakage or Residue
If odor comes back quickly after cleaning, a small amount of leakage or residue may be irritating the skin. This is where barrier creams come in. Products with zinc oxide or petrolatum sit on top of the skin and create a protective seal that helps block moisture, stool residue, and friction. Use a thin layer on clean, completely dry, external skin only. (And yes, diaper creams are OK for grownups to use, too.)
Fungal Irritation
Warm, damp environments are ideal for yeast and fungal overgrowth, which can cause odor, itching, or redness. Keep the area as dry as possible and avoid scented soaps, wipes, and powders. Over-the-counter antifungal creams (external use only) may help.
Mistakes To Avoid When Cleaning Your Butt
When it comes to hygiene back there, more isn’t always better. Overcleaning can disrupt the anal microbiome — the balance of good bacteria that protects the skin — making irritation and infections more likely, especially if micro-tears are present.
Avoid:
Overwiping
Thin, rough toilet paper
Scented wipes or cleansers
Antimicrobial products unless prescribed
Douche-style or internal cleaning
A Safe, Simple Product Category Guide
You don’t need anything fancy. Look for:
Mild, fragrance-free cleansers
External-only exfoliants (gentle, infrequent)
Moisture-wicking cotton or bamboo underwear
Barrier creams (zinc oxide or petrolatum)
OTC antifungal creams for moisture rash
Bidet attachments or portable bidet bottles
When it comes to anal hygiene, do your best, don't stress, and see a doctor if you're worried.