Learn English – ‘Natural body ____’ — “smell” vs. “odor” vs. “fragrance”

word-choiceword-meaningword-requestword-usage

natural body smell

sounds to me as "smells badly"

natural body odor

also smells badly – something "stinks"

natural body fragrance

a pleasant, sweet smell, also after using perfume.

Is there a neutral word that I can use?

Best Answer

natural body odor is usually an unpleasant smell. While it is the proper scientific term, it is associated to sweating and bad hygiene in ads. So I wouldn't use it unless you are writing a scientific piece.

natural body smell is pleasant if and only if you add "pleasant". It's a neutral term, but that means you have to specify "good" or "bad" and without adjectives most people will assume "bad"

natural body fragrance definitely makes me think of something pleasant. But if you wear perfume or cologne, it's not natural any more :)

How about scent?

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