14 February 2014
Ear wax is the key to personal information
Researchers found that ear wax may reveal clues about a person’s ethnicity and personal habits.
The team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center collected and heated samples of ear wax from eight white men and eight East Asian men to exam the odorous volatile organic compounds that were secreted.
They found that white men had greater amounts of the odorous compounds compared to the men from East Asia, suggesting that you could determine a person’s ethnicity by their earwax.

Press enquiries
Media enquiries should be directed to [email protected] or call 020 7298 5110.
We are happy to put you in touch with our expert policy advisers who can comment on a variety of issues.
You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.