You shower regularly, you always use soap, you scrub like your life depends on it... and you even give your bum a second lathering to make sure it's smelling fresh.

And yet, by the time you dry off and get dressed, you sneak into the bathroom to check out your olfactory situation down below, and sure enough, you still smell gross!

Butt smell, stank bum, swamp bum - whatever name it goes by - is a persistent and a real problem for more people than you may imagine!

Don't laugh and don't despair, this common yet rarely discussed problem can be fixed.

Below are just some of the people we've heard from:

Individual 1

This person hails from the West Coast, takes multiple baths a day, regularly carries wet wipes and goes to the bathroom regularly often just to wipe away sweat and reduce bum odor as much as possible. They have tried body sprays and even under arm deodorants, but these options cause irritation and discomfort around the anus that makes sitting down in the office an issue for the rest of the day - and that's not an itch you can publicly scratch. It's gotten to the point that they are embarrassed to sit in a car with someone else, but the worse is the office gossip they catch little snippets of.

Individual 2

Was surprised when their significant other started purchasing OTC gas medications for them to take, although they've never been particularly gassy. It particularly hurt when they came to notice that no matter what, their partner would never so much as lay in their lap when watching a movie, and was always leaving hints about showering properly even though washing their bums thoroughly several times with every bath achieved nothing.

Individual 3

Struggles with issues in the bedroom due to bum odor. When making love this person wants greater intimacy, reciprocity and to try new things, but despite bathing and striving to be as clean as possible, smell remains a persistent problem.

These are a few examples of many stories out there, and if you can relate you've come to the right place for help.

What Exactly Causes "Swamp Bum"?

The overwhelming majority of people would just think, "Duh, poop!" but that's not the true answer. When you shower and scrub very well, when you extensively use wet wipes, there's near zero fecal matter left behind, so why does a musty odor remain?

The answer is that specialized bacteria are at the root of the cause. Think of every cell that makes up the human body, a number estimated to be around 37 trillion for the average person. Now consider that there's an even greater number of bacteria in our body than there are human cells!

The great majority inhabit our intestinal tract - everywhere from our mouths, all the way through the intestines down to the anus. All along the way there are specialized bacteria unique to each part of our anatomy. That is why bad breath smells differently from under arm odor, which smells differently from foot odor, which again smells different from the bum itself.

The bum in particular is a ideal nook for bacteria to colonize - it's dark, it's humid, it's warm and dying skin cells and bodily residue provide the fuel needed for them to grow and thrive.

There is a major misconception that bacteria are only found on the surface of the skin and can be washed off like dirt or any other surface grime - not true. Bacteria are much smaller than skin cells are, and what's more is that our skin isn't some impermeable plastic-like barrier. Our skin breathes, it's a mesh of interconnected cells, there are gaps that absorbs moisture and oils and that's "home base" for body odor causing bacteria. If total disinfection was possible, then in theory a splash of strong alcohol under our arms would cure us of body odor for life.

What actually happens is that there's some temporary reduction of odor, but it soon returns, because some bacteria will always survive within our skin itself, and those that do divide and growth exponentially.

And the area around the bum is particularly susceptible, because unlike the skin on our cheeks or chest which is smooth and sketched, the skin around the rectum must stretch and contract and has a accordion like structure with many folds, large and small. It's not referred to as a "star" or as a "balloon knot" for nothing!

So How Do You Get Rid of Bum Odor?

The answer comes down to both controlling the bacteria population as much as possible, as well as trapping and containing what foul odors there are.

To limit the amount of bacteria present, the classic strategy deodorants have used is:

• Reduce moisture by blocking sweat ducts
• Chemically attack the bacteria themselves

Antiperspirants and the risks of Aluminum compounds

The principle industrial ingredient used to date in plugging sweat from emerging has been aluminum compounds like, aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex glycine, aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum hydroxybromid among others. 

The problem is Aluminum can cause genomic instability in human cells, meaning it can affect our DNA as our cells divide which increases the chances of cells mutating, and these mutations translate into a greater risk of tumor growth and subsequent cancer. It's a controversial subject as scientists don't totally understand how aluminum is absorbed through the skin and then circulates and accumulates int he body, so the risk is difficult to put assess, which is what the deodorant industry, particularly in the U.S. falls back on to claim our worries are overblown.

However, several European reports on the safety of aluminum have concluded that it is not safe to use in personal care products as is the current industry standard:

https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/docs/sccs_o_153.pdf

The Hazardous of Triclosan Disinfectant

Triclosan is an anti-bacterial chemical you'll often find on the ingredient list of big brand deodorants, as it is effect in killing bacteria on the skin. The problem is that triclosan also causes endocrine disruption since the body can mistake it for natural hormones and it can infer with hormone signaling systems in the body. The hormonal havoc triclosan causes is documented in several studies and it is associated with a greater risk of developing breast cancer.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17992702

As if these concerns were enough, triclosan dangerous enough, particuarly to aquatic lifeforms, that the FDA has banned it's use in hand soaps, yet it's still permitted to be used in deodorants.

The Bum Bliss Solution for Bum Odor

When developing Bum Bliss we went back to the drawing board to design our formula from scratch.

Our first and greatest priority was safety. Every ingredient we used would have to been completely nontoxic with an extensive history of use in the food and pharmaceutical industry. 

The two primary ingredients our formula is built around are Aloe Vera extract and medical grade glycols.

Aloe Vera has been used for hundreds of years as a natural heating ointment for treating sun burn, minor cuts and small abrasions. Aloe contains numerous natural and beneficial compounds that aid in odor control and skin health:

• Natural enzymes that breakdown bacterial walls and odor molecules
• Tannins and Saponins which create a hostile environment for bacteria.
• Several Vitamins and minerals which aid in skin health and maintenance. The healthier your skin is, the more resistant it is to being over-colonized by bacteria. 

The second major ingredient we use are medical grade glycols that we blend to form a balm that suspends the aloe and also melts at human body temperature. What makes glycols so effective is that they are extremely hydrophilic, meaning they draw up and absorb water extremely well. 

When applied to your bum, these glycols suck up the available moisture which creates a water starved environment that inhibits bacteria growth.

To illustrate how this work, think about why is it that honey is one of the few natural food that never spoils. Honey is made up of fructose and glucose, has about the same sweetness as table sugar, so it would seem an ideal food source for bacteria and molds - yet the opposite is true.

The reason why honey doesn't spoil is because honey it has an extremely low water content. Water is what makes life possible, and honey is essentially a dessert since the bacteria and molds that make content with it are quickly dehydrated and die off.

The same principle applies with Bum Bliss. When you apply it to your skin, the free moisture the bacteria depend upon to thrive becomes unavailable which then creates an inhospitable environment for them to grow.

We've also taken care to select the right blend and consistency of glycols that allows our balm to trap and absorb odor causing molecules. The protective film Bum Bliss creates when applied, acts as a barrier that keeps foul smells from escaping into the air to begin with.

We then also includes essential oil fragrances which do readily escape the balm.

All these factors brought together are what allow Bum Bliss to safely and effectively transform a bum that smells like a foul toilet into one that smells like a garden.

Try some today - you won't be disappointed!