It is eccrine sweat in your feet – or more correctly the chemical breakdown by bacteria of the sweat in your feet – that accounts for their lush odour. Sweat on its own is actually odourless. It needs bacteria to create a smell. The two chemicals that account for the odour – isovaleric acid and methanediol – are also produced by bacterial actions on some cheeses, which is why feet and cheese can often smell so very alike.44
