Dry earwax is most common in people of East Asian descent (like Chinese, Koreans, Japanese), as well as Native Americans and Indigenous populations, due to a specific gene mutation (ABCC11) that's prevalent in these groups, making it a recessive trait, while wet, sticky earwax is common in Europeans and Africans. This genetic difference also links to variations in body odor, notes Science News.
As a result, the cerumen (earwax) produced by East Asians typically exhibits a dry, white phenotype and is strikingly different from the wet, yellow cerumen produced by non-Asians.
As its name suggests, dry earwax contains less moisture and is likely to clump up faster. In 2006, researchers found that this difference was caused by a single base change (otherwise known as a SNP) in the ABCC11 gene, and that people from Eastern Asia were far more likely to have it.
Most East Asian people, however, have dry earwax, which is grey, brittle, and non-sticky. The landscape becomes much more muddied, however, when looking at people from the Pacific Islands, South and Central Asia, as well as Indigenous populations of North America, where 30 to 50% have dry earwax types.
Dry earwax, typical in East Asians and Native Americans, is light-colored and flaky, while earwax found in Caucasian and African groups is darker, wetter and, a new study shows, smellier.
Wet earwax is dominant (most common). It's soft, sticky and more likely to be yellow or brown. This type is most common among people of European and African descent. Dry earwax is recessive (least common).
People with oily skin are more likely to produce excess earwax. The oiliness of the skin can stimulate the glands in the ear canal, leading to an increase in earwax production.
In people with dry ear wax, ABCC11 is non-functional; this starves some bacteria and greatly reduces the smell of sweat. Julie Horvath, fascinated by microbes, studies the connection between host and microbial genetics. This genetic pattern also determines which skin microbes thrive.
Individuals of Asian descent are more likely to have dry earwax, while those of African and European descent typically have wet earwax. What ethnicity has the abcc11 gene?
Dry earwax, on the other hand, is less common and is produced in smaller amounts. It is flaky and brittle and can be yellow, grey, or brown in colour. Dry earwax is not as effective as wet earwax in trapping foreign particles and is more likely to cause blockages in the ear canal.
East Asian and Native American people were already known to have a form of the ABCC11 gene that causes the dry type of earwax and produces less underarm body order, compared with other ethnicities. “Odors in earwax may be able to tell us what a person has eaten and where they have been,” says Preti.
The results have shown that human earwax can be a potential source of DNA evidence for human identification up to 30 days after the earwax collection. It is recommended to quickly analyze earwax samples or store them at room temperature or at −10 °C after their recovery from the crime scene.
The answer is partly in your heritage. A new study reveals that the gene responsible for the drier type originated in an ancient northeastern Asian population. Today, 80 to 95 percent of East Asians have dry earwax, whereas the wet variety is abundant in people of African and European ancestry (97 to 100 percent).
Among Asians, the ABCC11 gene is generally prevalent to Southeast Asians, South Asians, and Middle Eastern people. Not just Filipinos. The difference is that Filipinos tend to be odor-conscious. This is why most bathe every single day to avoid odor due to the climate.
Caucasians and Africans produce a yellow-brown earwax which is quite wet along with a relatively strong underarm odour. Alternatively, native Americans and East Asians, like Chinese, Koreans and Japanese, have a dry white earwax and less underarm odour.
Most people don't need to clean their ears
Unless the wax in your ears forms a blockage, you shouldn't have to go out of your way to clean them. Once earwax naturally moves toward the opening of the ear canal, it typically falls out or washes away.
As you get older, earwax tends to become harder and less mobile. Older adults are more likely to have problems with too much earwax. It can cause symptoms, such as hearing loss. It can also prevent a full exam of the ear.
Yes, deep earwax may eventually come out, but too much will mean you will likely need ear drops from a pharmacy to remove the wax at home. And if that doesn't work, then you will need to see a professional for microsuction. Don't suffer any longer than you have to — both solutions are quick and painless.
Most of the world's population has the gene that codes for the wet-type earwax and average body odor; however, East Asians are more likely to inherit the allele associated with the dry-type earwax and a reduction in body odor.
You may be more prone to earwax buildup if you wear hearing aids, earbuds, or earplugs frequently. Dust, pollen, cold weather, and skin conditions can also trigger an increased production of earwax. If you tend to experience earwax buildup, it's important to routinely and safely clean out your ears (no cotton swabs!).
The gene itself exists in everyone, but the inactive variant (linked to lower odor production) is most common in the East Asian community. ¹ In fact, many people of East Asian descent naturally produce less underarm odor because their sweat contains fewer odor-forming compounds.
Chewing, talking and regular bathing is often enough to move earwax up and out of the ear. Usually, earwax gets rinsed away in the shower without you knowing it's happening. But it's possible – and totally normal – for earwax to come out in balls, clumps or lumps. The bigger problem is when earwax stays in your ears.
Earwax buildup rises with age due to glandular secretions, which are often neglected. Later in life, earwax glands produce less material. This causes thicker, drier wax that hardens in the canal. Hardened wax sticks to the ear walls and prevents natural cleaning.
If there is blood in your earwax, this could be a sign of an injury to the ear or a ruptured eardrum. Gray or black earwax usually means there is a buildup of dust in the ear or impacted earwax. If you are experiencing hearing loss, this could be a sign of impacted earwax.