A substance formed in the outer ear canal when glandular secretions mix with dead skin and dust, protecting the canal and carrying debris outward.
98% of Korean people carry a mutation in the ABCC11 gene that makes body smell nearly undetectable, and 99% have dry, flaky earwax. In contrast, 97% of Europeans and Africans have strong body odor and wet earwax. A single gene variant produces both differences simultaneously.