A skunk smells like burning sulfur, garlic and sewer gas, turned up about a thousand times. Those are not our words. They belong to the naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, who spent more time near skunks than anyone should, and the chemistry backs him up on the sulfur.
The short answer
Burning sulfur, garlic and sewer gas, magnified a thousand times. It is mostly three small sulfur molecules called thiols, and a human nose can pick them up at about 11.3 parts per billion. If you can smell it, the skunk has already made its point.
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Out of spray range, not out of trouble
Past about 10 ft the skunk cannot aim at you, and it cannot see you either. Your nose is another matter. The main compounds can be detected at 11.3 parts per billion, so a skunk that never noticed you can still ruin your evening.
Eyewitness accounts, 1634 to now
People have been trying to describe this for four centuries. Four reviews, all sourced, one of them a dissent.
“No sewer ever smelled so bad. I would not have believed it if I had not smelled it myself.”
The same account says two skunks were killed in the mission's court and, several days afterward, the odor throughout the house was too dreadful to endure. That is a 17th century data point for how long skunk smell lasts. It was not selling anything, which makes it more credible than most of what is written about skunks.
“If a dog is urged to the attack, its courage is instantly checked by a few drops of the fetid oil, which brings on violent sickness and running at the nose.”
Darwin also wrote that whatever the oil touches is “forever useless.” The man who went on to explain the origin of species did not attempt to explain this.
A mixture of perfume musk, essence of garlic, burning sulfur and sewer gas, “magnified a thousand times.”
Notice that perfume musk is first on the list. We respect it as an attempt at positive branding, and we have used the technique ourselves.
Skunk musk is not “one tenth” as offensive as that produced by minks and weasels.
A dissenting opinion, on the record. We have not tested it, we will not be testing it, and the Stenchi Odor Research Division would like to hear nothing more about minks.
A skunk gives you four warnings first
Most departments have a three step escalation policy. The skunk has four warning steps and then a chemical. Per Wikipedia, threatened skunks go through hisses, foot stamping and tail high postures before they spray, because a skunk carries enough for five or six sprays and can take up to ten days to make more.
- 1Dress like a warning. Bold black and white coloring, so nobody can say it was not clear.
- 2Hiss. The skunk equivalent of “can I speak to your manager.”
- 3Stamp the front feet. Still a warning. Very good manners.
- 4Raise the tail. This is the one to leave on. Spotted skunks may also do a handstand.
- 5Spray. Five or six shots, up to ten days to restock. It would really rather not.
What is actually in it
The spray is a mixture of organosulfur compounds, mostly three thiols: (E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol and 2-quinolinemethanethiol, plus acetate versions of those. Thiols are the sulfur version of alcohols and were once called mercaptans. In the striped skunk the musk is an oily, yellow liquid.
Your nose is the real instrument here. The main compounds are detectable at 11.3 parts per billion, which is why you can smell a skunk you cannot see.
Thiols are also what a gas utility adds to natural gas so that a leak announces itself (see #7 on the Smell Index). A skunk and a gas company use the same chemical family to get the same result, which is that you leave. The gas company is on your side.
Why the smell will not leave
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the main compounds are thiols and thioacetates, both rich in sulfur, and that sulfur bonds in very stable ways. The skunk can also aim precisely, so what it hits, it really hits.
Everyone online has a number for how long it lasts, and the numbers disagree. We do not trust any of them, ours included. It depends on how much was sprayed and what it landed on.
Tomato juice is a myth. It seems to work only because your nose gets tired and stops reporting. A mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap, developed by chemist Paul Krebaum in 1993, chemically turns the thiols into odorless acids, and the Humane Society of the United States endorses it for sprayed dogs. Follow their instructions or your vet's for amounts, because we are a satirical deodorant company. If spray gets in eyes, rinse with cool running water, and call a vet or a doctor if it does not clear.
Smell skunk inside and there is no skunk?
A skunk that sprayed near the house can do this. But the gas leak smell is made of sulfur compounds too, added on purpose so you notice. If a sulfur smell indoors is strong, unexplained or near a gas appliance, do not wait to find out. Leave the building and call your gas utility or emergency number from outside. The skunk question can wait.
Things that smell like a skunk and are not a skunk
Two famous ones. Skunked beer gets its notorious flavor from a sulfur compound called prenylthiol, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol. A 2021 study in ACS Omega found the same compound is the most dominant of a group behind the skunky smell of cannabis. It has the same five carbon skeleton as one of the skunk's own thiols, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, with one double bond in it. A cousin, not the same molecule, and a reminder that our noses file a lot of different problems under one name.
Source: Science News
Questions people ask from a safe distance
What does a skunk smell like?
Naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton described it as a mixture of perfume musk, essence of garlic, burning sulfur and sewer gas, magnified a thousand times. Chemically it is mostly three sulfur compounds called thiols, and a human nose can detect them at about 11.3 parts per billion.
How far can a skunk spray?
Skunks can aim their spray with a high degree of accuracy up to about 3 meters (10 feet), and spotted skunks have been described as accurate up to 15 feet. The smell travels much farther: Wikipedia gives up to 5.6 km (3.5 miles) downwind as the distance a human nose can pick it up.
How many times can a skunk spray?
A skunk carries enough for about five or six successive sprays and can need up to ten days to produce more, which is why it hisses, stamps and raises its tail before it spends any.
Why do skunks spray?
Defense. The spray is powerful enough to ward off bears and other attackers. Most predators in the Americas seldom attack skunks, presumably out of fear of being sprayed. The exceptions are dogs, reckless predators and the great horned owl.
Can skunk spray blind you?
It can cause irritation and even temporary blindness. If it gets in your eyes, rinse them with cool running water, and get medical help if it does not clear. For a sprayed pet with eye trouble, call a vet.
How long does skunk smell last?
There is no single honest number. It depends on how much was sprayed and what it landed on, and the sources we found disagree. A 1634 Jesuit account says the odor throughout the house was still unbearable several days after two skunks were killed in the courtyard. The smell lingers because the thiols and thioacetates in the spray are rich in sulfur, which bonds in very stable ways.
Does tomato juice get rid of skunk smell?
No. It is a myth that seems to work only because your nose gets tired of the smell. A mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap, developed by chemist Paul Krebaum in 1993, chemically turns the thiols into odorless acids and is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States for sprayed dogs. Use their instructions or your vet's for amounts.
Why does weed smell like skunk?
A 2021 study in ACS Omega found a sulfur compound, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (prenylthiol), to be the most dominant of a group behind the skunky smell of cannabis. It is also the compound that gives skunked beer its notorious flavor. It is a relative of one of the skunk's own thiols, but not the same molecule.
Worse than a skunk
Skunk spray is only #1 on the Stenchi Smell Index. The other nine are in there, ranked by chemistry and scored by us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Skunk
- Wikipedia: Striped skunk
- Wikipedia: Spotted skunk
- Wikipedia: Odorizer
- Iowa DNR: Here's why skunk smell is so hard to get rid of
- Science News: Here's the chemistry behind marijuana's skunky scent
The 1634 and 1839 quotations are as given in Wikipedia's Skunk article. This is a humor page, not veterinary, medical or safety advice. Stenchi products are fictional and cannot be bought.
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