MEN JUST AS BOTHERED AS WOMEN BY FEET THAT STINK

-- And Both Sexes Agree that Men's Feet Are Smellier --

White Plains, NY, September 25, 2001 -- Americans tend to think of men as less concerned with personal hygiene than women. But according to a survey released today by Odor-Eaters® insoles, foot sprays and powders, slightly more males than females (62% versus 56%) admit to being bothered when their feet smell. The survey, which was posted on www.odor-eaters.com, was responded to by 3,023 adults aged 16 to 60+, approximately half of whom (52%) agreed with the statement that, if they didn't take precautions, their feet tended to smell foul.

Odor-Eaters® products conducted the survey because, with the annual Odor-Eaters® Rotten Sneaker Contest now in its 27th year, the company noticed an odd discrepancy: children entering the Contest took great pride in the fact that their feet smelled sufficiently disgusting to impart a "rotten" odor to their sneakers, while adults are usually quite embarrassed by similar odors. The question was, at what age do people begin to mind this smell? More than a fifth of respondents (21%) admitted to wanting to take care of their smelly feet problem in the 16- to 20-year-old time frame, while another 17% became embarrassed by the age of 15. Interestingly, there were no differences between males and females regarding the age at which they became embarrassed by foot odors.

Men and women were also in concert as to whether it's men or women who have stinkier feet: 88% of men and 92% of women both agreed that men are the worst offenders. This opinion is particularly notable, given that an equal number of women as men (50% of females and 55% of males) complain of having feet that smell.

Since about half of respondents (53%) are very bothered when they encounter the smelly feet of others, one clear message of this survey is that everyone who needs to do so should definitely use a product such as Odor-Eaters insoles, powder, or spray!

"Kick Out Odor" Survey Results

The following survey was posted on the Odor-Eaters® Web site, www.odor-eaters.com, from May 21 through August 31, 2001. A total of 3,023 adults aged 16 to 61+ responded to the survey questions.

1. If you don't take precautions, do your feet tend to smell foul?

	Total	Men	Women
Yes:	52%	55%	50%
No:	48%	45%	49%

2. How bothered are you when you get a whiff of your own smelly feet?

	Total	Men	Women
Bothered:	59%	62%	56%
Not Bothered:	41%	38%	44%

3. At about what age did you become embarrassed if you did not take care of your smelly feet problem?

	Total	Men	Women
10-15:	17%	17%	18%
16-20:	21%	24%	19%
21-30:	10%	12%	12%
31+:	6%	5%	5%

4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being most bothered), how bothered are you when you get a whiff of another person's smelly feet?

	Total	Men	Women
1-3:	8%	11%	6%
4-7:	39%	43%	39%
7-10:	53%	45%	55%

5. Do you think men or women have stinkier feet:

	Total	Men	Women
Men:	91%	88%	92%
Women:	7%	9%	6%