Robert Pattinson says he could identify his baby by smell

Robert Pattinson has given fans a rare insight into his life as a dad of a newborn by dishing details about his daughter’s smell.

The 38-year-old welcomed his first child with fiancée Suki Waterhouse, 33, in March 2024.

The couple remained fairly private about their daughter and her name has not been announced. However, the Twilight actor has now spoken about her unique smell.

“I remember people used to be like ‘oh, don’t you like the smell of babies, but I thought they were just smelling the baby powder,” he told Vogue. “But then I had a baby, and I was like, ‘my baby smells incredible.’ There’s something there, I can identify her. She doesn’t smell like other babies.”

Parents, family members and caregivers often say newborns have a distinct scent. It is usually described as a sweet and comforting scent.

The science behind the newborn baby smell

The smell is thought to be related to a combination of factors, such as the natural oils produced by a baby’s skin after birth as well as amniotic fluid residue on their skin.

There has been an interest in this topic and its evolutionary benefits for decades; a 1987 study found that 90 per cent of the 42 mothers were able to successfully identify their babies by scent when asked to smell different undershirts worn by infants. When the mums were able to spend over one hour with their infants before the test, they were all able to identify their child by smell.

Another study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2013 suggested the newborn baby smell produced a positive sensory experience. Researchers asked 30 women — 15 who had recently given birth and 15 who had never given birth — to identify different scents while their brain activity was monitored.

Scientists have investigated the 'newborn baby smell' Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash

When exposed to the scent of newborns collected from their pyjamas, all the women showed activity in the same dopamine pathways that are usually triggered by rewarding experiences, such as enjoying food and other rewarding experiences. All participants showed this response, but it was more pronounced in new mums.

The exact cause of the scent is still a mystery, however there have been scientific studies that have explored the phenomenon of the ‘newborn baby smell’ scent and how it may positively impact bonding, caregiving, and emotional responses.

The smell may be linked to pheromones which influence social behaviour, such as fostering bonding between the newborn and their caregivers.

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