Your body secretes a substance called sebum, sebum is an oily secretion which helps your skin keep lubricated and keep it waterproof. The sebum mixes with the dead skin cells between your ear and the jewellery to make this unpleasant odour. ... Please be sure to dry them before putting them back in to your ear.

Is it normal for gauges to smell?

Ear stretching is the gradual stretching of part of the ear with the use of a gauge. As the skin stretches, you will most likely experience an unpleasant odor. Usually the odor is not detectable unless you are close to the ear or smell the actual gauge.

Why do ears smell when you stretch them?

Don't worry about a little odor.

A gauged ear can smell a little bit because of dead skin cells that can't be flushed out of the piercing while you're stretching. This is totally normal.