It is not the metal, and you are not unclean. That smell is sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria that have collected in the piercing channel and on the post, and then oxidised. It happens to almost everyone with pierced ears at some point.
The short version
Sebum plus skin cells plus bacteria, oxidising. Clean the earrings and the piercing itself regularly, take earrings out at night once the piercing is healed, and switch to titanium if it keeps happening. If there is pain, redness, swelling or discharge, that is an infection and it needs a doctor, not a wipe.
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Why it smells like cheese specifically
Because the chemistry is close to the real thing. Skin bacteria break down sebum into short-chain fatty acids — including butyric and isovaleric acid, which are also produced by the bacteria used in cheese ripening and which cause foot odour. Same compounds, same smell.
So the comparison people reach for is not an exaggeration. It is accurate.
Why yours and not everyone's
Never taking them out. Earrings worn continuously for months collect a film that never gets disturbed. This is the main cause.
Post shape. Butterfly backs and screw-backs have crevices that trap material. Flat-back labret studs have far fewer places for it to accumulate, which is why piercers increasingly recommend them.
Skin type. Oilier skin produces more sebum, so more material.
Long hair and hair products. Conditioner and dry shampoo collect around the back of the earring and feed the bacteria.
How to fix it
Clean the earrings. Warm water with a drop of mild soap, a soft toothbrush on the post and the back, rinse, dry completely. For plain metal without stones, this is enough. Do this weekly.
Clean the piercing too. Cleaning only the jewellery misses half the problem. Sterile saline is what piercers use, and a saline aftercare spray costs around $9 and lasts months. Spray front and back, wipe gently, dry. Do not twist or rotate the earring — that is old advice and it irritates the channel.
Take them out at night, once the piercing is fully healed. It lets the channel dry and it is the single change that makes the most difference.
When it is not just smell. If there is throbbing pain, spreading redness, swelling, yellow or green discharge, or a fever, that is an infection rather than normal build-up, and it needs medical attention rather than cleaning. Infected piercings can escalate quickly, particularly cartilage ones.
A hard lump behind the ear that is not painful is usually a different thing again — often a keloid or a sebaceous cyst — and also worth having looked at rather than treated at home.
If it keeps coming back
Change the metal. Nickel-containing alloys can cause low-grade irritation that increases sebum production and makes the whole cycle worse.
Implant-grade ASTM-F136 titanium flat-back studs, around $19, solve both problems in one go: the material is inert enough that most people stop having the reaction, and the flat back has no crevices for material to collect in. They are also more comfortable to sleep in.
Avoid the word "hypoallergenic" as your guide — it has no legal definition and does not guarantee nickel-free. Look for the actual material named: titanium, niobium or surgical stainless steel.
One thing not to do
Do not clean earrings with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide as a routine. Both dry and irritate the piercing channel, and irritated skin produces more of exactly what caused the smell.
Related
If the metal is also marking your skin, that is a separate and equally misunderstood reaction: why jewellery turns your skin green.
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