Milliken & Company brand Polartec is switching to peppermint for metal-free odour resistance treatment across its range of performance fabrics.

The bluesign-certified peppermint oil odour resist treatment is an easily renewable, highly sustainable and biodegradable solution for inhibiting odour at the source.

Body odour occurs when bacteria metabolize fatty acids and proteins in sweat, and secrete waste and peppermint oil effectively inhibits the growth of odour-causing microbes in the fabric.

The treatment has been proven in R&D trials to achieve a 99% microbial reduction, even after 50 wash cycles per industry standard testing JIS L1902.  According to the results, the treatment is effectively permanent.

In garment use trials, where it really counts, Polartec’s “sniff judges” rated the odour control as better than or equal to the protection offered by previous metal containing treatments. The production of Power Dry, Power Grid and Delta fabrics with the new treatment will begin in Italy and China this Autumn, with the United States to follow within 12 months.

Sustainably harvested using an eco-friendly steam extraction process, peppermint oil is a naturally derived solution to an age-old problem.

www.polartec.com