Polartec Announces Switch To Peppermint For Metal Free Odour Resistance

Polartec, a Milliken & Company brand, and premium creator of innovative and sustainable textile solutions, announces the switch to peppermint for metal-free odour resistance treatment across its line 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. The more environmentally friendly push to use peppermint oil is just the latest in Polartec’s ever growing Eco-Engineering initiative.

Performance fabrics have long included anti-odour additives to improve product quality, lifespan, and reduce energy usage through washing. Under Polartec’s Eco-Engineering initiative, the company is constantly exploring better solutions for technical fabrics that meet and exceed the highest possible standards of quality, performance, and sustainability.

Knowing that body odour occurs when bacteria metabolise fatty acids and proteins in sweat, and secrete waste, Polartec turned to peppermint oil. The oil effectively inhibits the growth of odour-causing microbes in the fabric.

The odourless peppermint oil-based treatment was proven in R&D trials to achieve a 99% microbial reduction, even after 50 wash cycles (per industry standard testing JIS L1902). According to those 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 past metal containing treatments. A bellwether of peppermint oil-based treatment, all Polartec Power Dry, Polartec Power Grid, and Polartec Delta fabrics will have permanent odour resistance. Production in Italy and China will begin in the late fall, with the United States to follow in 12 months.

“This new odour-resist treatment using responsibly sourced, all-natural peppermint oil aligns with our overarching Polartec Eco-Engineering mission, which is to develop performance materials based in sustainable science”, says Karen Beattie, Senior Polartec Product Marketing Manager.

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