Material innovator, Polartec®, is switching from metal-based odor-fighting agents to peppermint for metal-free odor resistance treatment across its range of performance fabrics.

The bluesign®-certified peppermint oil odor resist treatment is a simple, renewable, and biodegradable option for inhibiting odor at the source.

Body odor is caused by bacteria metabolizing fatty acids and proteins in perspiration and secreting waste, and peppermint oil efficiently inhibits the growth of odor-causing microbes in the fabric.

Even after 50 wash cycles, the treatment has been shown to achieve a 99 percent microbial reduction in R&D trials, according to industry-standard testing JIS L1902. The treatment appears to be successful and effectively permanent, based on the findings.

Polartec's "sniff judges" assessed the odor control as better than or equal to the protection afforded by earlier metal-containing treatments in garment use studies, where it truly matters. The new treatment will be introduced to Power Dry, Power Grid, and Delta textiles in Italy and China this autumn, with the United States to follow within 12 months.

Peppermint oil is a naturally derived answer to an age-old problem that is sustainably harvested utilizing an eco-friendly steam extraction process.

Karen Beattie, Senior Polartec Product Marketing Manager, said that new odor-resist treatment using responsibly sourced, all-natural peppermint oil aligns with their overarching Polartec Eco-Engineering™ mission, which is to design performance materials based on sustainable science.