They arrived with the turn of the century and the development of microencapsulation. With their promise of slimming and firming the body, they began to timidly adhere to the fibres of tights, leggings and even lingerie. They are already to be found in skinny jeans, shorts and T-shirts. For both women and men. Cosmetotextiles, in combining the alchemy of cosmetics with the appeal of certain textiles, are revolutionizing skin care.
Cosmetotextiles are cosmetics that are worn. According to Textiles Intelligence, the cosmetotextile market is a promising one, worth 500 million euros in 2013. It is based on an innovative idea: to use the clothes we wear daily next to the skin to remove excess fat, boost skin hydration and firmness and improve muscle tone. How? By introducing, in the fibres of clothing, microparticles of certain ingredients – like caffeine (a microcirculation activator), Aloe vera (a moisturizer), retinol (a regenerator) and vitamin E (an anti-oxidant) – so that, with our movements, these substances can be released into the epidermis.
Patience, patience …
No effort, no hassle, just results. That, at least, is how the manufacturers taking advantage of the invention sell their products, although they also admit – and that’s what the packaging of their products state – that you need to be constant. In other words, to see a change, you need to wear cosmetotextiles for six or even eight hours a day for at least a month.
These garments, however, withstand only a certain number of washes. Some brands include a small quantity of bactericidal silver in their products so that the item only has to be washed every fortnight, while other manufacturers offer recharging sprays.
Many applications
It’s chemistry, not magic. But an increasing number of products include these substances. The scientific literature contains no formal classification of cosmetotextiles, although there is some consensus that the most exploited market segment is that of slimming products that take the classic corset a step further, namely, tights and leggings of all kinds and, more recently, lingerie and jeans. Algae, retinol and caffeine extracts are generally added to these textiles to fight cellulite and moisturize the skin.
Next most popular are aromatherapeutic garments, whose textiles are impregnated with essential oils with relaxing or invigorating properties.
By Anna Solana, science journalist
Source: Innovation in textiles
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