Assessment and management of body odor in activewear

Abstract

After intense exercise and associated sweating, obnoxious odors often appear in the activewear. Existing methods use either odor masking or anti-microbial treatments to reduce such odors, which may pose risks to health and the environment. This study used a benign approach for odor management in activewear, through appropriate fiber selection for different parts of the activewear. T-shirt samples were produced with a simple two-part design, with the upper part knitted from wool/polyester blend yarns and the lower part from 100% polyester. An electronic nose was utilized to assess the odor differences between the upper and lower parts of the T-shirts after the wear trials, as well as among three types of fabrics (100% Polyester, 20/80 Wool/Polyester, 100% Wool). GC-MS analyzed the odor compounds of these fabrics. Additionally, the smoothness of the seams connecting the upper and lower parts was assessed. It was found that the upper part of the T-shirt exhibited significantly higher odor intensity than the lower part. A fabric blend of 20% wool and 80% polyester reduced odor intensity by around 52% compared to 100% polyester. The reduction in 4-isopropenyl-1-methylcyclohexene and (E, E)-Farnesol accounted for the decreased odor intensity in the wool blend compared to polyester. The seam flatness deteriorated after washing, especially for the T-shirts containing 100% wool at the upper part. These results underscore the importance of zonal design and optimal fiber blend ratios in developing odor management activewear.