If synthetic materials are known to hold onto oils and odors, why are they used for most workout clothes instead of cotton?

Question

If synthetic materials are known to hold onto oils and odors, why are they used for most workout clothes instead of cotton?

In: 669

Answer 1

I’m a cotton evangelist but also have a few pieces of polyester clothing, namely hiking pants and slip shorts.

The benefit of polyester is that it doesn’t absorb water, so it goes skin -> clothing -> air fairly quickly, while cotton, which is very absorbent, goes skin -> clothing and stays there. That makes it uncomfortable and heavy very quickly, and in the winter, that water freezes and saps you of heat. It’s also smoother, so there’s far less chafing than you’d have with cotton. Linen is even more rough than cotton.

The problem is that [polyester attracts unique types of bacteria that cotton does not](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/09/05/346055067/stinky-t-shirt-bacteria-love-polyester-in-a-special-way), disinfecting the clothing doesn’t do anything to stop the bacteria already on your skin, and once that bacteria has created the odorants, it’ll still smell even if the bacteria are killed because [they also don’t wash out from polyester as thoroughly as cotton](https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2020/07/research-reveals-why-its-hard-to-get-the-smell-out-of-polyester.html). The reason for both the weird bacterial colonies and its resistance to washing is currently unknown.

So your options are:

* More comfortable clothing that is harder to wash, or

* Less comfortable clothing that smells better.

For gym clothes, comfort is going to trump washability every time.