New Information for People With Fabric Allergies
There is a new test available to clothing manufacturers to determine if a garment is hypoallergenic.
The Hohenstein Institute, based in Germany, has figured out how to analyze a fabric’s interaction with living skin cells and determine if that fabric will induce an allergic reaction or skin irritation to the wearer.
HerRoom.com and HisRoom.com are constantly contacted by people with latex allergies looking for underwear and lingerie they can wear without irritation. Though we do our best to identify items the manufacturers have told us qualify, read any of the customer reviews on these items and you will see people complaining that they don’t work.
I contacted Sam Moore from the Institute and had a fascinating conversation with him. First, he is not aware of any underwear/lingerie brands on the market that are free of latex and spandex. Without either fiber, a garment would only have as much support as a draw-string could deliver.
I asked Sam about products containing latex and/or spandex where the offending fiber is covered by another fabric, cotton for example. Why wouldn’t this type of garment work for consumers? His answer was enlightening. Both latex and spandex break down in the wash. Therefore, small particles of the offending fiber will work their way out of the casing and eventually wind up on the surface of the fabric covering them. So, even if latex or spandex is covered, the wearer is not protected and an outbreak will occur.
The Hohenstein Certification on products will be of great interest to those consumers with skin sensitivities and allergies. Scientists have identified more than 3,700 substances that are skin allergens.
The Hohenstein test currently costs about $3000 per garment. At that price, it’s prohibitive for a retailer such as myself to have the test conducted on everything I sell. However, manufacturers could find great financial benefit in having their products Hohenstein certifiied. As of this writing, Fruit of the Loom has made an inquiry.
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Frankly, I don’t know how you can avoid Lycra in undergarments. I’m glad I don’t have those allergies. I just bought some low rise skinny jeans for men and I’m going to need some some underthings to go with them that will: (a) ride low on the hip,(b) be made of fabrics that will lift my anatomy up and out of the way and hold it firmly in place, and (c) make it easy to slide in the darn things. I will have to have something made of a lot of high-tech fabrics. 100% cotton won’t get that job done! LOL.
Comment by YogaGuy
July 18th, 2009 @ 9:22 am