Lenzing is presenting its latest fibre innovation called Tencel C at Heimtextil, which opened yesterday in Frankfurt. The company says that after many years of research work, cosmetic properties can now be combined with the well-known skin-sensory advantages of its Tencel fibre.

“Tencel fibre is well-known for its positive skin properties. Due to its smooth fibre structure, it is particularly silky next to the skin. Its botanic origin – Tencel is extracted from wood – means that it has particularly good breathing properties and is the Moisture Manager among textile fibres. In combination with Chitosan, a natural product from the ocean, this now makes Tencel the fibre that provides cosmetic benefits,” Lenzing said in a statement today.

“The substance Chitosan is extracted from the shells of shellfish and is then applied to the fibre. After cellulose, Chitin is the second most frequent naturally replenishable polysaccharide in the world and ever-present in Nature. This natural substance is an ideal match for Tencel. Both raw materials come from Nature and complement each other to perfection. Chitosan is used in cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical industry and is well known for its ability to alleviate itching, regulate cells and protect the skin as well as its antibacterial effect,” the company added.

A new dimension in textile cosmetics

“The skin is the largest human organ. Its care and health are, therefore, essential. The skin can only be healthy and attractive when it is in balance. The pre-requisites for healthy skin are: the moisture content, the protective function, elasticity and cell renewal. All of these parameters are supported by applying Tencel C to the skin,” Lenzing said.

According to Lenzing, a scientific wear test comparing Tencel C with cotton revealed that Tencel C achieves better results. The blind study is said to have been carried out with 32 test participants with healthy skin wearing a stocking of Tencel C on one leg and cotton stocking on the other leg for two weeks. A dermatologist evaluated the skin of the test participants. In 41% of the test subjects, the leg that wore Tencel C looked better with reduced dehydration, fewer wrinkles and less cornification and micro-fractures.

Lenzing says that in general the level of moisture of the skin drops less with Tencel C. Tencel C is said to act like a moisture reservoir and prevents the loss of moisture from the skin. As a result the skin barrier is said to be intact and offers protection from environmental influences.

According to Lenzing, another study tested cell renewal and once again it was shown that with Tencel C, skin cells are renewed more quickly when a wound is healing.

“After many years of research work, Lenzing has succeeded in soaking a fibre with the biopolymer Chitosan and in transferring this to large-scale production. Chitosan is difficult to control at production level. It is water-soluble and after several processing steps, it can dissipate from the fibre. The research scientists at Lenzing developed a special technology to prevent this. Because of Lenzing’s expertise and innovative manufacturing techniques, Tencel C can easily take up to 50 wash cycles in a commercially available washing machine without losing its cosmetic properties," Lenzing said.