It’s an inevitable side-effect of working out, but getting hot and sweaty in the gym can still be rather embarrassing.
But the days of worrying about your odours from your sweaty clothes could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new fragrance-emitting fabric.
Portuguese researchers, Carla Silva and Artur Cavaco-Paulo, have developed a modified cotton fabric that emits a lemongrass smell.
In their study, published in ACS Applied Material Interfaces , the researchers wrote: "Perspiration as a response to daily activity and physical exercise results in unpleasant odors that cause social unrest and embarrassment.
"To tackle it, functional textiles incorporating fragrances could be an effective clothing deodorizing product."
To develop the fabric, the researchers tried two techniques.
The first approach involved a protein found in pigs' noses that binds to scent molecules, while the second approach used liposomes (molecules that enclose a water droplet) to carry the fragrance into the fabric.
While the first approach was shown to release a quick burst of scent, the liposome technique led to a slower and more controlled release and has the potential to hold more fragrance.
Both approaches could see wide use in the development of latest advances in gym wear and other clothing.
As the British summer continues, let’s hope that those odious smells - with gym kits or sweaty passengers on trains - will be a thing of the past.
