Are functional clothes genuine and worth the price?

　　In recent years, with technological advancements and the improvement of people's living standards, higher demands have been placed on the quality of clothing. At the same time, with the development of the textile industry, the names of new fabric materials on the market have become increasingly diverse. Especially on major online platforms selling clothing, merchants use a variety of promotional methods and content with different functions. Some merchants, to attract consumers' attention, deliberately use names like "high-tech" or "high-end" to replace ordinary material names. Clothing made from new fibers such as Tencel, soybean fiber, milk fiber, modal, Lycra, lyocell, and corn fiber have emerged like mushrooms after rain. Besides novel fabric fiber names, various functional promotions have also emerged, such as antibacterial, wrinkle-free, breathable, and warm-keeping features.

　　To better provide consumers with necessary consumption guidance, the Zhejiang Consumer Rights Protection Committee, in conjunction with the Ningbo Consumer Rights Protection Committee (hereinafter referred to as Ningbo Consumer Committee), conducted tests on new types of fabrics. Forty batches of functional clothing were randomly purchased from various online platforms, and comparative tests were carried out on fiber content, warmth, breathability, wrinkle resistance, antibacterial properties, formaldehyde content, and other aspects that consumers are concerned about. The comparative test work was entrusted to the Ningbo Customs Technical Center.

　　1. Basic Information of the Comparative Test

　　The samples were purchased by Ningbo Consumer Committee staff acting as mystery shoppers from five online platforms: Taobao, JD.com, Suning, Pinduoduo, and Weidian. Among them, there were 14 batches of warm-keeping clothing, 12 batches of antibacterial clothing, 5 batches of wrinkle-free clothing, and 9 batches of moisture-absorbing and quick-drying clothing. The prices of the samples ranged from 35 yuan to 486 yuan per piece, and all were products with relatively high sales and top platform recommendations in their respective categories.

　　2. Results of the Comparative Test

　　Among the tested samples, 18 batches did not meet the national mandatory or explicitly stated product standards. The main non-compliance items related to warmth were fiber content, moisture absorption, quick-drying, antibacterial performance, and wrinkle grade after washing. Specifically, 3 batches of warm-keeping clothing, 5 batches of antibacterial clothing, 1 batch of wrinkle-free clothing, and 9 batches of moisture-absorbing and quick-drying clothing were involved.

　　From the purchase channels, 25 batches were bought from Taobao, with 10 batches non-compliant; 5 batches from Pinduoduo, with 4 batches non-compliant; 5 batches from Suning, with 2 batches non-compliant; 3 batches from JD.com, with 1 batch non-compliant; and 2 batches from Weidian, with 1 batch non-compliant.

　　Six products in this test had fiber content that did not meet their stated product standards. The fiber content of textiles is one of their main quality indicators. The quality of raw material components directly determines the value of a textile clothing product and is also a key factor in judging whether the product is genuine and worth its price.

　　The nine moisture-absorbing and quick-drying clothing items tested did not meet their stated product standards for moisture absorption and quick-drying. Moisture absorption and quick-drying performance refers to functional clothing that can quickly absorb sweat produced during intense physical activity and transfer it to the fabric's outer surface for rapid evaporation, keeping the body dry and comfortable. Moisture-absorbing and quick-drying fabrics are mainly made through functional fibers or fabric treated with functional finishing. Moisture absorption: the ability of the inner surface of the clothing fabric to quickly absorb sweat. Quick-drying: the ability of sweat to spread and evaporate quickly after being transferred to the outer surface of the clothing fabric.

　　Among the 12 antibacterial clothing items tested, 4 products did not meet their stated antibacterial performance standards. Antibacterial performance refers to fibers or fabrics that can kill or inhibit bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms. Its purpose is not only to prevent textiles from being contaminated and damaged by microorganisms but more importantly to prevent infectious diseases, ensuring human health and wearing comfort.

　　Among the 5 wrinkle-free clothing items tested, 1 product's wrinkle grade after washing did not meet its stated product standard. Wrinkle grade after washing refers to improving the wrinkle resistance of textiles through fiber modification, fiber blending, changing fabric structure, finishing, and other methods, thereby providing the function of being wrinkle-free and easy to care for.

　　3. Content and Reference Basis of the Comparative Test

　　1. Warm-keeping clothing: mainly testing fiber content, pilling, formaldehyde, breathability, thermal insulation, color fastness, and dimensional change after washing.

　　2. Antibacterial clothing: mainly testing fiber content, breathability, antibacterial performance, and pH.

　　3. Wrinkle-free clothing: mainly testing fiber content, formaldehyde, wrinkle grade after washing, and degree of cracking.

　　4. Moisture-absorbing and quick-drying clothing: mainly testing moisture absorption (water absorption rate, water drop diffusion time, capillary height) and quick-drying (evaporation rate, moisture permeability).

　　The comparative test methods referred to GB18401-2010 "National Basic Safety Technical Specification for Textile Products", GB/T29862-2013 "Identification of Fiber Content in Textiles", GB/T5453-1997 "Determination of Air Permeability of Textile Fabrics", FZ/T73022-2012 "Warm-Keeping Knitted Underwear", GB/T20944.3-2008 "Evaluation of Antibacterial Properties Part 3: Oscillation Method", GB/T21655.1-2008 "Evaluation of Moisture Absorption and Quick-Drying Properties of Textiles Part 1: Single Combination Test Method", GB/T12704.1-2009 "Test Method for Moisture Permeability of Textile Fabrics Part 1: Moisture Absorption Method", FZ/T01071-2008 "Test Method for Capillary Effect of Textiles", GB/T2660-2017 "Shirts", etc.

　　4. Consumer Tips

　　All samples in this test were purchased from online platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, Suning, and Pinduoduo, with an overall non-compliance rate of 45%. When selecting textiles on online shopping platforms, try to choose flagship stores of well-known brands, read product descriptions carefully, pay special attention to the main fabric materials, understand the product characteristics corresponding to different materials, and avoid being misled by some products claiming "high-tech" or "high-end" fiber names.

　　Thermal underwear: Currently, there are many products on the market claiming to be thermal underwear, with a wide variety of claimed materials such as pure cotton, modal, X, Tencel, bamboo charcoal, etc. In fact, the insulation effect of thermal underwear mainly depends on its structure rather than the material. Genuine thermal underwear has a lining or an inner fleece layer, working on the same principle as down jackets—the more air it traps, the better the heat retention. Therefore, the key factor for thermal underwear's warmth lies in the fabric's knitting method and structure, such as its loftiness and thickness, rather than the material used. In short: thermal underwear with inner fleece or a lining layer is the warmest. When purchasing thermal underwear, it is recommended to choose products with inner fleece or lining layers, and also consider moisture absorption, sweat-wicking, and anti-static properties. Ideally, the inner layer should be made of natural fibers or contain natural fibers.

　　Antibacterial textiles: The main antibacterial textiles on the market currently include antibacterial underwear, socks, towels, etc. However, since it is not possible to determine by sensory perception whether a sample has undergone antibacterial treatment or the effectiveness of such treatment, when purchasing antibacterial products, one can only roughly screen by checking if the packaging or labels specifically state the antibacterial process, such as which bacteria were tested, or if the product was tested by a certain institution, meets certain standards, and includes corresponding batch numbers, document numbers, and standard information.

　　Moisture-wicking and quick-drying clothing: "Moisture-wicking and quick-drying" actually refers to two indicators: moisture absorption tests the fabric's water absorption performance, and quick-drying tests the fabric's rapid drying ability. Moisture-wicking and quick-drying products feature good moisture absorption, low moisture retention, fast moisture transfer, good breathability, and rapid evaporation. Currently, the national standard for testing moisture-wicking and quick-drying products is mainly based on GB/T21655.1. However, most products on the market do not indicate the testing standard. If the testing standard is indicated, you can purchase with confidence. One point to note is that merchants often promote pure cotton products as having moisture-wicking and quick-drying properties. In fact, products with excellent moisture-wicking and quick-drying performance are generally made of synthetic fibers. For cotton, wool, or silk products, it is difficult to meet the quick-drying requirements.

　　Wrinkle-free clothing: The main wrinkle-free textiles on the market are mostly shirts. Shirts treated with wrinkle-free processing do not wrinkle easily and maintain good stiffness and shape stability without ironing after washing. Since most wrinkle-free finishing agents currently contain formaldehyde, during the purchasing process, you can judge whether the formaldehyde content exceeds the limit by smelling the fabric (if necessary, rub the fabric to generate heat before smelling). If you detect a pungent odor, it is not recommended to buy. This comparative test is only responsible for the samples tested.