Face towels can actually rot your face? Who is the culprit?

Recently, the topic of "How big is the difference between cotton towels and cotton towels" has become a hot search on the Douyin platform. Some netizens said that when they bought a face towel with a twisted thread, they bought a "cotton towel" with a twisted thread. It had a strange smell and caused allergies on their faces. Therefore, they said that the difference between "cotton towel" and "cotton towel" is a thousand and one. The cotton towel with a twisted thread is chemical fiber, while the cotton towel with a wood character is made of cotton without adding chemical ingredients, so they recommend everyone to buy cotton towels. Is this really the case?

Image source: TikTok screenshot

It should be made clear that there is only one national standard for face towels, GB/T40276-2021 "Soft Towels", and there is no distinction between cotton soft towels and flannel soft towels. The so-called pure cotton soft towel standard has not been implemented since it was submitted in 2018.

What are the materials of face towels?

From the perspective of the material of face towels, they are divided into three categories: pure cotton, viscose fiber (regenerated cellulose fiber), and polyester-viscose blended (polyester fiber + viscose fiber).

Here I want to explain that viscose fiber is not made of glue. Don't be scared by the name. It comes from the French word VISCOSE, which means viscous flow. It means that when wood pulp is dissolved and spun, it is as viscous as honey. Because it is indeed made of trees and plants as raw materials, it is also classified as regenerated cellulose fiber.

The main component of cotton is cellulose, and trees are also composed of cellulose, but extracting cellulose from trees requires artificial processing, and my country's definition of chemical fiber is "artificially made fibers other than natural fibers." The chemical fibers we traditionally think of as polyester and nylon are actually more accurately classified as "synthetic fibers," which are completely synthesized from fossil raw materials.

Image source: provided by the author

Regenerated cellulose fabrics extracted from trees contain not only viscose, but also modal, lyocell, cupro and acetate. However, viscose is currently the largest in production and the lowest in cost, and is more suitable for disposable products, so other fabric components are relatively rare. Currently, there are also lyocell face towels, but the audience is still small.

How to choose a face towel?

A good face towel needs to have the following characteristics: safe and non-irritating, good water absorbency, no lint when wiped, and high cost performance.

1

Security

Pure cotton: The raw material of pure cotton face towels is cotton. In everyone's cognition, it must be considered the safest because cotton is grown naturally. However, it is precisely because of its natural growth that pesticides are involved. Therefore, pure cotton face towels have to undergo an additional pesticide residue test compared to other materials. Only cotton face towels are tested because other materials do not involve pesticides.

National Standard GB/T40276-2021 "Soft Towels" stipulates the pesticide residues in cotton-containing soft towels

Viscose fiber (regenerated cellulose fiber): Regenerated cellulose viscose fiber is extracted and processed from trees, and the material itself is safe. Sulfur-containing substances are needed in the production process of viscose fiber. If the processing is not in place, there may be excessive sulfide residues. Sulfur residues will release the smell of "sulfur soap" when washing your face with warm water.

National Standard GB/T40276-2021 "Soft Towels" stipulates the residual sulfur content of soft towels containing viscose fibers

Polyester-viscose blend (polyester fiber + viscose fiber): Polyester itself is safe. Its scientific name is polyethylene terephthalate (PET for short). The mineral water bottles we usually drink also contain this material. It can come into contact with food and be drunk into the stomach, so there is no problem with wiping the skin.

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

So theoretically, whether it is pure cotton, viscose fiber, or polyester-viscose blended fabric, these materials themselves are non-toxic and safe. What may bring safety risks are the pesticides and chemicals used in the production and processing process. But don't be too anxious. As long as the face wash you buy is printed with the national standard GB/T40276-2021 "Soft Towel" implementation standard, it means that it has passed the national standard test and is safe to use.

Image source: Yao Weiming

The implementation standards of some products will also be printed with "corporate standards" starting with Q. The formulation of corporate standards is usually higher than industry standards and national standards, so you can buy them with confidence if they have the Q mark. Reject products without the "three no" mark.

2

Water absorption

Another important indicator for face towels is water absorption, and this indicator is related to the official moisture regain of the material.

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The higher the value, the more water it can absorb. The standard moisture regain of cotton is 8.5%, and the standard moisture regain of viscose fiber is 13%, which is 50% more absorbent than cotton. However, the moisture absorption of polyester is very poor, with a standard moisture regain of only 0.4%, and usually requires the addition of penetrants to enhance water absorption.

Image source: provided by the author

3

No hair loss or deformation when wiped

Another indicator of a good face towel is that it does not shed hair or deform when wiped. This indicator is related to the fiber length of the material. The longer the fiber length, the tighter it can fit together during spinning and it is not easy to fall off.

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The fiber length of ordinary cotton is generally 28mm, while viscose and polyester fibers are usually 38mm. This is because the length of viscose and polyester fibers can be manually cut and controlled, and 38mm is the length of high-quality long-staple cotton, which allows each fiber to fit more tightly. As a disposable product with low added value, most businesses will not use high-quality fine-staple cotton for face towels, let alone more expensive long-staple cotton. Cotton face towels are basically made of cotton fibers less than 28mm in length.

Copyrighted images in the gallery, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes. We all know that thick face washcloths are softer to wipe and can absorb more moisture and stains, but manufacturers need to consider the cost of materials. The price of cotton is generally around 18,000 yuan/ton, while viscose fiber is 13,000 yuan/ton, which is 30% lower in cost. The price of polyester is even lower, only 8,000 yuan/ton, which also means that at the same selling price, the thickness of polyester-viscose blended fabrics is greater than that of pure viscose and greater than that of pure cotton face washcloths.

In general: polyester-viscose blended face towels are the most affordable but have poor water absorption; pure cotton face towels have average water absorption, short fibers, and high costs; 100% regenerated cellulose face towels are better than pure cotton towels in terms of materials and performance.

However, regenerated cellulose fiber is not perfect. When washed with hot water, it may emit the smell of sulfur soap. This is the smell of sulfide residual in the viscose process. The wine we drink contains sulfide to prevent deterioration. The sulfide in the fiber also makes the viscose face towel have a certain antibacterial effect. You don’t have to worry too much about the safety problems caused by trace sulfur residues. And good face towels will undergo a desulfurization process. The national standard GB/T40276-2021 "Soft Towels" mentioned earlier has clear sulfide limit standards.

Summarize

The publicity about the bad looks is really an alarmist move that exploits the public’s fear of chemicals. Don’t fall into the circle of anxiety artificially created by the businesses.

First of all, any fabric component itself is safe and harmless, and potential safety risks exist in the chemicals used in the production and processing process.

Secondly, chemical fiber is not synthetic fiber. The chemical fiber that the public refers to usually refers to "synthetic fiber" that is completely synthesized by the petroleum industry, such as polyester, nylon, and spandex. In fact, synthetic fiber is just a branch of chemical fiber. Regenerated cellulose fiber also belongs to the chemical fiber family. The raw materials come from natural plants rich in cellulose, such as trees and cotton. Therefore, the combustion of regenerated cellulose fiber is very similar to that of cotton, and even burns more fully.

It is more scientific to choose a face towel from the perspective of objective performance indicators such as the material's standard moisture regain and fiber length. The purpose of a face towel is to wipe the face, which is far less than the time that facial cleansers and skin care products stay on the face. As long as it meets the national standard test, there is no possibility that a face towel will cause a rotten face.

Planning and production

Author: Yao Weiming, Textile Chemical Engineer

Audit丨Song Lidan Consulting Engineer, Industrial Research Department, China Textile Construction Planning Institute