Our goal is to help you feel confident and comfortable - not like a sweaty mess. We use a variety of fabric technologies to keep you feeling (and smelling) fresh. Go from a 10-hour day to a client meeting without worry Here’s how we do it...
The Problem: BO
Bacteria grows everywhere, but it loves the humid, salty, oily environment next to our skin. The primary cause of BO and smelly garments is that bacteria grows on our skin and hair, but also on the body oil that accumulates on fabric. We use three key materials to hinder that bacterial growth: Zinc, Coffee, and Merino wool.
The Solution 
1. Zinc kills bacteria through two mechanisms.
Zinc-ions inhibit growth and kill bacteria so odors aren't created in the first place. When bacteria grow in contact with Zinc, the metal disrupts the cell walls of the bacteria, causing it to break down. Zinc also competitively inhibits Manganese from entering the bacteria, which the bacteria needs to live. 
It's safe for humans.
The methods with which Zinc inhibits bacterial growth are completely safe when put in contact with human skin. Bacteria have cell walls, but human and animal skin cells don’t. Most antimicrobials work by affecting the cell wall of bacteria because small amounts of Zinc, like the amount used in our ZN+ garments, are benign to humans. 
2. Coffee Absorbs and Neutralizes Odors
Absorption is powerful tool for keeping odors at bay. Many of our garments, from Atlas Socks to our Mercury Intelligent Heated Jacket use recycled polyester that has been infused with processed, spent coffee grounds for odor control. The coffee grounds are run through a special process that removes the oils that gives coffee it’s flavor and aroma (no caffeine here!). These coffee grounds are then extruded with recycled polyester, to create a fiber that’s both high capable and sustainable.
The coffee fiber fabric has a high carbon-content surface area. Because many organic compounds cause odor, the carbon rings on those odor molecules are attracted to the carbon on the coffee grounds, neutralizing the odor so our noses aren’t exposed to the aromatics. When you wash the garment, it completely recharges it’s capability by washing away the odor molecules. 
3. Merino Wool is Naturally Anti-Microbial
Merino wool is unique as a fiber because unlike cotton and linen, it has evolved over millions of years to be become the ideal next-to-skin fiber for sheep, who have similar living requirements to humans, with one exception–they spend their lives outdoors without clothes. 
Wool is made of Protein and Oils. Keratin, the primary protein in wool, is the same as the protein found in fingernails and human hair. Additionally, much like our skin, sheep secrete an oil called lanolin that coats each fiber. These oils, lipids, are generally not hospitable for bacterial growth. 
The keratin produced by wool fibers is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture vapor. Merino wool can absorb about 36% of its weight in moisture while still being able to wick liquid sweat, unlike cotton. This creates a dry environment which is inhospitable to bacterial growth.
We've tested these three odor-blocking technologies, and found them to be successful across a variety of use cases. In fact our Coffee fiber started in our socks, and has since been incorporated into everything from next-to-skin layers to outerwear. The end result is clothing that you can wear all day with confidence.
