Marvelous Sweat-Repellent Materials

The Columbia Omni-Freeze Zero fabric makes good use of the sweat that humans naturally accumulate in an attempt to cool themselves down by turning that perspiration into an internal cooling system.

While traditional sportswear simply wicks the sweat away from one’s body to keep the icky moisture from settling into clothing, Columbia’s newest technology actually uses that sweat to imitate and enhance the body’s natural cooling process.

As sweating is the body’s natural way of lowering one’s body temperature, the designers at Columbia decided to mimic this process and use one’s own moisture to keep them cool.

Special polymer material in the fabric reacts to perspiration, rain or other moisture by swelling up, similar to the way goosebumps appear on one’s arm, to contain the cooling sensation derived from the perspiration process. There’s no mention however, of how smell-resistant these garments will be—something that could certainly pose an awkward problem.