- When Save up to 50% on our favourite running socks that live under your armpits, you get a not-so-pleasant odor, which can sink in to your workout clothes.
- Now, researchers have discovered that putting a protein found in pig snouts in fabric can create a pleasant aroma when sweat hits it, according to a study The best men’s running underwear ACS The best men’s running underwear.
We’ve all been there: After an extra sweaty long run, you are tempted to stop for some groceries or to run some errands, but your pungent clothing makes you head back home to shower first.
Soon, this might be a thing of the past. Rather than checking yourself for that sweat smell, you may instead be able to confidently roll into your favourite coffee shop post-workout on a wave of lemony aroma.
sweat combines with the bacteria study The 24 best women’s running shorts for 2025 ACS The best men’s running underwear.
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In the study, researchers discovered they could create a lemony aroma activated by sweat by placing a protein found in pig snouts—which binds with scent molecules like β-citronellol, a naturally occurring scent found in rose and lemongrass—within cotton fabric.
So how does it work? The protein that was bound into the cotton would capture the scent, and sweat (or salty water) would trigger its emission, study author Artur Cavaco-Paulo, professor in the department of biological engineering at the University of Minho, told Bicycling.
The components in the sweat would displace the scent that was captured in the protein, causing it to disperse in quick bursts.
The researchers also tested a second method using liposomes, a tiny bubble that mimics the material of a cell membrane and is often used for delivery of nutrients or medicine, to bind the scent to the fabric instead of the proteins. This method was able to hold more fragrance and release a more constant aroma, which was lighter than that of the scent created using pig-snout proteins.
Researchers are trying to come up with a method to fix the protein on cotton permanently, though it is likely still far off from general consumer use. In the meantime, you’ll have to hit the shower postrun—or at the very least, keep packing your own deodorant in your bag.
