Agion Active: Try Everything, Stink at Nothing

If you are a roadie, there are three generalizations that can safely be made about you:

1. You shave your legs
2. You wear Lycra when riding
3. Said Lycra stinks!

Lycra is truly a wonder fabric, but it holds onto odors like a puppy with its favorite chew toy. You can wash it, but all of those old odors come right back out as soon as you start sweating in it. Not pleasant - especially for those around you.

Hopefully, that will soon change.

Agion Active has come up with a textile treatment that is added to the material during the manufacturing process that will handle both microbial-based odors from the body, and ambient odors absorbed from the environment.

Agion Active features a dual-action technology that not only provides antimicrobial product protection and industrial-strength odor elimination but also eliminates odors on and around the fabric. Silver ion antimicrobial technology stops the spread of odor-causing bacteria on the fabric while a natural, proprietary odor-trapping solution captures molecules from ambient odors. Unlike odor control technologies currently on the market, Agion Active eliminates odor from over 14 sources, achieving performance well beyond what has been offered to consumers to date. Agion Active continues to perform for the life of the garment, regenerating with each wash.

 

1. On the skin, bacteria cause odor that passes through the fabric.

2. On the fabric perspiration soaks in and causes odor.

3. On the fabric, perspiration is broken down by bacteria and causes odor.

4. From the environment, ambient odors are absorbed by the fabric.

I was intrigued when I received the email from Agion Active telling me about their product, and wanting to give me more information at the Outdoor Retailer show. Anything that can reduce or eliminate the stink from my cycling kit would be something that I would be greatly interested in trying. Initially, I thought it was something that was added to the garment after it was purchased. Instead, their technology is incorporated during the manufacture process. They have recently announced a partnership with Woolrich. Agion Active odor elimination technology is now available in Woolrich’s new Poly Merino base layers. Wool is regularly held up as the "gold standard" of odor control in fabric. I was told during our meeting that the Agion Active technology greatly extends the natural anti-odor properties of the wool garments. Additional partnerships will be announced in the future.

All products with the Agion Active technology will have this tag attached to them.

I was given a t-shirt that has been treated with the Agion Active technology to do my own testing. I have been running it through the paces this week. My highly scientific testing process consists of wearing it multiple days in a row, skipping a morning shower one of the days, not wearing deodorant that day (Hey! don't judge, it's all in the name of science - besides, I ran out of deodorant that day.), and spending time on the trainer, and at my office's "fitness center" in the basement of the parking garage during my breaks.

"objects in mirror are dorkier than they appear"

I will come up with some additional tests, and report back next week with the results.

If you would like to give this technology a try, you can go to http://www.stinkatnothing.com/ to apply, and if approved, you will be sent a shirt that has been treated with their technology. All you need to do is engage in whatever sport/activity you dare to do, and answer one simple question: "Did You Stink?" After sharing their results via video testimonials, photos and written accounts, T-testers will be eligible to win the grand prize of a $500 gift card from Amazon.com and an Electronics Prize Pack.