Understanding perfume deposition mechanisms on different textile substrates in a realistic laundering process

The laundering process is an essential routine for maintaining the cleanliness and freshness of textiles. Achieving an efficient deposition and retention of fragrances on different fabric types remains a complex challenge. This study provides a novel comparison of the impact on perfume deposition of different fabric types across wash cycle stages and wash conditions. The critical role of perfume redeposition during rinsing is examined, where micelles entrapped in the textile matrix break due to surfactant concentrations dropping below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), resulting in the release and subsequent redeposition on fabrics of perfume raw materials (PRMs) contained in the micelles. Our findings reveal that adsorption kinetics are faster on cotton compared with polyester. Cotton, due to its amphoteric nature, exhibits greater interaction with water molecules during rinsing, leading to more significant PRM loss. Conversely, polyester demonstrates a higher PRM retention capacity, which can be attributed to its hydrophobic nature. Surprisingly, however, we find that redeposition during the rinse steps of hydrophobic PRMs is more pronounced on cotton than polyester, which may be due to their respective water retention capacities and consequent effect on the micelle breaking mechanism.