Specialty chemicals supplier Cognis has presented its internal Innovation Award 2006 to its team of employees responsible for the development of Skintex. The winning team has now developed the micro-encapsulation technology to the stage where it can be mass produced. First established in 2004, Skintex has now been used in jeans, trousers, underwear and T-Shirts. 

The system is based on micro-capsules containing active naturally-derived ingredients that are released onto the skin at a controlled rate over a fixed period of time. Each capsule is coated with a protective layer of chitosan (made from shrimp shells) and slowly releases its contents onto the skin through a reaction with the body’s own enzymes and the light friction generated when clothes are worn. The microcapsules, which are undetectable to the naked eye, can be filled with a variety of contents such as emollients, perfumes, essential oils or insecticides to offer varying effects that last for numerous washes.