Infrared Apparel: Exploring Infrared Energy and Cellular Activity (2024)

CELLIANT has carried the science-backed benefits of infrared energy to the world of human wellness, using infrared-emittingbioceramicsto create bio-responsive materials that support athletic performance, sports recovery and sleep. These innovative fabrics capture the body’s heat, convert it into infrared energy, and infuse that energy into the body’s skin, muscles and tissues. This process increases local circulation and cellular oxygenation, which helps improve strength, stamina, speed and athletic recovery times.

In addition to the abundance of scientific studies that showcase the wide-ranging applications and benefits of infrared technology, CELLIANT infrared fabrics themselves have undergone clinical testing and reviews by a Science Advisory Board to ensure they are safe and effective.

Wellness-enhancing fabrics such as CELLIANT provide new and exciting opportunities for companies to stay ahead of their competitors with unique product lines. It also gives consumers more ways to support their athletic performance and get restful sleep — all without any extra work. We’ll walk you through the science behind IR fabric, how it benefits the body, and some of the many potential product applications of this cutting-edge technology.

Common Sources of Infrared Energy

Though it’s invisible, infrared energy is all around us. This versatile electromagnetic wavelength has many sources.

SUNLIGHT

The sun emits energy across the full electromagnetic spectrum, which includes infrared energy. The Earth absorbs this energy and releases it as heat into the atmosphere to warm the planet. Unlike some electromagnetic wavelengths from the sun, such as UVA and UVB rays, infrared wavelengths don’t produce adverse side effects in humans.

LAMPS & SAUNAS

Infrared lamps have special light bulbs that emit IR wavelengths, and they’re often used in heaters and saunas. Traditional heating methods warm the air around the body, which takes significant time and energy. Infrared heat is more efficient since it’s absorbed directly by the body. This also allows IR saunas and heating products to operate at lower temperatures, making them safer and more comfortable options.

BIOCERAMIC MINERALS & METALS

Bioceramic minerals and metals safely interact with the human body and can be used for therapeutic or medical purposes. These materials can absorb and release heat, making them ideal choices for harnessing the benefits of infrared energy.

INFRARED TEXTILES

Infrared textiles, also called bio-responsive fabrics or IR fabrics, use bioceramics to create materials that emit infrared energy into the body’s skin, muscles and tissues. These textiles have a wide range of applications, including:

CELLIANT creates infrared materials using a proprietary blend of bioceramic minerals. These minerals are chosen for their excellent thermal properties, meaning they effectively absorb the body’s natural heat, transform it into infrared energy and reflect that energy back into the body to support performance and wellness.

How Does Infrared Clothing Work?

Infrared clothing works by using bioceramic materials that emit infrared energy. When worn, the bioresponsive fabric absorbs the body’s heat, converts it into infrared energy, and releases it back into the body’s muscles and tissues. This process increases local circulation and improves cellular oxygenation, which helps the body work more efficiently and can lead to improved athletic performance, faster recovery and more restful sleep.

HOW ARE INFRARED-EMITTING BIOCERAMICS ADDED TO TEXTILES?

There are several ways to add infrared-emitting bioceramics to textiles.

This variety of application methods makes infrared-emitting bioceramics suitable for many types of products. Any product made from fabric and meant to come into contact with the skin can benefit from infrared-emitting ceramics. Clothing, bedding, shoes, bandages and cloth diapers are just a few examples of the potential uses of this technology.

CAN INFRARED-EMITTING TEXTILES INCREASE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE?

Infrared-emitting textiles such as CELLIANT have shown great potential in clinical trials focused on improving athletic performance. A study of aerobically fit cyclists showed a 1.1% improvement in oxygen consumption for the subjects when wearing bioresponsive clothing. ²

CAN INFRARED-EMITTING TEXTILES ASSIST WITH EXERCISE RECOVERY?

A growing body of scientific research shows that infrared textiles may help improve sports recovery and sleep through better cellular oxygenation. Increasing the oxygen level of cells can increase cellular energy, enabling the cells to recover more quickly from strenuous activities. This can also lead to better sleep, with one study showing a median improvement of 2.6% in sleep efficiency from IR fabrics. ³

CELLIANT has 10 Peer-Reviewed Research Studies on Infrared Energy

The clinical findings we discuss below show excellent potential for IR fabrics like CELLIANT to improve athletic performance and recovery through increased cellular oxygenation and local blood flow. These peer-reviewed studies feature small sample sizes, and more comprehensive studies are necessary to fully establish the physiological effects of infrared textiles. However, they are a good indication that further research is warranted, and the implications pose exciting possibilities.

WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF INFRARED-EMITTING TEXTILES?

Infrared textiles have three primary benefits — increased tissue oxygenation, local circulation, and cellular oxygenation — and each of these responses generates many additional benefits. For example, a boost in tissue oxygen levels has been shown to increase the anaerobic threshold, which helps improve stamina during physical activities.

Increases Tissue Oxygen Levels

In one study featuring CELLIANT-powered gloves and stockings, the infrared-emitting textiles increased subjects’ tissue oxygenation by approximately 20%⁴. In another, subjects showed a mean increase in tissue oxygenation of 6.7%⁵ after wearing infrared shirts for 90 minutes. These results show great potential for infrared-emitting fabrics to help wearers reap the many benefits of higher tissue oxygenation, including better muscle performance, more restful sleep, and faster recovery times.

Temporarily Increases Local Circulation

Circulation refers to the flow of blood through the body, and local circulation refers to this process in specific areas of the body. For example, a study of infrared stockings showed an approximately 30%⁶ increase in local circulation in participants’ feet.

Increasing local circulation means more nutrient-rich, oxygenated blood reaches that area, allowing those muscles to perform more effectively. Circulation is also essential for thermoregulation, which is how the body maintains optimal temperatures. This makes infrared textiles perfect to use in sheets and sleepwear for people who often wake up at night because they feel too hot or cold.

Increases Cellular Oxygenation

Increased cellular oxygenation helps cells operate at peak efficiency to ensure the muscles respond to physical demands and recover quickly to reduce post-workout soreness. Clinical trials demonstrate that CELLIANT can make more oxygen available to the body’s cells, with an average increase of 7%⁷ and up to 8.4%⁸. This is significant because cells require oxygen to generate the energy needed to carry out vital functions such as muscle contraction, which enables the body to perform physical activities, and cellular recovery, which is when the cells repair muscles and other tissues.

What Brands Use CELLIANT Technology in Their Products?

Our brand partners utilize the power of CELLIANT’s infrared fabrics for performance and recovery in apparel, shoes, pillows, upholstery fabrics, mattresses, medical supplies and more. Below are just a few of the many partnerships we’ve developed.

UNDER ARMOUR INFRARED COLLECTIONS

Over the course of CELLIANT’s long-term partnership with Under Armour, we’ve developed a variety of special collections and evergreen product lines.

PURECARE RECOVERY COLLECTIONS

Purecare’s mission is to provide better sleep by focusing on whole-body wellness. Using sustainable CELLIANT Viscose, Purecare has created product lines of bio-responsive IR sheets, pillowcases and mattress protectors. These viscose-blend products are silky and luxurious, and they provide all the sleep and recovery benefits that come with IR fabrics.

MEY VISCOSE NIGHTWEAR

Mey uses CELLIANT Viscose, a sustainable and plant-based infrared fiber, to create luxury sleepwear. The infrared-emitting fabric turns the body’s natural heat into infrared energy and reflects it back into the skin and muscle tissues. This regulates body temperature and increases local circulation and cellular oxygenation, helping wearers sleep comfortably through the night and wake refreshed.

KT TAPE PRO OXYGEN

KT Tape creates kinesiology tape for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The tape is strategically placed on certain muscle groups, and the CELLIANT materials in the Pro Oxygen tape increase cellular oxygenation and local blood flow in those areas. This can make the perfect addition to a healthy recovery program that supports active lifestyles.

BEAR MATTRESS

BEAR Mattress harnesses the power of infrared energy by using CELLIANT materials in its mattresses.CELLIANT-infused BEAR mattresses promote better sleep and recovery. Studies indicate that infrared materials help sleepers get an average of 18.3 more minutes of sleep per night⁹, along with an 8.4% increase in oxygenation¹⁰ to help give users more energy.

How Can CELLIANT Benefit You?

Infrared clothing and textiles offer exciting possibilities for brands and consumers alike. Brands can gain an advantage over competitors by enhancing the benefits of their product lines with CELLIANT. Consumers can look forward to infrared-infused clothing, shoes, bedding, and more that passively provide health benefits such as better stamina, faster recovery, and more restful sleep.

Learn more about the ins and outs of infrared textiles by reviewing our clinical studies and reading the CELLIANT blog, which answers common questions about how infrared technology works and the many ways it can benefit users. If you’re interested in discussing more with our team, fill out the form below to get in touch.

GET IN TOUCH

faq

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about infrared apparel and textiles.

HOW DOES INFRARED CLOTHING WORK?

Infrared clothing absorbs the body’s heat, transforms it into beneficial infrared energy, and reflects it back into the body’s skin and tissues.

WHAT CAN INFRARED DO TO THE BODY?

Infrared energy helps the body in many ways, including increasing cellular oxygenation, improving local circulation, and increasing tissue oxygenation. Improving these essential functions supports optimal athletic performance, faster recovery from muscle soreness and fatigue, and more restful sleep.

DOES INFRARED CLOTHING HAVE SIDE EFFECTS?

No, infrared clothing is considered safe and has no known side effects.

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