Common Sense Of Consumption: How To Distinguish "Cotton" From "Cotton"

On November 14, Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission issued the Analysis Report on Comparative Test of Soft Towels. Soft towel is a dry wipe towel for cleaning human skin, which is made of textile fiber and processed by nonwoven process, and is also known as face wash towel. A total of 50 batches of soft tissues were sampled in this comparative test, and were purchased from 9 e-commerce platforms by staff of Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission as ordinary consumers. The fiber content of 9 batches of products does not meet the standard requirements. Seven of the 22 batches of soft towels marked with "cotton" do not contain any cotton fiber, which is suspected of exaggeration and false propaganda.

Zhao Xin, director of the supervision department of Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission, said that the comparative test was carried out by Nanjing Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute entrusted by Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission.

According to the test, the hazardous substance test (formaldehyde content, pH value, fluorescent whitening agent, etc.), softness, water absorption and other items of 50 batches of samples meet the standard requirements.

The fiber content of 9 out of 50 batches of products does not meet the standard requirements.

Among them, there are 7 batches of soft towel products marked as plant fiber, 100% plant fiber, high-quality plant fiber or plant fiber (spunlaced non-woven fabric), but according to the test results, the actual components of soft towel declared as "plant fiber" are mostly regenerated fiber represented by viscose fiber, which belongs to man-made fiber in chemical fiber, not natural plant fiber.

The other two batches of products are marked with "plant cotton" and "cotton plant fiber" respectively. Experts said that "plant cotton" may be a concept created by businesses, but it does not exist in the standardized terminology. Through testing, the components of the two batches of products are 100% regenerated cellulose fiber, 99.0% regenerated cellulose fiber and 1.0% cotton.

Fiber content is the specific expression of the composition and material of soft towel products. Incorrect labeling of fiber content is likely to cause consumers to misjudge product performance and use comfort. At present, textile fibers can be divided into natural fibers and chemical fibers according to fiber raw materials. Natural fibers refer to textile fibers directly obtained from plants and animals. Among them, cotton (seed fiber) and flax (phloem fiber) are commonly used as "plant fiber". Chemical fibers can be divided into man-made fibers and synthetic fibers. Commonly used man-made fibers include viscose fiber, Lyocell fiber and Modal fiber, which belong to "regenerated cellulose fiber".

The product names of soft towel include those marked with "cotton soft towel" and those marked with "cotton soft towel". What is the difference between the two? According to experts, cotton soft towel is made of 100% natural cotton fiber through high-pressure sterilization of non-woven fabrics such as spunlaced. It has the advantages of soft and delicate texture, strong water absorption, good toughness, not easy to deform, less chemical additives added in the production process, more natural and safe. Soft cotton towel is mainly composed of chemical fibers such as viscose fiber and polyester fiber. Among them, the soft towel made of viscose fiber has soft hand feel and good moisture absorption, and the strength of the viscose fiber material will decline in the wet state, but it will not have too much impact on the normal use of disposable soft towel. Soft towel made of polyester fiber has a slightly hard hand feel, poor moisture absorption but high strength. Therefore, cotton, viscose and other materials are generally added in production to increase comfort and moisture absorption. From the perspective of raw material prices, cotton is higher than viscose staple fiber and polyester fiber.

22 out of 50 batches of samples are marked with "cotton" soft towel on the package. After testing, 7 batches of them contain almost no cotton fiber, which is suspected of exaggeration and false propaganda.

● More reminders

Rational purchase of washcloth, attention to label identification

Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission suggested that the following three points should be paid attention to in soft towel consumption:

First, pay attention to label identification. Prefer the products marked with GB/T 40276-2021 on the package, and pay attention to distinguish between "cotton" soft towel and "cotton" soft towel. Attention should also be paid to the use of preservatives. For example, soft towels containing CIT, MIT and alcohol are not recommended for people with sensitive muscles and infants.

Second, rational consumption based on demand, buy as you use.

Third, purchase through formal channels.

(Source: Yangtze Evening News)