Why do face towels have a smell? It has a lot to do with the material

Disposable face towels are one of the products that can be used in the process of washing your face and are becoming more and more popular in daily life. However, some people have reported that the face towel has a smell after being soaked in water. What’s going on? Why do face towels smell? Is this normal?

Why do face towels smell?

It has something to do with the material. The newly purchased disposable pure cotton face towel is made of natural material and has no odor after being wetted with water. If you smell it carefully, there will be a faint smell of natural cotton. Face towels made of viscose fiber will have a smell when wet. Depending on the production process, it may have a burnt smell. If it is not a disposable face towel and there is an odor after use, it is because it is not cleaned properly, breeding a large number of bacteria and fungi, causing the strange smell.

Is it normal for disposable face towels to have a smell when wet?

Whether a disposable face towel will have a smell when it comes into contact with water has a lot to do with its material. There are two main types of face towel materials on the market, one is natural cotton and the other is viscose fiber. The pure cotton face towel is made of natural materials and has no odor after being wetted with water. If you smell it carefully, there will be a faint smell of natural cotton. The face towel made of viscose fiber will have a smell when wet, which is determined by its production process.

Viscose fiber is made by extracting pure α-cellulose (called pulp) from cellulose raw materials, treating it with alkali and carbon disulfide to obtain orange-yellow cellulose sodium xanthate, which is then dissolved in a dilute sodium hydroxide solution to become a viscous spinning solution, called viscose. After filtering, aging (standing at a certain temperature for about 18 to 30 hours to reduce the esterification degree of cellulose xanthate), and degassing, the viscose is wet-spun, and the coagulation bath consists of sulfuric acid, sodium sulfate and zinc sulfate. The sodium xanthate of cellulose in the viscose reacts with the sulfuric acid in the coagulation bath to decompose, and the cellulose is regenerated and precipitated. The obtained cellulose fiber becomes viscose fiber after washing, desulfurization, bleaching and drying.

From the production process of viscose fiber, we can find that one of its production steps is to add carbon disulfide, etc. It contains sulfide and needs to be processed before it can be used. If it is not processed properly, sulfide will be left behind, and sulfide has a smell. If the disposable face towels you buy have a burnt smell when they come in contact with water, you can tell: 1. They are not made of pure cotton. 2. There are sulfide residues.

Face towels made of viscose fiber can be used occasionally by people with non-sensitive skin. After all, the price is relatively affordable. However, if used for a long time, it will definitely cause certain harm to the skin. If conditions permit, it is recommended to choose a pure cotton face towel.