COOLMAX®

Overview

A performance brand associated with moisture-management fiber and fabric technologies. Exact polymer and recycled-content variants should be checked.

Feel and behavior

Depends on the specified fiber grade, yarn and fabric construction.

Where you find it

See the linked underlying material and the producer’s product-specific documentation.

Source and geography

COOLMAX is a moisture-management brand whose core product is polyester (PET) fiber with a profiled, non-round cross-section. A 2013 sports-science study attributed the fiber to INVISTA of Wichita, Kansas; the brand's own website now presents it within The LYCRA Company's portfolio, and readers should confirm current ownership, since that company went through a Chapter 11 restructuring in 2026. The name covers fibers, yarns and fabric specifications used by mills under the program, including blended and recycled-content variants, rather than one single fiber.

Worth knowing

• The LYCRA Company and ITOCHU introduced COOLMAX EcoMade fiber made from 100% textile waste in 2021, using depolymerization to recover polyester from cutting-room scraps.
• COOLMAX's wicking depends on fiber shape: channeled, non-round cross-sections create capillaries that move liquid along the yarn.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

COOLMAX is a family of polyester moisture-management technologies licensed to fiber, yarn and fabric makers. The core COOLMAX technology uses polyester fibers with engineered, non-round cross-sections and fine filaments that move liquid sweat by capillary action. COOLMAX EcoMade versions, introduced by The LYCRA Company with ITOCHU in 2021 for the textile-waste route, are made from either 100% recycled PET bottles or 100% pre-consumer textile waste from cutting rooms, the latter processed by depolymerization and refining into polyester with properties the company says match virgin fiber. Different fabric programs are certified for specific constructions, so COOLMAX denotes a tested fabric specification as much as a fiber.

Fabrics and products

COOLMAX fabrics are used in running and cycling shirts, sports bras and underwear, socks (often blended with nylon, wool or spandex), workwear, and bedding and mattress covers marketed for cooling. Constructions are typically single jersey, pique and mesh knits, and two-faced knits that pull moisture from the skin side to the outer face. It is often blended with cotton or wool to combine wicking with a softer hand.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Check the content label for polyester and any blend fibers, and look for a COOLMAX hangtag or sewn-in label, which licensed fabrics carry. Wicking can be compared using standardized tests such as AATCC TM197 (vertical wicking) and TM195 (liquid moisture management), so ask brands for results. At home, drip water on the inside face: good wicking fabric absorbs and spreads it within seconds. Hydrophilic finishes can wash out, so treat claims of permanence skeptically. Many unbranded 'wicking' polyesters work similarly; the brand indicates a licensed specification, not a unique physics.

Care in detail

Wash inside out at 30 to 40 C with liquid detergent; odor-control or sport detergents help because polyester holds body oils. Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets, which coat fibers and block wicking. Wash soon after use rather than leaving damp gear in a bag. Line dry or tumble on low; high heat can damage spandex blends and set creases. Iron rarely, on a low setting (about 110 C). For stubborn odor, a pre-soak in water with a little white vinegar or an enzyme detergent often helps. A microfiber-catching bag or filter reduces shedding.

Care at a glance

Follow the finished product’s care label. A trademark does not specify the care needs of every blend or construction.

Environmental and social footprint

COOLMAX is polyester, so its footprint follows PET production: fossil feedstocks for virgin fiber, or recycled bottles and textile waste for EcoMade versions, which the producer presents as keeping waste out of landfill. The textile-waste route uses chemical depolymerization, which can return polyester to near-virgin quality but requires energy; comparative figures are producer-reported. The main independent concern is microfiber shedding during laundering. A 2024 study in Environmental Pollution (Akyildiz and colleagues) found recycled polyester fabric released more microplastic fibers than virgin polyester under identical 40 C washes (about 1,193 versus 908 fibers counted). Durable, well-constructed knits and cooler, fuller washes reduce shedding over a garment's life.

Tradeoffs

Producer claims apply to defined products and comparisons. This atlas does not independently certify performance, sourcing or environmental claims.

A useful question to ask: Which exact grade, composition and current producer documentation apply to this product?

Science

Data sheet

Engineered organic polymer

Polymer chemistry and fiber-forming conditions determine the starting material.

Structure and chemistry

The polymer is ordinary PET: hydrophobic, thermoplastic and low in moisture uptake. What distinguishes the fiber is geometry. The 2013 study describes it as a 100% profiled cross-section polyester fiber, and textile researchers choose COOLMAX yarns specifically for enhanced wicking, the capillary flow of liquid along channels between and within the filaments. Research fabrics have paired it as a sheath around lyocell cores, with polypropylene in weft knits and with cotton in plated and 3D woven structures. Exact profiles vary by grade and are not independently documented here.

From source to yarn

In general practice for profiled fibers, PET chip, virgin or recycled, is melt spun through shaped spinneret holes, quenched, drawn and often textured while preserving the channels; grade-specific details are the producer's. Mills then knit or weave the yarn, frequently with elastane, cotton or other fibers, and may add hydrophilic finishes. Researchers have built COOLMAX yarn into two-sided knits, into 3D woven fabrics with a hydrophilic gradient, and into woven and stitched microfluidic channels for wearable sweat sensors, all relying on its capillary wicking. Fabric construction matters as much as fiber shape.

Performance in use

Polyester absorbs almost no water, so COOLMAX fabrics manage sweat by wicking it through and along the fabric for evaporation rather than holding it. In a sweating-manikin study of one-layer tight-fitting sportswear, a thin COOLMAX fabric maintained evaporative cooling efficiency well, while a thicker merino fabric performed worst, and fabric thickness strongly affected results. Wearers perceive fabrics with good liquid moisture management as less wet under heavy sweating. Stretching knitted cotton-COOLMAX fabrics opens pores and lowers ultraviolet protection. Like other polyester, it keeps its strength wet, dries quickly and melts under high heat.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only: like other polyester, the fiber melts, shrinks from the flame and leaves a hard bead. Cross-sectional microscopy can reveal non-round, channeled profiles, which support but do not prove the brand, since many unbranded wicking polyesters use similar shapes. FTIR identifies PET. No laboratory test confirms the COOLMAX name; brand identity depends on hangtags and program documentation.

History

Timeline

1. 2013A sports-science study used COOLMAX as a profiled cross-section polyester benchmark and attributed it to INVISTA of Wichita, Kansas. [1]
2. 2021The LYCRA Company and ITOCHU introduced COOLMAX EcoMade fiber made from 100% textile waste, recovered by depolymerization. [2]
3. 2026The LYCRA Company, which presents the COOLMAX brand, emerged from Chapter 11 on 20 May. [3]

COOLMAX helped make engineered moisture management a familiar apparel claim. The actual effect depends on fiber geometry, yarn, fabric and garment design.

The deeper record

COOLMAX came out of the US synthetic-fiber industry as producers learned to engineer fiber cross-sections for comfort, and it has become a common reference in sweat and comfort research. Since 2013 studies have used it as a benchmark wicking polyester in manikin, skin-wetness and ultraviolet-protection tests, and since 2020 as the wicking element in woven and stitched textile microfluidic devices for sweat sensing. It was attributed to INVISTA in 2013 and is now presented by The LYCRA Company, which emerged from Chapter 11 in May 2026. Launch dates and inventors could not be verified for this entry.

Labeling and law

COOLMAX is a trademark, not a generic fiber name. US labels must name polyester, plus any spandex or other fibers, under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and 16 CFR 303.7, and EU labels use polyester under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Recycled-content variants need substantiated recycled claims, commonly supported by chain-of-custody certification such as the Global Recycled Standard, and cooling or wicking statements are performance claims tied to particular test methods and fabrics.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

What is COOLMAX made of?

Polyester with specially shaped fiber cross-sections and fine filaments that move sweat by capillary action. EcoMade versions use 100% recycled polyester from bottles or pre-consumer textile waste, according to The LYCRA Company.

Is COOLMAX better than merino for running?

They work differently. COOLMAX polyester wicks and dries quickly and is durable, while merino absorbs vapor and resists odor better. For hot, high-sweat activity many prefer wicking polyester; for multi-day wear without washing, merino often wins.

Why does my COOLMAX shirt still smell after washing?

Polyester binds body oils and odor-causing bacteria. Wash soon after use, turn inside out, skip fabric softener, and use a sport or enzyme detergent. An occasional soak with a little white vinegar can help.

Sources

• COOLMAX: Official product information
• Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports: Real evaporative cooling efficiency of one-layer tight-fitting sportswear in a hot environment (2013)
• Macromolecular Bioscience: Weaving off-the-shelf yarns into textile micro total analysis systems (2020)
• International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics: The effect of dynamic friction with wet fabrics on skin wetness perception (2018)
• Sourcing Journal (WWD): The Lycra Company Emerges from Chapter 11 with $1.2 Billion Debt Reduction
• Business Wire: The LYCRA Company and ITOCHU introduce COOLMAX and THERMOLITE EcoMade fibers made from 100% textile waste (2021)
• COOLMAX: COOLMAX EcoMade fiber
• The LYCRA Company: COOLMAX EcoMade fiber made from 100% textile waste
• Environmental Pollution: Release of microplastic fibers from synthetic textiles during household washing (Akyildiz et al., 2024)

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). COOLMAX®. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/coolmax/