What is Polygiene? Antibacterial Technology Explained.
How it creates antibacterial and fresh & stylish sportswear.
Have you seen Polygiene on a label and wondered what it actually means?
It's not a marketing term. It's a specific technology with a verifiable mechanism – and it's the reason brands like The North Face and Arc'teryx have chosen to integrate Polygiene StayFresh into their garments.
Here's what you need to know.
What is Polygiene?
Polygiene is a Malmö-based company founded with a simple goal: to make textiles more sustainable by reducing how often they need to be washed and extending how long they last.
Their technologies are now used by hundreds of brands globally across sport, fashion, workwear and home. StayFresh is their most established technology and the one specifically developed to combat sweat odor in sportswear.
How does Polygiene StayFresh work?
The odor from workout clothes doesn't come from sweat itself. It comes from bacteria breaking down the fatty acids and proteins in sweat into short-chain acids.
That's the chemical process that produces the smell.
StayFresh acts directly against that process.
The technology is based on silver chloride, a salt that occurs naturally in water and soil. The silver ions provide a powerful antibacterial effect, making it impossible for odor-causing bacteria to reproduce in the fabric. No reproduction, no growth. No growth, no odor.
That's the mechanism. Simple, precise and verifiable.
Why it lasts and doesn't wash out
What sets StayFresh apart from surface treatments is where in the material the technology resides.
StayFresh is integrated directly into the fabric's fibre structure during manufacturing, in what is known as the finishing stage. It requires no additional energy or water in the process. And because the treatment is built into the fibres rather than applied to the surface, it is unaffected by washing, friction or UV light.
It stays for the entire lifetime of the garment.
It's not a property that fades over time. It's a structural part of the material.
What the technology doesn't do
StayFresh works solely within the material. It does not interfere with the skin's natural bacterial flora and does not affect the body's own processes. The technology has undergone extensive safety testing and is completely safe in direct contact with the skin.
It does not eliminate sweat and it does not replace hygiene. That's not the purpose. The purpose is to break the bacterial cycle in the fabric that causes odor to return session after session, wash after wash.
Certifications and independent verification
StayFresh is certified by bluesign, which audits consumer safety and responsible manufacturing, Oeko-Tex Eco-Passport for responsible supply chains, and complies with REACH, the EU's chemical legislation. The technology is also registered with the US EPA.
These are not claims. They are independent verifications from organisations whose sole purpose is to audit.
Why it matters for your training
The practical result is concrete.
Garments with StayFresh allow you to remain fresh & stylish throughout your entire session and beyond. By staying fresh longer between washes, you also reduce wear on your sleek workout gear. This reduces wear on the material, lowers water consumption and extends the garment's lifespan. As one Dose Athletic customer put it: "I wash it every fifth workout - still fresh and odor-free."
That's not exceptional. That's what the technology is designed to deliver. At the gym, there's enough to focus on. Odor shouldn't be one of them.
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