Acrylic is a petroleum-based synthetic fiber widely used to make fabrics for fashion, similar to polyester and nylon. Many people don't know much about acrylic, what it's made of, its properties, and its impact.

Acrylic fiber is often used to create clothing made of acrylic fabric. Acrylic fabric is used to create cheaper clothes as it saves a lot of money on raw materials.

The main advantage of synthetic acrylic fiber compared to natural fibers is its very low cost.

But synthetic fabrics made of acrylic fiber aren't environmentally friendly or healthy. Their manufacturing has both health and environmental impacts.

Read on to find out what companies are hiding from you about synthetic acrylic fiber fabrics.

Warm sweaters or light dresses, our favorite athletic leggings or shaping underwear — so many things around us are made from synthetic materials. Even though they look good and comfortable, they can be dangerous for your skin and your general health. From bad odors to skin, rashes, nausea, or something even worse. Chemicals in synthetic fabrics aren’t the best companions for our skin.

Polyester is one of the most popular and most used synthetic fabrics. Even though it can be produced with a blend of natural components, like cotton, to prevent wrinkles and tears, its effect on our health can still be harmful. While wearing polyester, it becomes hard for your skin to breathe. Moreover, rising body temperatures help to release chemicals from this fabric that are later absorbed by your skin.

This can cause a variety of problems and irritations like rashes, itching, redness, eczema, and dermatitis. So, it’s better to avoid polyester in your clothes and also in your linens.

Acrylic fabrics are made of acrylonitrile, which is a carcinogen and a mutagen. Exposure to this substance can cause different problems with your health. Among them are headache, nausea, dizziness, difficulty breathing, limb weakness, and many more. By wearing acrylic fabrics, you run the risk of absorbing some of the acrylonitrile into your skin.




Also, the manufacturing of acrylic is a huge cause of environment pollution.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

What are the alternatives to acrylic?
We don't recommend acrylic, but don't worry, we've still got solutions in mind for you. Choose natural materials such as organic cotton, wool, linen... Or even Tencel (THE eco-responsible synthetic material par excellence). However, it is possible to find acrylic in eco-responsible clothes, it is generally recycled (which is already a little better).

Cardigano is committed to offering eco-responsible clothing whose material is in harmony with man and the planet.