One species, one product, measured twice.
The laboratory measured surviving bacteria on three samples after 24 hours of contact: an untreated fabric control, a treated white towel as supplied, and a treated white towel that had already been through twenty wash cycles. The control is what makes the other two readable — the population on it did not fall.
| Sample | Species | 0 hrs | 24 hrs | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric — untreated control | S. aureus | 2.4 × 10⁴ | 2.9 × 10⁴ | none — population rose |
| White towel — initial | S. aureus | 2.4 × 10⁴ | < 6.25 | ≥ 99.97% (≥ 3.58 log₁₀) |
| White towel — after 20 washes | S. aureus | 2.4 × 10⁴ | < 6.25 | ≥ 99.97% (≥ 3.58 log₁₀) |
The test covers Staphylococcus aureus only. It does not measure performance against other bacteria, viruses or fungi, and it does not extend to textiles or products other than the towel samples submitted.
The certificate of analysis.
This is the report itself, shown whole and at its own proportions. Open it to read the results table, the reference number and the laboratory’s own conditions and notes at full size.
- Laboratory
- Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd (IMSL)
Hartley Wintney, United Kingdom - Certificate reference
- REF 1045250.16/16827
- Samples tested
- White towel samples supplied for testing — as supplied, and after 20 wash cycles; plus an untreated fabric control
- Method
- Test based on IBRG Tier 1 Textile Method
- Test conditions
- 24 hours at 35°C, relative humidity above 95%
- Date analysed / reported
- 11/01/2023 / 13/01/2023
- Stated validity
- “Valid for up to 2 years from date of test” — that window ended in January 2025
IMSL issued a test report on the samples submitted. That is a laboratory result, not a product certification: INATURAL is not certified by IMSL, and no certification is claimed from it.
Request the full test documentationFrom sample to result.
The same six steps sit behind every figure on this page. Where a step is limited, the limit is stated rather than left to the reader.
- 01
Product and sample
INATURAL white towel samples, submitted to the laboratory by the company. The result speaks for those samples, not for a product range.
- 02
Treatment applied
An antibacterial finish applied by INATURAL to the towels during production — according to INATURAL, a silver-based treatment supplied by Polygiene. The laboratory report itself does not name the finish.
- 03
Laboratory method
Test based on IBRG Tier 1 Textile Method, run by Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd (IMSL). An untreated fabric control was carried alongside the treated samples.
- 04
Initial result
On the towel as supplied, surviving S. aureus fell from 2.4 × 10⁴ to below 6.25 CFU cm⁻² over 24 hours — a reduction of ≥ 99.97%.
- 05
After laundering
A second towel was put through 20 wash cycles and tested again. It returned the same ≥ 99.97% reduction — evidence of durability to 20 cycles, and to no more than that.
- 06
Scope and limits
One species, one textile, one laboratory, one date. Performance in service depends on the textile, the process and the conditions of use, and the report does not by itself show that current production uses the same finish.
Testing References & Technology Credentials
Two different things sit side by side below, and the distinction matters: the test methods the technologies are evaluated against, and the credentials Polygiene holds as the technology provider. Neither is a certification held by INATURAL.
- ISO 20743 — antibacterial textile test method reference. A published test method, not a certification held by INATURAL.
- Polygiene technology-provider credential — held by Polygiene, the supplier of the technologies INATURAL applies. Not an INATURAL certification.
- ISO 17299 — odour-control (deodorant property) textile test method reference. A published test method, not a certification held by INATURAL.
- bluesign® APPROVED — a product approval held by Polygiene for its own products. Held by Polygiene, not by INATURAL.
- AATCC 100 — antibacterial textile finish test method reference. A published test method, not a certification held by INATURAL.
- bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNER — a system partnership held by Polygiene. A partnership, not a product certification, and not held by INATURAL.
- AATCC 195 — liquid moisture-management test method, carried here as a testing reference for the applicable Polygiene technology. A published test method, which nobody holds and INATURAL does not hold.
- OEKO-TEX® — a textile credential held by Polygiene for its own products, within the scope Polygiene documents. Held by Polygiene, not by INATURAL, and no INATURAL scope is implied by it.
- IBRG Tier 1 — method used for the 2023 INATURAL towel-sample test reported by IMSL. A laboratory method, not a certification.
- EPA — United States Environmental Protection Agency registration reference, belonging to the applicable Polygiene product or technology and held by Polygiene within its own documented scope. It is not an EPA approval or endorsement of INATURAL, and INATURAL holds no EPA registration.
- REACH — the European Union chemicals regulation referenced by the Polygiene technologies. A regulatory framework: no certificate exists to hold, and INATURAL holds none.
- FDA — United States Food and Drug Administration regulatory reference, associated with the applicable Polygiene technology or product. A regulatory reference only: no FDA approval, clearance or registration is claimed, by Polygiene or by INATURAL.
- Scandinavian Outdoor — an industry award and recognition associated with Polygiene, the provider of the technologies INATURAL applies. Held by Polygiene, not by INATURAL. The recipient, year and product are not stated here, because the supporting documentation is not on file.
- Independent test method — Published test methods the technologies are evaluated against. Nobody holds them as a certification, and INATURAL does not.
- Polygiene credential — Held by Polygiene, the provider of the technologies INATURAL applies — for Polygiene’s own technologies and products, not for INATURAL’s.
- Regulatory reference — A registration or reference held by Polygiene with a regulator, within Polygiene’s own documented scope. It is not an approval, a clearance or an endorsement of INATURAL, and INATURAL holds none of them.
- Regulatory framework — Regulations the technologies are referenced against. No certificate exists to hold, and none is claimed.
- Industry recognition — An industry award or recognition associated with Polygiene. INATURAL is not the recipient, and no recipient, year or product is stated here that this project cannot document.
INATURAL applies technologies provided by Polygiene and delivers the local application and implementation service for them. The testing methods, certifications, regulatory references and industry recognitions shown here belong to specific Polygiene technologies or products; INATURAL does not claim independent ownership of these credentials.
How to read these references
INATURAL is the technology integrator and application partner: it studies the textile, selects a treatment and verifies the application inside production. Polygiene is the technology supplier. Test methods, results and third-party certifications shown here relate only to the organisation, technology, treated substrate or product scope named in the supporting document. They must not be interpreted as a blanket certification of INATURAL or of every finished product.
Final claims for a customer programme depend on the selected technology, textile construction, application process, dosage, production conditions and any required validation of the finished article.
The report in one panel.
Everything a technical or compliance team needs to place this result on file: what was tested, on what, by whom, under which reference, and over how many wash cycles.
- Result
- ≥ 99.97%reduction (≥ 3.58 log₁₀) at 24 hours
- Organism tested
- Staphylococcus aureusthe bacterium evaluated in the report
- Sample tested
- White towel samples supplied for testingtreated towel samples, as supplied and after laundering
- Laboratory
- Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd (IMSL)Hartley Wintney, United Kingdom
- Report reference
- REF 1045250.16/16827as issued by the laboratory
- Test method
- Test based on IBRG Tier 1 Textile Methodas stated on the report
- Report date
- 13 January 2023analysed 11/01/2023; the report states a two-year validity window, which ran to January 2025
- Wash-cycle scope
- 20 wash cyclesthe same result was returned after laundering
Results depend on the textile, the application method and the conditions of use, and apply to the samples and wash-cycle scope described in the report. Full methodology, conditions and results are in the report itself.
Evidence boundaries
What this report covers, and what it does not. Stated here so a technical or compliance team can place the result on file without having to infer its edges.
- Scope tested
- One article, one organism. INATURAL white towel samples, against Staphylococcus aureus. The result does not transfer automatically to other textiles, constructions or applications, and it says nothing about other bacteria, or about viruses or fungi.
- Durability tested
- Twenty wash cycles. A second towel was laundered twenty times and returned the same reduction. Nothing in this report supports a claim beyond twenty cycles.
- Dated result
- The validity window has closed. The report states a validity of up to two years from the date of test; reported 13 January 2023, that window ended in January 2025. It is published here as a dated laboratory result, not as a current certification. Whether to retest is a commercial decision INATURAL has not yet taken.
- A report, and its method
- A test report, not a certification. IMSL issued a certificate of analysis on submitted samples — a laboratory result. INATURAL holds no product certification from IMSL and claims none. The test was run to IBRG Tier 1, not to any of the testing standards named elsewhere on this site.
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