The wellness conversation continues to evolve. Consumers who scrutinize food labels and skincare ingredient lists are now doing the same to their activewear. Sourcing matters. So does fiber content. Hard-to-pronounce or unnatural ingredients are suspect. Turns out, “What am I putting against my skin?” is just as important a question as, “What am I putting in my body?”
Consumer preference is shifting toward safe, natural materials; sourcing strategies need to reflect this new reality. Cotton is the fiber they already know. That familiarity is an asset, especially as it addresses growing demand. According to Cotton Incorporated’s recent activewear study, 75 percent of consumers prefer cotton or cotton blends for a light workout; 66 percent prefer them even for a tough one.* This isn’t a niche cohort: activewear has become an all-day uniform, with 70 percent wearing it around the house, 64 percent running errands, and 58 percent doing house or yard work.*
The purchase drivers’ consumers name — comfort, breathability, fit, functionality — are where cotton wins. When it comes to performance features, 67 percent are actively shopping for easy care, 66 percent want chafe resistance, and 64 percent look for moisture management.* Eight out of 10 consumers are even willing to pay more for these desired benefits.* This isn’t a retreat from leggings; it’s a growing need for performance without the synthetic trade-offs.
As consumers look for more natural fabrics, their goals remain the same: breathability that’s actually breathable, and compression that doesn’t constrict. Cotton Flex fabrics deliver with a construction engineered for gently compressive performance that can stand up to a busy day or a tough gym session. These performance knits offer moisture-wicking and odor buildup resistance**, multi-way stretch, and softness that holds up wash after wash. Where synthetics can feel suffocating mid-workout, cotton moves with the body. For a consumer increasingly aware of what’s touching their skin for hours at a time, that distinction matters more than ever before.
Many major brands have spent years doubling down on synthetic blends, leaving cotton’s performance story largely untold. That’s the whitespace, and it’s wide open. With moisture-wicking, hypoallergenic properties, cotton provides a fresh, irritation-free experience. Brands that build cotton performance stories into their product development now will be positioned to take advantage of a demand curve already in motion.
This is cotton’s moment. Get in on the action with sourcing lists, free digital fabric downloads and additional resources at CottonWorks.com today.
© 2026 Cotton Incorporated. Service Mark / Trademark of Cotton Incorporated. America’s Cotton Producers and Importers.
* Cotton Incorporated’s 2025 Global Activewear Study. U.S. data, n=1,019
** McQueen, R. H., Harynuk, J.J., Wismer, W.V., Keelan, M., Xu, Y., de la Mata, A.P. (2014), “Axillary odour build-up in knit fabrics
following multiple use cycles”, International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 274-290.
Images courtesy Cotton Incorportated
