Hohenstein Institute Make Consumers Aware When They Are Buying Products of Certain Quality

Product labels make consumers aware when they are buying products of certain quality features that they would be unable to assess without additional information. This is also the intention of the quality label from the independent Hohenstein Institute (Bönnigheim). The label "Tested quality: skin-friendly" confirms that the textile will not cause any cellular damage or irritation to skin cells.

The endorsement of "Tested quality: non-allergenic" also gives consumers the security of knowing that the tested textiles are not going to release any substances that may trigger allergies.

The companies that have their products tested by the Hohenstein Institute include Rabe Moden GmbH in Hilter. This manufacturer of high-quality ladies' outerwear and knitwear has made a deliberate decision to have large parts of the range checked by the experts at the Hohenstein Institute. In 2013, Rabe Moden won the Textilwirt schaft magazine's award for "Top brand - ladies' outerwear and knitwear" for its overall image and for important individual categories such as product, goods and partnering performance.

For Jörg Weber, Managing Director, this is further confirmation that the company's high quality standards are appreciated by both end users and retailers, “Nowadays, consumers look very carefully at what they are buying and they are beginning to attach more importance again to high-quality clothing. The quality label has a great deal of credibility because it is issued by a recognised independent test institute. By using it, we are sending out a clear signal that sets us apart from our competitors."

The effect-based testing systems on which the awarding of these labels is based are the perfect supplement to traditional testing for harmful substances such as for compliance with the OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

Whereas that is specifically looking for substances that are known to be dangerous or harmful to health, the skin compatibility tests take an effect-based approach. That is to say, they check whether any individual substances or combinations of substances that could be released from the textile material could cause negative skin reactions.

The combination of the two kinds of test offers maximum security, which especially benefits allergy-sufferers and people with sensitive skin.

The tests for skin-friendliness are based on test procedures that are also used to test the safety of medical products for use by humans. Living cells are used for this, to ensure that the results are as realistic as possible. The laboratories are fully accredited by the internationally renowned research and test centre at DakkS (German Accreditation Centre).

In the case of Rabe Moden, the products are also endorsed as "non-allergenic" in addition to being "skin-friendly". The test on which this label is based uses immune cells to assess the potential to cause allergies of substances which could be released from the sample material