Microfi ber cooling towels. Cooling towels are made from one of two types of synthetic materials. The fi rst is a plastic-y material (PVA, or polyvinyl acetate) not unlike a chamois cloth you’d used to clean your car or to soak up spills, a la that early 2000s infomercial. When it’s wet or damp, it’s spongy and malleable. When it’s bone-dry, it’s stiff and cardboard-like. The second is a microfi ber mesh that feels soft, light, and fabric-like whether wet or dry.

Both materials employ the concept of “evaporative cooling,” which is a fancy way to describe the chilling sensation felt when water evaporates into the air or precisely what the process of sweating does for our skin. Moisture from the surfaces of these towels supposedly evaporates at a faster rate, which heightens the cooling feeling on skin. Size: 30 x 100 cm