Studies on perfume behaviour on silk fabrics

Abstract

India is the second largest producer of silk and also the largest consumer of silk in the world. India is the only country producing all the five commercial silk varieties namely, mulberry, tropical tassar, muga, eri and oak tassar. Among all the silk varieties produced in India in the year 2015-16, mulberry silk accounts for 72% of the total production. Silk is called as the queen of textile fibres. It is because it gives most beautiful garments with its special properties like lustre, texture, scroop and drape. Silk is preferred by people for its elegant appearance and lustre. It needs special care and attention during washing and wearing. Silk is still luxurious and expensive product, because silk production process is a fully natural process, labour intensive and time-consuming. All the designer garments and sarees are featured with special prints, intricate embroidery work, patch work, stone and pearl work. Kanjeevaram sarees are characterized by gold dipped silver zari thread with 40 per cent silver and 0.5 per cent gold woven with premium quality silk. Hence, maintenance of these expensive silk garments to retain its aesthetic appearance is very critical as any small damage, stain and colour loss will lead to total rejection of the garment and make unfit for the intended purpose. Though Silk is one of the most favoured high quality textile materials, it wrinkles easily during home laundering or when wet because of its low wet resiliency. For the above reasons, silk fabrics need distinct care. From being non-essential and luxury, perfumes have become as essentials in everyday life, because of increasing trend of People s interest to enhance their appearance and personal care and to boost their confidence newline