Insulating clothing primarily falls into two categories: 'heat-generating' and 'temperature-locking,' both grounded in scientific principles that enhance warmth.

When purchasing insulating clothes, consumers should consider price, material quality, and data indicators comprehensively. They need to balance factors such as warming rate (升温率), insulation efficiency (保温率), breathability (透气性) etc., checking for relevant inspection reports or certifications to ensure the authenticity of these figures. With another round of temperature drop approaching, markets are seeing an influx of new insulating clothes featuring novel materials and technologies.

Are they truly effective in keeping warm? How should consumers choose?

Currently, there are two main types: 'heat-generating' clothing uses far-infrared radiation, graphene, or self-heating technology to emit heat towards the body; "temperature-locking" clothes use brushed fabric and aerogel to reduce bodily heat loss. Industry insiders confirm both have scientific bases for their warmth.

For instance, in terms of 'heat-generating' clothing represented by far-infrared products, under similar material conditions, insulation effect is proportional to thickness; however, special functions such as far infrared or moisture-absorption heating can achieve comparable warming effects with lighter fabrics compared to heavier ones. Rao Jie from the Association of Textile and Apparel Industry in Shantou pointed out that far-infrared technology has scientific validity: many materials emit far-infrared rays naturally, including human bodies themselves; when clothes use effective absorbers or emitters like certain ceramic powders, they can absorb body-emitted infrareds then reflect back to the wearer, reducing heat loss and promoting blood circulation.

However, he also noted that warmth isn't created out of thin air. Knitwear alone doesn’t generate its own heat but rather refers to moisture-absorption heating where fibers convert water molecules' kinetic energy into thermal energy when absorbing sweat; far-infrared or graphene technologies reflect body-generated heat for insulation purposes instead.

Despite these scientific bases, purchasing such advertised clothes does not guarantee ideal warmth effects due to low winter sweating rates affecting the 'sweat-moisture-heat' process and high material costs leading potential discrepancies between claimed quality/quantity vs actual. In contrast, "temperature-locking" clothing offers more stable insulation through air layers formed by special fabric structures or treatments that prevent heat conduction.

Rao Jie suggested consumers consider price, material quality, data indicators comprehensively when buying insulating clothes: cotton-nylon blends or polyester for indoor activities/price-sensitive users; silk or cashmere for high-quality warmth seekers; polyesters like Devorlex for outdoor use/frequent washing. Additionally, they should check the balance of warming rate (升温率), insulation efficiency (保温率) and breathability (透气性), verifying related inspection reports/certifications to ensure data authenticity.