The moisturizing effect of silk gloves stems from their unique protein fiber structure: each square centimeter of silk fiber contains 18,000 micro-pores, with pore diameters ranging from 0.01 to 0.03 micrometers, close to the diameter of skin water molecules (0.0004 micrometers), forming a selective penetration barrier. A 2023 study by the British Society of Dermatology showed that two hours after wearing real silk gloves, the water content in the stratum corneum of the subjects increased by 35%, while that of cotton gloves increased by only 15%. After continuous use for 28 days, the skin softness score (0-10) rose from the initial average of 4.2 to 7.8, surpassing the 5.6 points of cotton gloves. This difference stems from the 18% natural sericin retention rate of silk. Even in an environment with a humidity of 40%, it can still absorb 30% of its own weight in water. The water retention time through hydrogen bonding is 50% longer than that of cotton fibers.
The amino acid composition of silk protein (45% glycine +30% alanine) endows it with a weakly acidic environment with a pH value of 5.5 to 6.0, which is in line with the characteristics of a healthy skin barrier. Clinical trials by the ECARF Allergy Research Centre of the European Union demonstrated that among 50 patients with atopic dermatitis, real silk gloves controlled the transdermal water loss rate (TEWL) at 6.3g/m²/h, which was 30.7% lower than that of cotton at 9.1g/m²/h, while increasing the efficiency of lipid bilayer repair by 40%. A typical case was referred to the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland: After the patient wore silk gloves for 8 hours a day for 4 weeks, the standard deviation of epidermal water loss decreased from ±2.1 to ±0.9, while the fluctuation range of the cotton control group still reached ±1.8, confirming that the moisture regulation of silk fibers is more stable.
From the perspective of manufacturing process, medical-grade real silk gloves adopts a high-density weaving method of 220-300 microns (1 micron =4.3056g/m²), with pore size distribution concentrated at a peak of 0.02 microns, blocking external pollutants (PM2.5 blocking rate 99.2%). It also allows for a trace respiratory flux of 0.004ml/cm²/h for the skin. Data from the Japan Fiber Science Institute shows that this structure enables silk gloves to maintain a relative humidity of 45% to 55% within the golden range at a body temperature of 37℃, with a deviation of only ±3%, while cotton, due to the expansion of fibers when heated, causes a humidity fluctuation range of ±15%. In Procter & Gamble’s consumer tests in 2022, the penetration enhancement effect of using silk gloves in combination with hand cream increased the absorption rate of active ingredients from 22% when using the cream alone to 48%.
Cost-benefit analysis shows that the initial investment in silk gloves is approximately ¥300 to ¥800, but the average daily usage cost is only ¥0.82 (calculated based on a 2-year lifespan), which is lower than that of cotton gloves, which is ¥0.95 (with a 6-month replacement cycle). Market data shows that the repurchase rate of silk gloves reached 58% in 2023, and users reported an average annual medical expense savings of ¥420 due to reduced hand chapping. In terms of ecology, the water consumption for the production of GOTS-certified silk gloves is 18 cubic meters per kilogram, which is only 30% of that of cotton products at 60 cubic meters per kilogram, and the biodegradability rate reaches 97%. Charit Medical School in Berlin, Germany suggests that for people with a dryness index >4 (0-10 scale), incorporating real silk gloves into the night care routine can shorten the keratin repair cycle by 50%.