Global Cooling Fabrics Market Grows Steadily at a CAGR of 7.75%

Introduction

The global cooling fabrics market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the rising interest in sports and fitness, which has surged the demand for high-performance apparel that helps regulate body temperature for enhanced comfort. Growing disposable incomes and evolving lifestyle choices are also pushing consumers toward premium textiles with advanced cooling capabilities.

Innovative technologies—such as phase change materials (PCMs) and smart textiles—are further enhancing the functionality of these fabrics by actively managing heat and moisture. In addition, government initiatives supporting research and development in textile manufacturing are fostering rapid innovation and greater adoption of cooling fabrics. These developments are extending their use beyond athletic wear to areas like healthcare, defense, and industrial applications. Collectively, these trends are strengthening the market landscape as consumers increasingly value comfort, functionality, and performance across a variety of environments.

Market Dynamics

Rising awareness of health and comfort in extreme climatic conditions drives the global market

One of the key factors propelling the growth of the global cooling fabrics market is the growing emphasis on health and personal comfort, especially in the face of increasingly severe weather conditions. With global temperatures steadily rising, there is a heightened demand for clothing that helps regulate body temperature and mitigate heat-related issues such as heat exhaustion and dehydration. This trend is particularly evident among athletes, outdoor laborers, and residents of hot and dry regions.

• NASA reported that 2024 marked the hottest year ever recorded, with global surface temperatures around 1.47°C higher than the mid-19th-century average. Between May 2024 and May 2025, nearly 4 billion people—about half the world's population—faced at least one additional month of extreme heat linked to human-driven climate change.

This growing exposure to heat stress is significantly boosting the demand for advanced cooling textiles across both advanced and developing economies.

Collaboration opportunities with fashion, healthcare, and wearable tech industries create tremendous opportunities

One of the vital growth opportunities in the global cooling fabrics market lies in increasing collaborations with the fashion, healthcare, and wearable technology industries. These cross-sector partnerships are fostering innovation and broadening the range of applications for cooling textiles.

• For example, during Paris Fashion Week 2024, the Tokyo-based fashion label Anrealage teamed up with Japanese workwear company Kuchofuku to debut high-fashion garments equipped with built-in electric fans—bringing air-conditioned clothing from industrial use into the fashion spotlight. This concept, once common among laborers in Japan, is now being embraced by well-known brands such as Junya Watanabe, Y-3, and Nike x Off-White, who are experimenting with similar innovations.

In the healthcare sector, cooling fabrics are being adapted for use in hospital gowns, bedding, and staff uniforms to help maintain optimal body temperature and enhance patient comfort. Meanwhile, wearable technology firms are embedding temperature-responsive textiles with biometric sensors, paving the way for smart clothing that adjusts to the wearer's needs in real time.

Regional Analysis

In North America, the cooling fabrics market is gaining momentum through innovative collaborations across fashion, healthcare, and wearable tech sectors. U.S.-based company Coolcore partners with athletic brands like Mission to develop chemical-free cooling apparel using moisture-activated fabrics, which are popular among sports professionals and fitness enthusiasts. In healthcare, Texollini (California) supplies advanced cooling textiles for patient gowns and bedding, helping manage thermal comfort in hospitals.

Meanwhile, smart apparel startup Embr Labs has developed a wearable wrist device that delivers cooling sensations, bridging tech with personal comfort. Collaborations like Under Armour and Coldblack® technology also demonstrate strong market penetration through sun-reflective sportswear. As North American consumers seek comfort-driven, tech-integrated textiles, opportunities for cross-industry innovations continue to rise—especially in military and occupational safety applications where thermal regulation is critical. This regional demand is further driven by extreme weather variability and a growing wellness-conscious population.

Key Highlights

• The global cooling fabrics market size was valued at USD 1.85 billion in 2024 and is estimated to grow from USD 1.99 billion in 2025 to reach USD 3.62 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 7.75% during the forecast period (2025–2033).
• By product type, the global cooling fabrics market is segmented into synthetic and natural. The synthetic segment dominated the market.
• By application, the market is categorized into sports apparel, protective wear, lifestyle, and others. The sports apparel segment held the largest market share.
• By end user, the market is divided into men, women, and kids.
• By distribution channel, the market is segmented into offline retail, online retail, and direct sales.
• North America is the highest shareholder in the global market.

Competitive Players

1. Outlast Technologies
2. Textronics
3. Polartec (Milliken & Company)
4. Schoeller Textil AG
5. 5 Technology (The Lycra Company)
6. BASF SE
7. HeiQ Materials AG
8. Hexoskin
9. 3M Company
10. Coolcore

Recent Developments

• In March 2025- BEDGEAR® introduced BEDGEAR Home, a new brand aimed at extending the company's moisture-wicking and cooling fabric technologies from mattresses to home textiles. This expansion reflects the growing demand for cooling solutions in everyday living environments.

Segmentation

1. By Product Type
   1. Synthetic
   2. Natural
2. By Application
   1. Sports Apparel
   2. Protective Wear
   3. Lifestyle
   4. Others
3. By End User
   1. Men
   2. Women
   3. Kids
4. By Distribution Channel
   1. Offline Retail
   2. Online Retail
   3. Direct Sales
5. By Regions
   1. North America
   2. Europe
   3. Asia-Pacific
   4. Latin America
   5. The Middle East and Africa