For dyed or printed tops, dresses and kaftans worn against the skin in hot weather, specify ISO 105-E04 in both its acid and its alkaline solution. Ask for two grades: colour change of the garment fabric (ISO 105-A02 grey scale) and staining of a multifibre adjacent fabric (ISO 105-A03 grey scale). Set the minimum grades yourself, and have the darkest shade tested.
This post is about sweat only. Washing bleed, rubbing and cross-staining are covered in why colour bleeds and why it holds.
What does sweat do to the colour of a dyed top or dress?
Sweat can loosen dye from a dyed top or dress, and that dye can then leave the fabric or move onto other fabric. A 2026 study from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering describes sweat as a “chemically active medium” and links long contact between dyed textiles and perspiration to dye migration, staining and loss of appearance (Nguyen, Phan Thi and Doan Ngoc, 2026).
The standard test does not use real sweat. ISO 105-E04 uses two artificial perspiration solutions. Both contain sodium chloride (salt) and the amino acid L-histidine. One is alkaline, brought to pH 8 (±0.2). The other is acid, brought to pH 5.5 (±0.2) (ISO 105-E04:2013, preview). The method uses both, and a result is reported for each.
The same 2026 study found that dye leaching in artificial sweat was strongly affected by how the sweat components (salt, L-histidine and lactic acid) interact with the bond between fibre and dye. In its tests, the 100% cotton fabric showed the largest colour change and the 100% polyester fabric showed the smallest (Nguyen et al., 2026). That result is for the fabrics and dyes in that study. It does not mean every cotton dyeing will fail or every polyester dyeing will pass.
Is underarm fading the same problem as colour staining a lining?
No. They are two different results, and ISO 105-E04 grades them separately.
- Colour change is what happens to the garment fabric itself. On a dyed top or kaftan, this is the shade change you see where sweat sits, such as under the arm.
- Staining is colour that leaves the garment fabric and lands on something next to it. On a dress, this is colour moving onto a white lining, a white undergarment or the skin side of a pale trim.
The ISO 105-E04 principle states that “the change in colour of each specimen and the staining of the adjacent fabrics are assessed” (ISO 105-E04:2013). A fabric can do well on one and poorly on the other, so a spec needs a grade for each.
What does ISO 105-E04 test on a dyed top or dress?
ISO 105-E04, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part E04: Colour fastness to perspiration, tests how well the colour of the fabric holds up to artificial sweat. Its scope is a method for determining the “resistance of the colour of textiles of all kinds and in all forms to the action of human perspiration.” The current edition is the sixth, dated 2013-03-15 (ISO 105-E04:2013).
In outline, the method works like this (ISO 105-E04:2013):
- A specimen of the fabric is placed in contact with an adjacent fabric. This is either a multifibre adjacent fabric to ISO 105-F10, or two single-fibre fabrics chosen from ISO 105-F01 to F06.
- Specimens are treated in the acid solution and in the alkaline solution, drained, and placed between plates under a set pressure of 12.5 kPa (±0.9).
- The test devices go into an oven held at 37 °C (±2).
- The specimen and the adjacent fabric are dried separately, then assessed with the grey scales or by instrument.
For a top or dress in a single fibre, the multifibre option shows staining on several fibre types in one test. That matters when the lining or a trim is a different fibre from the shell.
How is AATCC TM15 different from ISO 105-E04?
AATCC TM15, Test Method for Colorfastness to Perspiration, uses only an acid solution, while ISO 105-E04 uses both acid and alkaline. AATCC states that the method is used “to determine the fastness of colored textiles to the effects of acid perspiration” and that it applies to dyed, printed or otherwise coloured fibres, yarns and fabrics (AATCC). Testex lists the AATCC 15 solution at pH 4.3 (±0.2) (Testex).
| ISO 105-E04:2013 | AATCC TM15 | |
|---|---|---|
| Solutions | Acid (pH 5.5 ±0.2) and alkaline (pH 8 ±0.2), both with L-histidine and sodium chloride | Acid only (pH 4.3 ±0.2, per Testex) |
| Adjacent fabric | Multifibre to ISO 105-F10, or two single-fibre fabrics to ISO 105-F01 to F06 | Multifibre test fabric (six fibre types, per Arcwear) |
| What is graded | Colour change of the specimen; staining of the adjacent fabric | Colour change of the specimen; staining of each fibre on the multifibre |
| Grey scale | ISO 105-A02 (change in colour); ISO 105-A03 (staining) | AATCC Gray Scale for Color Change; AATCC Gray Scale for Staining |
Sources for the table: ISO 105-E04:2013, AATCC, Testex, Arcwear.
If a dyed top or dress could meet both acid and alkaline sweat, the ISO method covers both in one specification. If your market or your own standard asks for AATCC TM15, name it, and add ISO 105-E04 alkaline if you also want the alkaline result.
How are perspiration results graded on the grey scales?
Perspiration results for a top, dress or kaftan are graded by comparing the tested fabric with a grey scale. ISO 105-E04 refers to ISO 105-A02, Grey scale for assessing change in colour, for the garment fabric, and ISO 105-A03, Grey scale for assessing staining, for the adjacent fabric (ISO 105-E04:2013). It also lists instrumental methods, ISO 105-A04 for staining and ISO 105-A05 for colour change.
On the grey scale for colour change, grade 5 is the best result and grade 1 is the worst (SGS, 2010). An ISO 105-E04 report on one fabric can therefore carry four numbers: colour change and staining, each in acid and in alkaline solution. On a multifibre fabric, staining is read for each fibre strip.
Does a top worn in the sun need a sweat-and-light test as well?
It can. A separate method tests fabric wetted with artificial sweat and then exposed to light. ISO 105-B07 covers colour fastness to light of textiles wetted with artificial perspiration, and AATCC Test Method 125 is a similar, partially equivalent method (SGS, 2010).
SGS notes that testing light and perspiration together “may be more predictive of potential issues than when each test is done separately.” It also states that “Colour fading is generally affected by a photo-reduction reaction,” and that dyes chosen for these products should have “a certain degree of resistance to reduction” (SGS, 2010). For a kaftan or top worn outdoors in summer, consider adding ISO 105-B07 to the ISO 105-E04 requirement.
Which perspiration fastness grade should the spec require?
The minimum grade for a dyed top or dress is your decision. ISO 105-E04 is a test method: it says how to test and grade, and the scope text quoted above does not set a pass level. Write your own minimum for colour change and your own minimum for staining, for acid and for alkaline.
For reference, Arcwear’s page on AATCC 15 states its pass level as “at least a grade 3.0 for staining and a grade 4.0 for color change” (Arcwear). That is one lab’s stated pass level for AATCC 15, not a grade set by the ISO 105-E04 scope.
Choose the grades with the garment in mind. A dark dress with a white lining puts more weight on the staining grade. A bright top in one fibre, with no lining, puts more weight on the colour change grade.
What to put on the spec for tops, dresses and kaftans
- Test method: ISO 105-E04:2013, colour fastness to perspiration. If you also need AATCC TM15, name it separately.
- Both solutions: acid and alkaline, with a result reported for each.
- Two grades per solution: colour change (ISO 105-A02 grey scale) and staining (ISO 105-A03 grey scale).
- Your minimum grades: written as numbers for each of the four results.
- Adjacent fabric: multifibre to ISO 105-F10, so staining is read on each fibre. Say if you want the staining grade on one fibre, such as cotton for a cotton lining, treated as the deciding result.
- Shade: test the darkest shade in the colour range, plus any shade you name as a concern. Test printed styles on the print, not only on the ground colour.
- Sun and sweat: for styles worn outdoors, add ISO 105-B07 with your own minimum grade.
- Report: ask for the full test report showing each grade, the solution and the adjacent fabric used.
See our women’s tops and blouses and dresses.
KK Fashion Exports has made women’s garments for buyers worldwide since 2003, with garment MOQ from 200 pieces per style, per colour.
Developing a womenswear range? See how we work as a ladies garments manufacturer in India.
View the Dresses lookbook → a glimpse of our latest collection. Request the full range: more designs on request.
