With the popularity of home exercise, more and more people seek to choose healthier and more environmentally friendly home exercise products. Cork yoga mats have become the workout gear of many fitness professionals.
Let’s take a look at the reasons why cork yoga mats are more popular than regular yoga mats:
1. What is cork?
Cork (phellem/cork), commonly known as cork, is a kind of skin product of Mediterranean oak, and the surface protection tissue after the stem and root thicken and grow. Cork is a renewable material. After stripping the cork bark, it will not cause the death of the cork tree. It will grow new bark and continue to be used by humans. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, it was used to make fishing net floats, insoles, bottle stoppers, etc.
Cork consists of many flattened cells arranged radially. The cell cavity often contains resin and tannin compounds, and the cells are filled with air. Therefore, cork is often colored, light and soft, elastic, impermeable, not susceptible to chemicals, and is a poor conductor of electricity, heat and sound. It consists of dead cells in a 14-sided shape, arranged radially with each other in a hexagonal prism. Typical cell diameter is 30 microns and cell thickness is 1-2 microns. There are ducts between the cells. The space between two adjacent cells is composed of 5 layers, two of which are fibrous, followed by two suberized layers, and a woody layer in the middle, with more than 50 million cells per cubic centimeter .
This structure makes cork have very good elasticity, sealing, heat insulation, sound insulation, electrical insulation and friction resistance, plus the advantages of non-toxic, tasteless, small specific gravity, soft hand feeling, and not easy to catch fire. No man-made product can match it. In terms of chemical properties, the ester mixture formed by several hydroxy fatty acids and phenolic acids is a characteristic component of cork, collectively referred to as suberin. This kind of material is resistant to decay and chemical corrosion, so it has no chemical effect on water, oil, gasoline, organic acids, salts, esters, etc. except for the corrosion of concentrated nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid, chlorine, and iodine. It has a wide range of uses, such as bottle stoppers, insulation layers for refrigeration equipment, life buoys, sound insulation panels, etc.
2. What is a cork yoga mat?
The cork yoga mat is a new type of environmentally friendly high-end material yoga mat with cork material as the front and other materials such as rubber and TPE as the bottom. At present, cork is mainly compounded with rubber and TPE to produce cork rubber yoga mats and cork TPE yoga mats.
Choosing rubber and TPE as the bottom surface material mainly considers the anti-skid property, elasticity, durability, environmental protection, and portability (weight) of the material. Rubber has good anti-slip properties, elasticity, durability, and environmental protection, and is a very high-quality yoga mat material. TPE also has good skid resistance, elasticity, environmental protection and portability (light weight, portable)
3. Why are cork yoga mats so popular?
(1) Natural, environmentally friendly and sustainable
The cork material comes from the cork tree, which is a natural high-quality material. Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree, which can grow back after being stripped. Cork is a 100% biodegradable, recyclable and renewable natural raw material. Cork is non-toxic, natural, healthy, environmentally friendly and sustainable, which is good for our environment and our own sports.
(2) Antibacterial and easy to clean
The ester mixture formed by hydroxy fatty acid and phenolic acid in cork has a good inhibitory effect on bacteria and sweat odor, so as to better protect the yoga mat. Cork is impermeable and corrosion-resistant, which means we don’t have to worry about sweat dripping on the yoga mat, and we can use clean water, damp cloth, and neutral detergent to clean it.
(3) Non-toxic and skin-friendly
The most common cork product in our life is the cork cork of red wine, because cork is 100% natural, organic and non-toxic, and can be in direct contact with food. A yoga mat made of cork has an exceptionally smooth surface that feels like it is touching the ground, providing a clean and natural surface for your skin. Yoga mats with the characteristics of cork are the first choice for children’s yoga mats, because they are more conducive to the health of children.
(4)Excellent non-slip surface
Cork yoga mats are especially suitable for people who sweat easily, because the natural waxy substance in cork, also known as suberin, combined with the open-cell structure, has excellent adhesion, and the wetter the surface, the stronger its adhesion. Sweat activates the grip, and the open-cell construction removes excess sweat, preventing sweat from collecting on the mat, which can cause slippage. Therefore, you no longer need a towel to wipe down your yoga mat. Friends who do not sweat hands and feet, it is recommended to spray a little water on the place to lean on before exercising, which can also increase the adhesion of hands and feet.
(5) High-end, beautiful, elegant and versatile
The cork yoga mat naturally presents the original color of the wood itself, with a distinctive wooden and visual sense. Whether it is placed at home, in a yoga studio or in nature, the cork yoga mat can naturally blend into the surrounding environment. The environment in which it is located adds an elegant and high-end atmosphere, which can bring a natural sense of tranquility to the yoga movement.
4. How to find your favorite cork yoga mat – customization
At present, the styles of cork yoga mats on the market are relatively single.
(1) Shape: There are mainly two types: square and round. If you have the shape you want, you can customize the shape.
(2) Size: The regular size of the cork yoga mat is 173*61cm/183*61cm/183*68cm, if you want a larger or smaller size, you can choose to customize.
(3) Thickness: At present, the over-thickness of cork yoga mats is 1.5-10mm. You can choose to customize ultra-thin or ultra-thick cork yoga mats to meet your exercise needs.
(4) Pattern: The cork yoga mat only has its own cork color. If you think the color is monotonous, you can print your desired pattern or LOGO on it.
We have a strong design and production team that can meet your various customization needs and provide you with high-quality cork yoga mats that satisfy you and make you like it.
Click on the image below for more customization information:
