One of the hottest topics in nanotechnology right now is the need for regulation. But in order to regulate nanotech products you have to begin by defining which products really contain anything nano.

The Magic Nano mess proved that can be more difficult than it sounds. Remember, magic Nano was the bathroom cleanser recalled after causing respiratory problems in users in Germany; analysis proved there was in fact no nanotechnology involved in the product.

And it's almost certainly not the only product falsely claiming to contain nanotechnology simply to cash in on the current appeal of all things nano.

"There is considerable disquiet among retailers and consumers because according to the advertising claims of manufacturers, 'everything is somehow nano,' and we had reason to believe that this was not the case," said Jan Beringer, PhD, head of the Intelligent Textiles Competence Center of the Textile Services & Innovations Department, Hohenstein Institutes.

To help sort the real nano products from the imposters, the Institute has created the Nanotechnology Quality Label.

Certification is based on adherence to a strict definition of nanotechnology developed in conjunction with NanoMat, a Germany-based nanomaterials network, and on various performance criteria.

The first material to earn the quality label is the NanoSphere finishing technology developed by Switzerland-based Schoeller Textil AG.

NanoSphere fabric samples retained their micro and nano structures after 5,000 cycles in abrasion tests, were highly hydrophobic, and had very good oil and water repellency and oleophobia, even after 50 washing and drying cycles and reactivation by brief ironing. The treated fabric also tested positively in regard to skin tolerance.

The US struggled for a long time in creating effective "organic" labeling for foods, and the EU is wrestling with similar issues in labeling foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It will be interesting to see how this new nano labeling process plays out, and what effect it has on marketing, public perceptions, and manufacturing. (photo Hohenstein Institutes)