Feedback is New Scientist’s popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com Down under No less a personage than New Scientist‘s editor, Catherine de Lange, alerted us to this development. Naturally, we have made it our lead item: it’s our way of saying sorry for all the times Cat has had to say things like, “For crying out loud, don’t print that, you’ll get us sued into oblivion for a one-liner.” Cat had been sent a press release for a company called Underdays, which she forwarded to Feedback without comment.

It’s always a good sign when a colleague sends us something and doesn’t even bother to say anything snarky. We assume they have been so floored by what they read that they simply couldn’t think of anything to add. Advertisement Underdays’ product is underwear infused with beneficial bacteria that nourish your skin microbiome.

Or, as the press release puts it: “The most intimate layer just got an IQ”. Feedback briefly considered whether bacteria could be said to have an IQ, but we decided not to fall down that particular rabbit hole because there was so much else to discuss. The press release invites us to consider the prospect of “prebiotics and probiotics, infused into the fabric, transferring to your skin all day”.

This, we are told, “supports your microbiome”, “strengthens your skin barrier” and “promotes a healthier appearance”. These new garments offer a potentially significant time-saver: “No creams. No serums.

No extra steps. Just get dressed and have your skincare, woven in.” Because if there’s one thing we all need, it’s to further optimise our mornings so we spend less time on self-care. Feedback has a lot of questions about this, but we will focus on just one: what happens when you wash the undergarments?

Over the years, we have become aware that underwear needs to be washed regularly, but in this case, that seems to pose an issue. Won’t the elevated temperatures and laundry chemicals take a toll on the probiotic bacteria in the underwear? To find out, we switched to private mode on our browser and visited the Underdays website.

After scrolling past a lot of photos of different underwear, we found an FAQs page. There we learned that the underwear doesn’t actually replace your existing skincare routine, because you should “use it alongside your existing products”. It seems that vital time-saving element may be a mirage.

Curses. But what about washing? The FAQ offers explicit guidance: “We recommend washing all our underwear on a cool wash, maximum 40 degrees in a garment bag.

Air-dry flat in shade. Do not iron or tumble dry.” However, users are advised to “wash at 30°C on a gentle cycle”. If you do so, it promises, the probiotics in the underwear will last for “up to 40 washes”.

Underlays didn’t respond to a request for comment about how this all worked, scientifically. And if you think about it, the phrase “up to 40 washes” encompasses a wide range of possibilities. Places to go Increasingly niche scientific tourist attractions continue to trickle into our inbox, following the foraminifera sculpture park (11 April) and moss garden (9 May).