Minoxis is the name of the textile technology developed by IAKOTA. It combines two distinct physical principles in a single, entirely passive fabric: grounding, which connects the body to the electrical potential of the earth, and endogenous infrared return, which reflects back to the skin a portion of the radiation emitted by the body itself. No battery, no diode, no active substance. Here is what this textile actually does, what it is based on, and where certainty ends.
What is Minoxis technology?
In short
Minoxis is a passive textile that combines two functions: a conductive mesh connects the body to the electrical potential of the earth, and a mineral layer absorbs and then re-emits towards the skin the far-infrared radiation that the body produces itself. The textile consumes no energy and creates none.
The name refers to a technology, not a product. The same textile is used today in a sleep mask, three mattress toppers and a belt. What changes from one item to another is the contact surface, the thickness of the backing and the time of day it is used. The principle itself remains identical.
Two principles combined in a passive textile
The main point can be summed up in a single sentence: these two functions have nothing to do with one another. They are combined in the same fabric because they take place at the same time, but they rely on two different types of physics. Confusing them is the primary source of misunderstanding about this product.
1Earthing: balancing loads
The Earth's surface carries a stable electrical potential. For the greater part of human history, contact with this potential was taken for granted: bare feet, leather soles, rammed-earth floors. Our modern materials have interrupted this contact, and that is precisely their function: rubber, floating laminate flooring and synthetic textiles are excellent insulators.
The consequence is measured with a voltmeter. The body of a person standing in a modern interior carries a residual voltage of several volts relative to the ground. Connect this person to the earth, and the voltage drops almost instantaneously to near zero. It is this transfer of charges, and this alone, that is produced by the conductive part of the textile.
Connection is made via the earth pin of the wall socket, never via the live or neutral, using a cable incorporating a protective resistor of several hundred kilohms. Details of the connection, cases involving no effective earth installation and the external earthing rod solution are covered in our grounding bed guide.
2Infrared return: sending back what the body already emits
A human body at 37 °C continuously radiates in the far infrared. It is this radiation, and nothing else, that a thermal imaging camera detects. Its peak emission is around 9.4 µm, and a significant portion of the emitted energy is beyond 14 µm.
The active layer of Minoxis fabric is a metal oxide film deposited on a cotton substrate. It is dark, and therefore absorbent, and a material that absorbs is also a material that emits: this is a direct consequence of Kirchhoff's law, one of the most robust relationships in radiation physics. Its emissivity is around 0.95 in the 3–20 µm waveband, placing it very close to the perfect black body. Concretely, it captures radiation from the skin and radiates it back.
The main takeaway
A passive textile cannot create energy, and does not create any. It never gives back more than it receives. What it can do is modify the distribution of this energy depending on the wavelengths, because it does not emit in the same way everywhere across the spectrum. Not more energy, energy placed differently. Any presentation that suggests a net gain of energy is describing something other than this product.
Passive or active: the distinction nobody makes
This is the point where the market maintains the greatest confusion, and it is worth pausing here. Two very different families of objects end up under the same «infrared» label.
The devices assets incorporate an energy source: a battery, LEDs, sometimes a heating resistor. They emit radiation that the body has not produced, in a band chosen by the manufacturer, most often red and near-infrared, around 600 to 900 nanometres. This is the principle behind LED masks and red light panels.
The devices liabilities, of which Minoxis is a part, emit nothing by themselves. They only work on the thermal radiation already present, in a waveband ten to twenty times longer in wavelength. Without an object opposite them, strictly nothing happens.
| Passive textile (Minoxis) | Active diode device | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy source | The user's body | A battery or the mains |
| Wavelengths involved | Far infrared, beyond 3 µm | Red and near infrared, 0.6 to 0.9 µm |
| Operating time | An entire night, unattended | Timed sessions |
| Consumption | No | Top-up required |
| Emission of waves | No | Directional light emission |
| What happens without a user | Nothing | The device still works |
Neither of these two families is absolutely superior to the other. They simply do not do the same thing, and are not used in the same way. The problem begins when a search engine, a comparison tool or a product sheet presents them as interchangeable, which happens constantly for the query «infrared mask».
Oxides, and how far the radiation really goes
Why heavy oxides, and why multiple ones
The active layer is not a mineral, it is a formulation. Several oxides are associated with it, and this plurality is not a manufacturing detail: it is the very reason why the film works over a broad band.
Two parameters control the result. Mass first: the frequency at which a crystal vibrates depends on the mass of its atoms, so that light, silicon-based oxides operate around 9 µm, whereas heavy metal oxides drop to several tens of microns. Symmetry next: a highly symmetrical crystal exhibits only one or two infrared-active vibrations, whilst a crystal of low symmetry can exhibit around fifteen, distributed almost continuously.
Hence the rationale for a formulation. Each oxide covers its own portion of the spectrum, none covers them all, and combining them makes it possible to treat complementary areas, including around 9 µm where the body emits the most. This is why we speak of an oxide film in the plural, rather than a single mineral whose name would simply need to be known.
Notably, and this is what makes this band interesting, liquid water also possesses vibration modes in this region, linked not to individual molecules taken in isolation, but to the network of bonds they form with one another. The main one is located around 14.6 µm. The overlap between the two families of spectra is real and verifiable.
Where what we know stops
Let this spectral overlap be the reason reported effects remain a working hypothesis, not a demonstrated fact. Other explanations remain open: grain size, their dispersion in the matrix, the actual filler loading of the textile. A coincidence between two spectra is a starting point for research, not proof.
A few microns, not a few centimetres
We need to be clear on this point, because a lot of commercial literature in the sector claims the opposite. Far-infrared does not penetrate deeply into tissue. Water absorbs it massively: the radiation stops in the very first few microns of the skin, a few tens at most.
Verification is simple. A CO2 laser2 emits at 10.6 µm, right in the far infrared, and this is precisely the laser used for skin resurfacing, because the water in the tissues stops it immediately. If this radiation passed through several centimetres of flesh, this use would be impossible. For the same reason, a thermal camera only sees the surface of the skin.
What this changes for us: nothing essential, and that is why we prefer to state it. What happens beyond the first few microns is not a matter of radiation, but of the skin itself, which is richly vascularised and innervated, and of what it subsequently transmits. We do not need deep penetration for the device to make sense, and we are not going to invent it.
What studies show, and what they do not show
Two studies have focused on IAKOTA products. Neither has yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Here is what they measured, and what it is worth.
CNEA Font-Romeu Study
- Conducted at the National Altitude Training Centre on 27 athletes, in the context of trail running sessions, a discipline where the load on the quadriceps and hamstrings is particularly heavy.
- Almost total muscle recovery at 48 hours on the hamstrings and quadriceps, whereas the control group still showed incomplete recovery at the same time point.
- RMSSD increased by 12 % over 48 hours, compared to a decrease of 25 % in the placebo group. RMSSD is the heart rate variability indicator most sensitive to parasympathetic activity.
What it's worth. Pilot study, small sample size, not yet published. It points the way, it does not prove. Doctoral work is underway at the CNEA until 2028 to formalise these observations in peer-reviewed publications.
Study on the overnight mask, Vision Science Institute
20 participants aged 54 to 88, followed over 60 days of night-time usage. Two parameters measured, not a satisfaction questionnaire.
- Blink frequency decreased from 27.3 to 18.3 per minute (p<0.001). Blinking rehydrates the surface of the eye and distributes the tear film across it: blinking less often means needing it less. And since the reflex cannot be decided upon, it is a measurement, not a statement.
- Meibomian glands improved or maintained in 83 % of participants (p=0.042). These glands produce the oily layer of the tear film, the one that slows down its evaporation between blinks.
What it's worth. Twenty people, an older age bracket, no peer-reviewed publication yet. That's suggestive, it doesn't demonstrate anything, and it says nothing about what you, personally, will get out of it.
Alongside these two studies, there is a wealth of user feedback, which is often consistent regarding the reduction of waking up at night. These are individual observations, gathered outside of a controlled protocol: they have their own value, but not that of a measurement. Measurement is within your grasp, and the final section explains how to do it.
The same technology, five different objects
This is where the technology becomes tangible. The fabric is the same; what varies is the skin surface area in contact, the duration of exposure and the context of use.
| Product | Contact surface | Who for, what for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse Sleep Mask | The eye area | The input format. Complete blackout and eye comfort after days spent in front of a screen | 59 € |
| Terra Nomad Topper | The whole body | Lightweight and foldable, designed for travel, training camps and competitions | from €249 |
| Terra Home mattress topper | The whole body | Daily use at home, on the main bed | £449 to £679 |
| Terra Cocoon mattress topper | The whole body | Top quilting, for those looking for extra sleeping comfort | €629 to €899 |
| Vital Lower Back Belt | The lumbar region | Targeted use, both during the day and after exercise | 69 € |
The logic of the range is clear in this table. The mask makes the technology accessible for the price of an ordinary sleep accessory, on a reduced skin surface and during nighttime hours. The mattress topper applies it to the entire body, which changes the scale of exposure and, mechanically, the price. Many people discover Minoxis through the former and subsequently move on to the latter, which seems to us a sensible order: it allows you to form an opinion before committing further.
To understand what concretely changes the transition from a reduced surface to the whole body, our presentation of recovery mattress toppers detailing the format differences, and the article on the night mask and falling asleep address the nighttime use of the mask.
Maintenance, lifespan, and how to check for yourself
A technical fabric is not cared for like a bed sheet. Three mistakes are enough to cancel out its effect, and they are all avoidable.
Do not interpose anything impermeable
A plasticised or coated mattress protector blocks both electrical conduction and infrared reflection. The product becomes an ordinary textile again. Only a thin cotton fitted sheet should be used over a mattress topper.
2. Cold hand wash, without fabric conditioner
Cold wash, gentle rub, no mechanical spin cycle. No bleach, no fabric softener and no tumble drier: these three things degrade the conductive layer. When cared for in this way, a Minoxis fabric lasts from 150 to over 500 washes, giving it a lifespan of 3 to 12 years depending on frequency of use.
Give the body time to respond
User feedback converges on a window of two to four weeks before the effects become noticeable. It is not an immediate-effect device, and no one should present it as such.
That leaves the question everyone is asking: how do you know if it is working for you? There is an answer, and it does not depend on us. Most smartwatches and fitness rings now measure overnight heart rate variability. Check your thirty-night average before, and then for thirty nights after. That is a far more reliable reading than how you feel on the first morning, and it has the advantage of being able to prove you wrong. Our article on HRV and HRV explain how to read these figures without kidding yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is Minoxis a product or technology name?
It is the name of the textile technology, not of a product. It is currently featured in five items: the Eclipse sleep mask, the Terra Nomad, Terra Home and Terra Cocoon mattress toppers, and the Vitale Lumbar Belt. The physical principle is identical in all five, only the format and contact surface change.
Do textiles emit waves?
No. The device is entirely passive: it consumes no energy, contains neither battery nor electronic component, and emits no electromagnetic radiation. It conducts charges to the earth and re-emits a portion of the thermal radiation that the body produces itself.
What is the difference compared to a mask or an LED panel?
These are two unrelated objects. A diode device emits red or near-infrared light produced by a battery, around 0.6 to 0.9 µm, during minute-long sessions. A Minoxis textile itself emits nothing and works on the far infrared already emitted by the body, beyond 3 µm. Without a user present, nothing happens. The full comparison, point by point, is discussed in a dedicated article: infrared night mask or LED mask.
Does infrared radiation penetrate deep into the body?
No, and you have to be wary of documentation that claims otherwise. The water in tissues absorbs far infrared in the very first few microns of the skin. What happens deeper down is a matter for the skin and its vascularisation, not the radiation itself.
Is an earth connection required for Minoxis to work?
For the earthing part, yes. A socket tester costing just a few pounds allows you to check this in two seconds, and a stake driven into the ground provides a fallback solution. Note that the infrared feedback continues to work without any connection, since it only relies on body heat. This is the case for the sleep mask, which does not plug in.
How long does it take before one can judge?
Allow two to four weeks of regular use before forming an opinion, and base it on a measurement rather than an impression. Thirty nights of heart rate variability before, thirty nights after, with the watch you already have.
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