Scientists and innovators may be hard at work curing malaria or generating cheap renewable energy, but these issues–while important–perhaps pale in comparison to the work of a British man named Paul O’Leary. That’s O’Leary has invented Shreddies , a pair of underpants that prevents the odor from farts from entering the nostrils of unsuspecting people nearby.





The underwear are available for men and women (there are also models for incontinence), and uses a layer of activated carbon cloth to mask odors. The porous nature of the carbon traps the smell, leaving nothing but roses for the rest of the world. All you have to do is wash it to reset the smell-trapping abilities. The company calls its miracle fabric “Zorflex” and says that it went through rigorous testing to determine its odor-masking abilities: “De Montfort University in the U.K. tested our new 100% activated carbon jersey cloth and presented their findings at the 86th Textile Institute World Conference.” The Textile Institute World Congress accepts no half-assed fart-masking test results.





Shreddies start at $30 for women and $45 for men. As to the most important question, the company has some regrets, but also a note of advice: “Shreddies are designed to absorb odors, not to muffle the sound. Most flatulence sufferers are able to control the noise by altering their body position.”