IGC is a versatile tool in the characterisation of textile products and the interaction of these materials with fragrance molecules due to the wide range of physicochemical parameters, which can be determined by this technique. This is demonstrated by means of cotton wool and cotton fabrics. Alkanes, fragrance molecules and other polar probes have been used to measure interaction parameters such as dispersive component of surface energy and specific free energy in different experimental conditions (relative humidity, concentration, cotton sample type). (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.