Where synthetics once dominated in athletic apparel, today more brands and retailers are giving people the innovative cotton activewear that surveys indicate they want: comfortable performance apparel that wicks away moisture and dries faster.

A quick look in most sporting goods stores still reveals a lot of synthetic activewear on the racks, despite the fact that most men (41%) and women (43%) prefer to wear cotton while exercising, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey.

Furthermore, if people could choose between three activewear items that are the same price, style and contained the same performance features, 74% of women and 66% of men would choose the piece made of cotton over those made with nylon (13%) or polyester (13%), the Monitor survey shows. Among men ages 35 and older, the percentage jumps to 74%.

Under Armour® is an activewear heavy weight that made a name for itself with synthetics. Earlier this year, however, the company did an about face, and is now attracting attention and customers with its Charged Cotton™ collection.

"We avoided cotton because it absorbed moisture," explains Adrienne Lofton Shaw, senior director, women's marketing. "We worked for a couple years on a fabric that would dry faster than any other shirt in the cotton market. Charged Cotton dries five times faster than any other cotton shirt."

Not only do active people seek cotton athletic apparel, but they are also willing to pay for it; 73% of women and 68% of men are willing to pay more for cotton activewear that has the fit they prefer, according to Monitor data. Male and female consumers are also willing to pay more if the cotton workout wear "keeps you dry or dries faster" (63%), remains odor free (62%), wicks moisture (61%), and "has the style you prefer" (60%).

Under Armour's Charged Cotton apparel consists of alternating hydrophilic (moisture absorbing) and hydrophobic (moisture repelling) cotton yarns, means moisture spreads across the surface area of the apparel, speeding evaporation and helping athletes stay cool.

"You know you're sweating, but it moves water away from your body and the shirt. It's an awesome piece of technology," Lofton Shaw says.

A full 96% of consumers rate both comfort and fit as the most important deciding factors in their athletic apparel purchases, according to the Monitor survey, followed by durability (91%), price (89%), breathability (86%), softness (85%), and flexibility or stretch (85%).

All of these attributes are crucial to professional athletes, including PGA golfer Rickie Fowler, who wore PUMA® Golf's new TransDRY™ cotton shirts during May's 2011 PGA Players Championship. Cotton Incorporated teamed with PUMA to develop the line of performance shirts that wick away moisture and spread it for faster drying and less cling.

The TransDRY™ moisture management system turns cotton into a performance fabric while maintaining its original breathability and comfort. By applying the technology at the yarn stage, PUMA® Golf TransDRY™ styles reduce cotton absorbency capacity and overall drying time by 50%. TransDRY™ technology has also been adopted by Longworth Industries for its Polarmax® technical base layers, as well as Caña Collection's line of premium performance T-shirts for men and women.

After a period in which synthetics dominated the market, cotton is gaining significant traction in activewear.

Powerhouse Nike started offering its Dri-Fit cotton tee across all of its key sports categories in men's and women's two years ago. Derek Kent, spokesman, says since consumers continue to gravitate toward the cotton tech products, the company will "continue to bring increased innovation to the marketplace that only we can bring."

Yoga-inspired Marika is known as a "cotton house." But when it first launched its shape-enhancing activewear called Marika Miracles, it did so in synthetic fabrics. However, vocal long-time and loyal Marika customers requested shape-enhancing products in cotton. Thus, the Marika Magic line was born.

"The American consumer loves the products, as evidenced by our incredible sell-throughs," says Carrie Henley, Marika's executive vice-president and general manager. "Marika Magic still has all the tech advances of Marika Miracles. It still has compression -- allowing you to hold in your core from a performance standpoint -- and features our 'shape-enhancing patent pending technologies,' but with Magic you have the comfort and wearability of cotton."

Champion offers performance products in both cotton and performance fabrics. "Our cotton performance pieces have three functional benefits: stretch and recovery, easy care, and wicking," says Claire Powell, director of brand marketing. "It looks great, especially for spring/summer and is popular with our consumers - it's a fabric they have and continue to trust."

Consumers also appreciate activewear that's versatile enough to go beyond the workout. The Monitor finds 70% of consumers wear their athletic apparel around the house, followed by running errands (39%) and shopping (22%).

At Athleta, activewear that doubles as streetwear is a major part of the mix. "Our clothing is feminine, fashionable, and functional -- so not only will she look great, but our product also works," says Kelly Cooper, vice-president of merchandising, design and product development. "Like one customer said, 'It's not cross training, it's cross life...you can wear it to yoga and then to the playground afterwards.'"