Aroma chemicals with vapor pressure in the range of 10-7460 mPa were applied onto cotton and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics. Retentions on these two fabric substrates were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), while distribution on and within fiber was graphically demonstrated by backscattered electron microscopy (BSE). Aroma chemicals with low vapor pressures were retained on the fabrics to a larger extent than aroma chemicals with higher vapor pressures. Larger amounts of aroma chemicals were retained on cotton than on PET. Effect of fiber type on retention was largest for aroma chemicals with higher vapor pressures; for example, 20% of allyl cyclohexyl propionate (1360 mPa) was retained on cotton fabric after 480 min, while none was detected on PET as compared to ambrettolide (30 mPa) that had no difference between cotton and PET after 480 min. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.