Polar bears don’t have to worry about skipping a wash day. The sebum, or natural oil, on the mammals’ fur helps them survive the harsh Arctic weather by making it hard for ice to stick to them, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

“Unwashed, greasy hair made it much harder for ice to stick. In contrast, when the polar bear hair was washed and the grease largely removed it performed similarly to human hair, to which ice sticks easily whether it is washed or greasy.”

Now, researchers have discovered the bears have another unexpected Arctic adaptation: greasy fur. It’s a trait that, surprisingly, might help us find alternatives to “forever chemicals,” a class of widely used compounds that are linked to a range of health problems in people.

There's something about polar bears that's always puzzled the people who study them. How do they seem to repel snow? The animals spend their lives in cold climates, sometimes rolling around in snow, but walking away without any of it clinging to their fur.

Indigenous peoples of the Arctic traditionally use polar bear fur for its ice-resistant properties, but the science behind the bears’ natural antifreeze hasn't been studied until now