Transfer media for transferring functional active ingredients

A transfer medium for transferring a functional active ingredient to a surface of an article by means of heat, wherein the transfer medium is printable with a sublimation ink and comprises:

• a carrier substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of paper, films, nonwovens, textiles and combinations thereof;
• and
• at least one sublimation ink receiving layer formed over at least a part of one surface of the carrier substrate, the sublimation ink receiving layer comprising at least one pigment, at least one binder, and at least one functional active ingredient,
• wherein the at least one functional active ingredient is transferred from the sublimation ink receiving layer to the surface of an article facing the sublimation ink receiving layer of the transfer medium by means of heat while the pigment(s) and binder(s) of the sublimation ink receiving layer are essentially retained in a layer over the carrier substrate, wherein said functional active ingredient does not represent a sublimation dye having an absorbance maximum at a wavelength λmax in the region of from 400 to 700 nm of the electromagnetic spectrum.