Luxurious Vegan Silk Pillowcase Alternatives

Sateen And Silk Pillowcases Suitable For Vegans

Smooth and silky pillowcases have a huge impact on your hair and skin. Your fair is less frizzy and breaks less. Your skin stays more hydrated and you don’t wake up with pillow crease wrinkles.

But if you’re a concerned vegan, you may be wondering what the best vegan silk pillowcase alternatives are? Luckily, you don’t have to deprive yourself of a luxurious pillowcase because there are many silky and sateen options.

Below, I’ll go over which pillowcases are the best for vegans as well as the pros and cons of each.

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Why Vegans Don’t Use Silk

Vegans don’t use silk because it is a product created by an animal. One of the main beliefs of veganism is to not exploit animals in any way which means they don’t wear leather or wool either.

How is silk made?

Silk is made from the cocoons of the silkworm raised on silk farms. The caterpillars of the silk moth are fed mulberry leaves until they’re ready to pupate and create a cocoon.

This cocoon is what contains the silk threads that are used in silk fabric. Another name for silk from these worms is mulberry silk.

Is silk vegan?

No, silk is not vegan because for most mass-produced silk, the silkworm cocoons are boiled or steamed while the silkworms are still inside, thus killing them.

An estimated 15 silkworms are killed to make 1 gram of silk thread. This goes against veganism which aims to live a life without causing harm to animals, even insects.

Luckily, there are tons of vegan silk pillowcases available so you don’t have to go without. Below are the best silk alternative pillowcases I’ve found on Amazon.

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Lyocell Bamboo Pillow Cases (Set of 2)

This set of 2 zippered queen size pillowcases is made entirely out of Lyocell bamboo fiber and comes in white or gray. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass and doesn’t need a lot of pesticides to keep it pest-free, unlike cotton.

While generic viscose bamboo uses a harmful solvent to extract the bamboo fibers, Lyocell bamboo fiber doesn’t. Regular bamboo viscose uses a lot of water in order to produce.

The Lyocell process is closed-loop which saves significantly on water. It also uses a non-toxic solvent to extract the bamboo fibers.

This set of pillowcases is awarded the Standard 100 by Oeco-Tex which means the production of this product produced no harmful waste at all.

Pros:

• Eco-friendly production
• Comes in a set of two pillowcases
• Available in queen, king, or standard sizes

Cons:

• Limited colors available.

Rivet Half Moon Sateen Cotton Pillowcase Set

The Rivet half moot pattern of this Amazon brand pillowcase set is made from cotton sateen and is completely vegan. Unlike traditional pillowcases, this set uses an envelope-style closure on the back.

These pillowcases come in a set of two and are 100% cotton but still have the sateen feel. The design is the most modern of the pillowcases that I found.

Cotton is a vegan fabric but cotton production can use a lot of pesticides which creates toxic runoff. Try to stick to organic cotton if you can.

The benefit of cotton fabric is that the fibers are hollow which sicks away moisture to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Sateen is a weave used with cotton that gives the fabric strength but also allows cotton to shine like satin. This weave gives cotton the satin silkiness.

If you prefer solid colors, then the Stone & Beam HygroCotton sateen set is a better option. You’re getting the same cotton sateen but in a smoother solid colored weave.

The solid color options are rose, regatta blue, sea spray, stone, and white.

The cotton sateen pattern comes in peach-pink/white, white/peach-pink, and white/pewter. The pillowcase set comes in king size or standard. If you want, you can get an entire sheet set in this gorgeous pattern.

Pros:

• Modern design
• Patterns and solid color options
• Crisp and cool sateen

Cons:

• Non-organic cotton uses a lot of pesticides
• Manufacturing uses a lot of water

Bedsure Cooling Bamboo Pillowcases Breathable Set

The Bedsure cooling bamboo pillowcase set is made out of viscose bamboo. This set includes two pillowcases and comes in the colors grey, black, ivory, beige, navy blue, silver gray, teal, and white.

Bamboo is made from sustainably grown grass but the fiber extraction process for viscose can create some environmental waste. As mentioned above, Lyocell bamboo is no-waste but this general bamboo viscose may or may not use a solvent that creates some waste.

Bamboo fabric is moisture-resistant, odor-resistant, and breathable, making it perfect for all seasons. The sateen prevents your hair from frizzing and breaking and is good for your facial skin.

Pros:

• Made from sustainable bamboo
• Shine is great for hair and skin
• Breathable all-weather fabric

Cons:

• Bamboo viscose may create waste during production

Kitsch 100% Satin Pillowcase, Vegan Silk

This light pink satin pillowcase by Kitch is made of 100% satin polyester. This set only contains one pillowcase so if you need two, you’ll have to buy a second.

Satin polyester is a vegan fabric but isn’t the most sustainable and may contribute to the microplastics problem. Recycled satin polyester is more sustainable but I’d check out the other options on this list first before going with this one.

The plus is that this style has the most luxurious patterns for vegan silk pillowcases coming in pink, leopard, gray, and white. The satin keeps you cool at night so you sweat less.

You can also get a matching set of satin sleep scrunchies to put your hair up at night.

Pros:

• Has the most colors and patterns of the pillowcases
• Keeps you cool while you sleep

Cons:

• Only one pillowcase per order
• Satin polyester isn’t eco-friendly and contributes to microplastics

Bedsure Satin Pillowcase for Hair and Skin

This Bedsure satin pillowcase set is made from 100% polyester. You get two pillowcases in this set and can order them in standard, queen, or king sizes.

Polyester is a vegan fabric but it isn’t sustainable. This pillowcase is great for someone who wants the closest feel to real silk.

One of the issues with polyester involves the microplastics it creates during washing and using. There’s really no getting around this when using polyester.

This pillowcase features an envelope closure design so your pillow doesn’t slide out. It also comes in 23 luxurious solid colors.

Pros:

• Comes in 23 solid colors
• Great for hair and skin
• The most silk-like alternative

Cons:

• Polyester fabric creates microplastics
• Chemicals used in production create waste

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Vegan Silk & Sateen Pillowcase Buying Guide

Trying to figure out which fabrics are vegan isn’t always the easiest since there’s a lack of transparency and information on the topic.

Below I’ll go over some of the best vegan silk alternative fabrics.

Lyocell Bamboo

Lyocell fabric is the best vegan silk alternative because the waste created to make it is almost completely recycled.

Lyocell takes the cellulose fibers from bamboo to create fabric. This closed-loop production cycle creates the bare minimum of waste.

Viscose

Viscose is another fabric created from bamboo but with a slightly different process than Lyocell. For the production of viscose bamboo, a solvent is used to dissolve the fiber pulp. This may or may not create waste that isn’t good for the environment.

Unfortunately, with most products labeled viscose, you can’t tell whether there was waste created during the production.

Cotton

Cotton is a plant-based fiber that is renewable. Unfortunately, it takes 5,000 gallons of water to make 2.2 pounds of cotton (equivalent to one t-shirt and pair of jeans). This is an extremely resource-heavy fabric.

Organic cotton is better to use than non-organic due to the pesticides used.

Polyester

Polyester is also called satin polyester. While this is a vegan-friendly fabric, it’s made from plastic. The environmental impact of polyester is significant.

I personally try to avoid polyester if I can but understand if there are no other options available.

Why is bamboo a good vegan fiber?

Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that can grow one inch every 40 minutes. Because of its fast growth rate, bamboo can be harvested and regrown without a detrimental environmental impact.

It’s also hardy and doesn’t require fertilizers or pesticides to grow well. As long as native forests aren’t being cleared for bamboo, it’s very eco-friendly.

If you stick with Lyocell bamboo over viscose, you’ll have have the most non-toxic and environmentally friendly fabric you can find.

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Conclusion

Traditionally mulberry silk is not vegan, even if it’s non-violent or compassionate silk production. Instead of giving up silk altogether, by using a vegan-friendly silk or satin alternative, you can still enjoy your silk pillowase.

Overall, I recommend the Luxurious Lyocell Bamboo pillowcase set as the best vegan silk pillowcase alternative. It’s sustainably made and eco-friendly in addition to being vegan. Can’t get much better than that!

Let me know what your favorite silk or satin pillowcase is below.

Stephanie Mantilla

Plant-Based Diet & Vegan Lifestyle Expert

Stephanie is the founder of Plant Prosperous, a plant-based vegan living, and parenting blog. She has been eating a plant-based diet for over 24 years along with a B.S. in Biology & Environmental Science. She also has over 14 years of experience working in the environmental and conservation sectors. Stephanie is currently raising her son on a plant-based diet and hopes to help others who are wanting to do the same. You can read more about her here.