Best silk pillowcases
Most bedding sold as silk is not silk, and the one number that separates a real one is almost never quoted.
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Silk, or a word describing a feel
Eucalyptus silk, bamboo silk and vegan silk are not silk. Those names describe the smooth handle of a fabric, not its content. If a set is described as silk and costs less than cotton, it is not silk.
Real mulberry silk is a protein fibre from silkworms, and it is expensive because it is.
The specification that matters is momme, written mm, which measures the weight of the silk. Below about 19 momme a pillowcase is thin and wears quickly. Nineteen to 22 momme is the useful range, and 25 is heavier and dearer without much practical gain.
What silk genuinely does is reduce friction. What it does not do is manage moisture as well as cotton or lyocell, which is worth knowing if you sleep hot.
The picks
The pick, if you want one answer
Aeyla Bamboo Pillowcase, 7.6 / 10. The cheapest meaningful upgrade in bedding, whatever fibre you choose, because the case is the layer against your face.
| Product | Best for | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeyla Bamboo Pillowcase | Best value smooth pillowcase | Budget | 7.6 / 10 |
| Aeyla Eucalyptus Silk Sheet Set | Best lyocell alternative | Mid range | 7.7 / 10 |
| Panda Bamboo Bedding Set | Best if you want matching pieces | Budget to mid | 7.5 / 10 |
Aeyla Bamboo Pillowcase: Best value smooth pillowcase
Budget · 7.6 / 10
Scores 7.6. Bamboo viscose gives much of the smoothness at a fraction of the price, and it handles moisture better than silk does. You are sleeping on the pillowcase, not the pillow, so this is the highest ratio of effect to cost in bedding.
Buy it if
You want the low-friction feel without paying silk prices.
Do not buy it if
You specifically want mulberry silk.
Read the full Aeyla Bamboo Pillowcase review
Aeyla Eucalyptus Silk Sheet Set: Best lyocell alternative
Mid range · 7.7 / 10
Scores 7.7. Lyocell is made in a closed-loop process where the solvent is recovered and reused, which is part of the definition rather than a claim. There is no silk in eucalyptus silk, and the name describes the handle.
Buy it if
You want smooth drape with better moisture handling than silk.
Do not buy it if
You want the specific feel of protein fibre.
Read the full Aeyla Eucalyptus Silk Sheet Set review
Panda Bamboo Bedding Set: Best if you want matching pieces
Budget to mid · 7.5 / 10
Scores 7.5. Buying within one range matters because a polyester sheet under a smooth pillowcase undoes part of the benefit. Most bamboo fabric is bamboo viscose, a regenerated fibre, which is pleasant and is not bamboo in any meaningful sense.
Buy it if
You want the whole bed to behave consistently.
Do not buy it if
You only want to change the pillowcase.
Read the full Panda Bamboo Bedding Set review
Momme, and what to look for
| Momme | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Under 16mm | Thin, sheer, wears quickly. Usually the cheap end. |
| 19 to 22mm | The useful range. Durable enough to wash regularly. |
| 25mm and above | Heavier and dearer, without much practical gain. |
If a listing does not state momme, that is informative. It is the one specification a genuine silk seller has a reason to publish, in the same way foam density is for a mattress.
Also check the closure. An envelope closure keeps the pillow in; a zip is more secure and can catch hair. And check the size: UK pillows are roughly 50 by 75 centimetres, and many pillows sold here are not that size.
Which hair and skin claims stand up
Reduced friction is real. A smooth surface creates less mechanical drag on hair and skin than a rougher weave, which means less overnight tangling and fewer creases pressed into the face. That is a physical property rather than a marketing claim, and it applies to any smooth fabric, not only silk.
Moisture is where it gets misstated. Silk is often sold as drawing less moisture from skin and hair than cotton. The flip side is that silk manages sweat less well, so it can feel warmer and damper if you sleep hot. Lyocell and cotton percale handle moisture better.
Claims about curing acne, wrinkles or hair loss go well beyond what a fabric does. Less friction and fewer sleep creases is the honest version. If skin or hair problems are persistent, that belongs with a GP or dermatologist rather than with bedding.
Silk, lyocell or cotton
| If you want | Buy |
|---|---|
| Lowest friction on hair | Mulberry silk, 19 to 22 momme |
| Smooth feel at low cost | Bamboo viscose or lyocell |
| Best moisture handling | Lyocell or cotton percale |
| Coolest in summer | Cotton percale or linen |
| Hot washing for allergies | Cotton. Silk and viscose do not tolerate 60 degrees. |
That last row is the conflict people run into. Dust mites survive a 40 degree wash and 60 kills them, and neither silk nor bamboo viscose enjoys 60. In an allergy household, cotton that tolerates a hot wash beats a nicer fibre you have to treat gently.
Washing silk without ruining it
Cool water, 30 degrees or hand wash. Heat damages protein fibre.
A pH-neutral or silk-specific detergent. Biological detergents contain enzymes that break down protein, which is what silk is.
No bleach, no fabric softener, and a mesh laundry bag to stop snagging.
Line dry away from direct sun. A tumble dryer is the fastest way to ruin a silk pillowcase.
Buy two. A pillowcase against your face every night needs washing weekly, and one that is always in the wash gets replaced by whatever is in the drawer.
What not to buy
Anything described as silk that costs less than cotton. Eucalyptus silk, bamboo silk and vegan silk are names for a handle, not a content.
Silk with no momme stated. It is the one number a genuine seller has a reason to publish.
Silk under 19 momme. Thin, and it will not survive regular washing.
Silk if you sleep hot or damp. Lyocell and cotton percale handle moisture better.
Silk in an allergy household, where bedding needs washing at 60 degrees.
Biological detergent on silk. The enzymes break down protein fibre.
Also considered, and why they are not here
A roundup is only as useful as what it leaves out, so here is what was assessed and rejected for this list.
| Product | Why it is not on the list |
|---|---|
| Aeyla Bedding | Scores 7.6. A coherent range built on one verifiable fibre, which matters because mixing fabrics across a bed undoes part of the benefit. |
| Kirkton House Bedding | Good value supermarket bedding. Check the fibre content rather than the descriptive name on the pack. |
| Soak and Sleep | A retailer rather than a pillowcase, and useful here because it states fibre and weave clearly, which is what this page says to compare. |
How this list is made, and who made it
Independence
No brand pays to appear on this site and no placement is sold. Some links earn a commission if you buy, which never changes a score, an order or a verdict. Several of the lowest scores here are on products that carry commission, and several recommendations carry none.
Who writes this. Kyle Klinkradt has worked in the mattress and bedding industry for over ten years across retail, distribution and brand partnerships, and has handled, sold or assessed products from every major UK bed-in-a-box brand. Every review on this site is written by one person, so the scores mean the same thing from page to page.
What the assessment is. Construction specifications against what they physically do: spring height and where in the mattress it sits, spring count for the size, gauge, whether the base is sprung or foam, foam density where it is published, comfort layer depth and material. Then the commercial terms that decide what you are actually buying: trial against returns policy, guarantee length against the company's UK trading history at Companies House, and the regulatory record.
What it is not. This is not a laboratory. I do not publish pressure-mapping data or claim to have slept eight years on every mattress here, because nobody has and pages that imply otherwise are not telling you the truth. Where a judgement rests on construction rather than long-term use, the review says so.
What gets a product removed. Leaving the UK market, a specification change that makes the review inaccurate, or a corrected fact. Brands that have withdrawn are kept on the site with the score removed rather than quietly deleted, because people still search for them.
See editorial independence, corrections and the author page.
How these were chosen
Every product here has its own review on this site with a score out of 10, and the score is a judgement rather than an average. Nothing appears in a list because it pays more.
A score is against the market, not against its own range. The cheapest mattress in a lineup is usually priced to make the model above it look reasonable, and the flagship of a budget range has risen into a bracket where better brands compete. Both are judged against what else you could buy for the money.
Everything listed can actually be bought in the UK. That is not a given: Casper withdrew in July 2020 and Leesa no longer sells here, and both still appear in current British roundups with affiliate links attached.
I do not pad the list. Where only three or four products genuinely qualify, there are three or four. A list of seven when the category contains four good ones is a list with three bad recommendations in it.
Prices move constantly. Judge the cash price on the day rather than any percentage beside it. See every review on this site or where the real savings are.
Questions people ask
Is eucalyptus silk real silk?
No. Eucalyptus silk, bamboo silk and vegan silk describe the smooth handle of a fabric, not its content. Real mulberry silk is a protein fibre from silkworms, and if a set is described as silk and costs less than cotton, it is not silk.
What momme should a silk pillowcase be?
Nineteen to 22 momme is the useful range. Below about 19 it is thin and wears quickly, and 25 and above is heavier and dearer without much practical gain. If a listing does not state momme, that is informative.
Do silk pillowcases help hair and skin?
Reduced friction is real: a smooth surface creates less mechanical drag, which means less overnight tangling and fewer sleep creases. That applies to any smooth fabric. Claims about curing acne, wrinkles or hair loss go well beyond what a fabric does.
How do I wash a silk pillowcase?
Cool water at 30 degrees or by hand, with a pH-neutral or silk-specific detergent, because biological detergents contain enzymes that break down protein. No bleach, no fabric softener, and line dry away from direct sun.