To tell real silk from fake, read the fiber line for 100% mulberry silk, look for a stated momme weight and grade, and look up the certificates yourself. For proof at home, burn one thread pulled from an inside seam: real silk smells like burnt hair and crumbles to ash; polyester melts into a hard bead.
This is the post I needed during chemo. Years before, I had bought a cheap, standard-size "silk" pillowcase. During chemo I used it on a tiny half-size pillow, folding the extra half under, or leaving it hanging when I was too sick to fold it. I carried it to chemo treatments and ER visits. I still have it, worn thin and coming apart.
During chemo I looked at better silk pillowcases, and I didn't buy one, because I couldn't be sure of the quality. "Grade was one of the words I kept seeing and couldn't check." So the tests below are how you check anyone's silk, including ours. Especially ours.
Why are so many silk pillowcases fake?
Because the word "silk" sells, and polyester costs a fraction as much to make. A polyester pillowcase woven in a satin weave is glossy and smooth when it's new, so it photographs like silk. Then the listing calls it "silky," "silk feel" or "satin silk," words that sound like a fiber but aren't one.
In the United States, the FTC's textile labeling rules require most textile products to name their fibers by generic name, such as silk or polyester. That means the honest answer is almost always printed somewhere. You just have to know which line to read. For the weave side of the story, see silk vs satin, explained.
Test 1: How do you read the label and specifications?
Start here, because it costs nothing and you can do it before you buy. I was shopping online at a big activewear brand, and the listing said "100% silk." That was all it said. What kind of silk? What grade? What weave? Was it OEKO-TEX or GOTS certified? Nothing. Knowing what I know now, a brand with a certificate number usually prints it. A real silk pillowcase listing should state four things.
- Fiber: 100% mulberry silk, written as the fiber, not as a description. "Satin," "silky" and "microfiber" mean it isn't silk. "Silk blend" with no percentages means you don't know what you are buying.
- Momme: the weight of the silk. Silk sellers know their momme. A listing with no momme weight is a reason to look harder. See what 25 momme means.
- Grade: raw silk is graded, and Grade 6A is the top of the common scale. If a brand can't tell you the grade, ask why.
- Weave: charmeuse is the satin weave silk pillowcases are usually made in.
"Mulberry" matters too. Mulberry silk comes from the cultivated Bombyx mori silkworm. Wild silks such as tussah are real silk but have a different texture. More in mulberry silk vs other silks.
Test 2: How does the burn test work?
Silk is a protein fiber, like hair. Polyester is a plastic. They behave differently in a flame, and that difference is the most reliable test you can do at home.
- Pull one loose thread from an inside seam, never from the face of the pillowcase.
- Hold it with tweezers over a sink or another non-flammable surface.
- Touch the end of the thread to a lighter or match flame, then pull it away.
Real silk burns slowly, smells like burnt hair, tends to stop burning once you take the flame away, and leaves a dark ash that crumbles when you press it.
Polyester shrinks from the flame and melts. It smells like burning plastic and leaves a hard bead that doesn't crumble.
A blend gives mixed results, which is itself an answer. Never hold a flame to the pillowcase itself, and keep the test away from children.
Test 3: What does real silk feel like?
Real silk usually feels cool when you first touch it and then warms quickly to your skin. It's smooth without feeling slick or plasticky. Many silks also have "scroop," a faint rustle when two folds are rubbed together.
Polyester satin can feel slippery, and some people describe a faintly plastic quality to it. This test is useful, but only if you have handled real silk before. If you haven't, treat it as a hint, not a verdict.
Test 4: Does the ring test work?
Real silk charmeuse is fine and fluid, and a small piece of it will often draw through a ring easily. Polyester satin can catch or resist. But very fine polyester can pass, and a whole pillowcase is far too much fabric for most rings. Use it as a quick, gentle hint on a corner, never as proof.
Test 5: Can the price tell you if silk is fake?
There is no single cutoff, but a very low price on a full-size pillowcase labeled silk is a reason to check harder. Silk comes from cocoons, and it takes thousands of cocoons to produce a pound of raw silk. That cost exists before anyone weaves, cuts or sews anything.
A high price doesn't prove anything either. Ask what the money buys, and make the brand show you the fiber, the momme, the grade and the certificates. Bulk packs of "silk" pillowcases at a very low price per piece are almost always worth a burn test.
Real silk vs polyester satin: quick reference
| Test | Real mulberry silk | Polyester satin |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber line | 100% mulberry silk | Polyester, or a vague word like "silky" |
| Specifications | Momme, grade and weave stated | Often missing |
| Burn test (one thread) | Burnt hair smell, crumbly ash | Melts, plastic smell, hard bead |
| Feel | Cool at first, then warms; smooth, not slick | Slippery, can feel plasticky |
| Scroop | Often a faint rustle | Usually none |
| Ring test | Usually draws through easily | May catch |
| Proof | Certificate numbers you can search | Logos with no numbers |
Screenshot this table. It's the one to send the friend who swears her pillowcase is silk.
Red flags on a "silk" listing
- "Satin" without the word silk in the fiber line.
- "Silky," "silk feel" or "silk touch" in place of a fiber name.
- "Silk blend" with no percentages.
- No momme weight and no grade.
- Care instructions that say hot wash and tumble dry high. Real silk wants cool water and a gentle cycle. See how to wash a silk pillowcase.
- Bulk packs at a very low price per piece.
- Certification logos with no certificate numbers.
Does OEKO-TEX or GOTS certification prove it's real silk?
No, and this catches a lot of careful shoppers. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests a finished product for harmful substances. A polyester pillowcase can hold it. GOTS certifies companies in an organic textile supply chain. Neither certificate is a fiber test.
What they do prove is that someone independent looked. A real certificate has a number you can search on the certifier's own database: OEKO-TEX Label Check for OEKO-TEX, and the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database for GOTS. Read the product categories on the record and make sure they match what you are buying. For the difference between the two, see GOTS vs OEKO-TEX.
Use every test on us
"I couldn't verify the quality of any of the silk that was out there. And because of my health conditions, I have to be sure. So I built what I needed." We evaluated 15 silk makers before choosing ours, and I chose 25 momme because I wanted heavier silk that's smoother on skin and hair and lasts through more washings.
So the proof came first. Our pillowcases are 25 momme, Grade 6A, 100% mulberry silk in a charmeuse weave, crafted by a GOTS & OEKO-TEX certified silk house. We call that Performance Luxury Silk™: a standard with every number published, not a claim that it beats every silk. The silk house holds GOTS license 00284622. Our pillowcases carry OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate 22.HCN.30712, Product Class I, and the Voile™ eye mask and Soie™ scrunchies carry 19.HCN.84688. Wink Silk is pursuing its own GOTS Trader and OEKO-TEX certifications. The lookup steps are on our certifications page.
If you want the same checks as a short list for any brand, read four questions to ask about any silk. For everything else to look for, read what to look for in a high quality silk pillowcase.
The Douceur™ is $185, single layer, and the Douceur Doublure™ is $245, double layer, one of 330 hand-numbered founding pieces, never restocked. Pillowcases are queen only for now. Returns are free for 30 days from delivery, used or not, so you can run the feel test on your own pillow. If you want early access, Wink Privé opens November 2, three days before everyone else, at winksilk.com/pages/founding. Ship date confirmed by email after purchase. You can cancel for a full refund any time before it ships.
You came here holding a pillowcase and a question I couldn't answer during chemo: what is this, really? Now you have five ways to find out, and you can use every one of them on us. We all deserve to know exactly what we're sleeping on for eight hours a night.
Wink. The brand that shows you the certificates.
Sleep beautifully.
Sources
- Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts (FTC)
- Silk (Wikipedia)
- Units of textile measurement: momme (Wikipedia)
- Silk Reeling and Testing Manual, Chapter 11: Raw Silk Testing (FAO)
- OEKO-TEX: Label Check
- GOTS: Certified Suppliers Database
- Certifications: Wink Silk
Wink Privé opens November 2, three days before everyone else. 330 hand-numbered Douceur Doublure™ pieces, never restocked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if my silk pillowcase is real?
Start with the label: it should say 100% mulberry silk and give a momme weight and grade. Then do a burn test on one thread from an inside seam. Real silk smells like burnt hair and leaves crumbly ash. Polyester melts into a hard bead and smells like plastic. The feel and ring tests add hints, not proof.
Is there a way to tell real silk without damaging the pillowcase?
Yes. Reading the fiber line, checking the momme and grade, looking up certificate numbers, the feel test and the ring test are all non-destructive. They are less conclusive one at a time but useful together. For the most reliable home test, pull a single loose thread from an inside seam for a burn test, which leaves the face of the pillowcase untouched.
What price is too low for a real silk pillowcase?
There is no single cutoff, but a very low price on a full-size pillowcase labeled silk is a reason to check harder. Real mulberry silk costs far more to produce than polyester, because it takes thousands of cocoons to make a pound of raw silk. Ask for the fiber, momme, grade and certificates, and try the thread burn test.
Does OEKO-TEX or GOTS certification prove it's real silk?
No. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests a finished product for harmful substances, and a polyester pillowcase can hold it. GOTS certifies companies in an organic textile supply chain. Neither is a fiber test. They prove independent oversight, so look up the number on the certifier's database, then check the fiber line and do a burn test for the fiber itself.
What is Performance Luxury Silk?
Performance Luxury Silk™ is Wink Silk's name for silk that comes with published, checkable specs: 25 momme, Grade 6A, 100% mulberry silk in a charmeuse weave, crafted by a GOTS & OEKO-TEX certified silk house. It's our own standard that you can verify, not an industry certification and not a claim that it beats every silk.
How can I verify Wink Silk's certifications?
Search GOTS license 00284622 in the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database; it belongs to the GOTS & OEKO-TEX certified silk house that crafts our pieces. Search OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate 22.HCN.30712 for pillowcases, or 19.HCN.84688 for the Voile eye mask and Soie scrunchies, in OEKO-TEX Label Check. Wink Silk is pursuing its own GOTS Trader and OEKO-TEX certifications.
