4 Silk Pajamas From Sustainable Brands We Love

What does royalty sleep in? We’re talking about actual members of royalty—kings, queens, princes, princesses, and every other person lucky enough to be born into a life of opulence. 

Does silk come to mind? If so, you’re pretty close to reality. This softest of fabrics has been the threads of choice for Chinese empresses, Roman rulers, and anyone else with a taste for (and access to) luxury. It doesn’t hurt that silk is hypoallergenic, durable, and prone to emitting a hypnotizing sheen. Our favorite part about silk is that it’s biodegradable and recyclable.

Jump To Our Picks

What are Silk Pajamas?

Pajamas made of silk are sure to be some of the softest garments your hands have ever felt. It’s no coincidence that silk fabric is the result of a long, resource-intensive process that begins with silkworms maturing from larvae and spinning themselves into delicate cocoons. Each cocoon represents a single strand of silk and can reach more than 1.5 kilometers. 

The key to getting high-quality silk is to unravel the silk strands before the worms can mature into moths. Sometimes, the makers heat the cocoons so that the unraveling process is easier. After the silk is extracted and woven into yarn, the dyeing and finishing phase can begin. 

Silkmaking usually involves the killing of silkworms, which has raised concerns from the animal welfare group PETA. Producing silk fabric also requires the use of nonrenewable resources to control the temperatures in factories. The silk trade has also faced credible allegations of forced labor and child labor. 

For these reasons, we have chosen the following products after an extremely strict vetting process.

Top 4 Silk Pajamas: How We Chose

Producing sustainable silk clothing is fairly complicated. We wanted assurance from companies that they understood the fragile ecosystem surrounding silk production and have taken steps to minimize harm to the environment. 

Price was also a factor in our search. As you’ll see, silk garments are not the cheapest. Finding affordable silk pajamas that are also eco-friendly was somewhat challenging, but we have a good feeling about the products we tested.

Our Picks

All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the author and DGHQ editors. However, Do Good HQ may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.

1. Clementine Organic Silk Pajama Set

We were happy to find this organic silk pajama set after searching all over the internet. It’s not too difficult to find individual silk garments, but sets are relatively hard to come by. We liked how stylish this looked and really dug the pockets.

Highlights

As expected, this pajama set was as soft as can be. Besides Clementine’s signature peach hue, you can order this in sky blue or pearl white. We were also pleased with the fast shipping time.

Things to Consider

At the time of publishing, Clementine was offering a free organic silk sleep mask with every pajama purchase. The shipment came in plastic-free packaging, so our hands never touched harmful chemicals. 

2. Men’s Mulberry Silk Robe (The Ethical Silk Company)

We appreciated the transparency offered by The Ethical Silk Company when it came to product creation. They were upfront about its mulberry silk products, which have the distinction of being “peace silk.” Peace silk requires harvesting the cocoon material after the moth leaves. 

Highlights

Men’s silk pajamas don’t get much better than this. We love the elegant look of this robe, which was also impressive in its temperature regulation.  

Things to Consider

The Ethical Silk Company donates 10% of its profits to charity. As of this writing, the company donates 5% to the Jeevan Jyothi AIDS Centre and the remaining 5% to Focus Ireland. When it comes to sustainability and caring for the planet and all its people, this company certainly walks the walk.

3. Silk Pajama Tank (Quince)

If you’re looking for eco-friendly silk pajamas for women that won’t break the bank, we’d have to recommend this silk pajama tank top from Quince. You’ll get free shipping regardless of the size of your order. 

Highlights

You’ll realize even more savings with Quince’s generous return policy. They generally accept all returns within 365 days—that’s a full year. We found a slew of other potential savings on Quince’s website.

Things to Consider

The product description didn’t mention whether or not this garment is made of peace silk, so we have to assume it’s not. Quince’s website has a fair amount of information about sustainability in its About section, which was definitely appreciated, but it’s not clear how much their efforts apply to this particular piece of clothing.

4. Pure Silk Button-Up Women’s Pajamas (SilkSilky)

The best way to describe this silk pajama set? Low-key. It’s not as fashionable as some of the luxury brands out there, but the price is definitely good for the material you get. You can get it in muted colors or hues with more of a splash. 

Highlights

Again, we cannot overstate how comfortable this is for the price. This set was marked down more than 50% when we accessed it, which is a fantastic deal on 100% mulberry silk. 

Things to Consider

The care instructions seemed to be a little more involved compared to other brands we used for this article. For instance, the company recommends using an iron only when the product is slightly damp and using silk-specific detergent if possible. It’s possible they included these instructions only to help prolong the life of the product.

How to Choose Silk Pajamas

Silk is not cheap. Organic or peace silk is even more expensive. We understand that you may not have bottomless monetary reserves to spend on an outfit that’ll never be seen in public. We encourage you to consider your budget and determine if now is the best time to purchase such a product.

One hundred percent sustainable silk pajamas are extremely hard to pull off. Being a discerning consumer is not about being perfect; if you feel good about a purchase, we would hope to never dissuade you from that choice.

Are silk pajamas worth it? That’s a hard question to answer. It does help, we feel, to read up as much as you can about a company’s sourcing practices when dealing with a complex substance like silk. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How to wash silk pajamas?

First, you need to determine whether or not your product is safe to wash at home—it should say so on the tag. If it’s not, we strongly recommend taking it to a dry cleaner.

To wash silk by hand, fill a basin with cool or lukewarm water and submerge your silk pajamas in it. Add a few drops of gentle detergent without chlorine bleach. Gently push the garment up and down within the basin, then rinse it with fresh, cold water. After the detergent is completely gone, lightly dab the product with a towel to remove excess moisture. Hang to dry away from direct sunlight.

To wash silk in a machine, place it in a mesh bag and add delicate detergent. Do not wash with bulky items, and do not overload the machine. Use the delicate cycle on the recommended water temperature. Do not tumble dry. Lightly dab your silk pajamas with a towel and hang them to dry away from direct sunlight.

2. Are silk pajamas good for your skin?

Compared to other textiles, silk is easy on the skin. On top of having a smooth texture, silk is hypoallergenic, meaning it’s unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. Silk is also highly breathable and does not absorb moisture, which can help those who experience night sweats. Plus, silk is less likely to create sleep creases, which may help reduce skin wrinkles.

3. Are silk pajamas comfortable?

Silk pajamas are extremely comfortable. The fibers themselves are light and smooth, which makes products highly breathable. Silk also does not cling to the skin as much as other fabrics, giving you plenty of freedom to stretch and move.

Featured image via Clementine Sleepwear