I use a lot of bedding, which is a given when you test bedsheets and duvets for a living. I’ve slept on everything from bamboo and silk to flat-weave cotton, but there’s one term I keep seeing in bedding fabrics that I’ve never heard of: Lyocell. So I needed to know. What makes it different from other bedding fabrics? Does it feel more comfortable to sleep on? And are the commonly-seen cooler and more eco-friendly claims accurate? What is Tencel? How is it different from Lyocell?
Lyocell is a cellulose-based man-made fiber that’s similar to fabrics like rayon and is said to have eco-friendly benefits because of the way it’s made. Is it the magic solution for eco-friendly sheets? No. But it’s a move in the right direction, and it could well make lyocell an even more eco-conscious choice.
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Closing the Loop
Lyocell isn’t a synthetic fiber, since it has a cellulose structure similar to rayon and cotton. But while cotton is harvested from a plant, lyocell and rayon are man-made fibers made by turning wood pulp into fiber and, ultimately, fabric. “The process is called wet spinning,” says Karen Leonas, a professor of fiber science at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. “You take wood pulp and turn it into a slurry, which you turn into filaments, which you turn into fiber.”
The Federal Trade Commission classifies rayon and lyocell as different fibers because their production processes are so different. One of the biggest differences is production volume. Rayon is made using different harsh chemicals that can’t be reused, while lyocell is known for its closed-loop production process, which reuses nearly all of the solvents to make more lyocell.
Leonas says lyocell is a better choice than rayon because of different chemicals used in production. Specifically, rayon production uses carbon disulfide, which is toxic to both the environment and to people working in the wet-spinning process; lyocell production does not. “We have solid technical evidence that, from a chemical standpoint, lyocell is more environmentally friendly and less toxic to workers,” he says.
words Tencel and Lyocell They’re often used together, and sometimes interchangeably. Lyocell is the fabric, and Tencel is the brand. Owned by the Lenzing Group, the company makes a specific trademark, Tencel Lyocell fabric. “It’s like Corn Flakes and Kellogg’s,” says Leonas. Lyocell is used in all kinds of bedding, from sheets to your favorite mattress.
