"100% silk" is printed on a lot of things that are not, in fact, silk. Between satin, "silk-touch" microfibre and polyester blends flooding online marketplaces, telling the real thing from a convincing imitation has never been more useful — especially before you invest in a pillowcase or a set of sheets meant to last years.
Here are seven reliable ways to recognise genuine mulberry silk.
1. The feel: warm, not slippery
Real silk feels soft and almost warm to the touch, and it quickly takes on your body temperature. Polyester satin feels cool, slick and a little plasticky, and never quite warms up. Run the fabric across the back of your hand: silk seems to "cling" gently; synthetics simply glide.
2. The sheen: shifting, not glassy
Genuine silk has a soft, shifting lustre — its colour appears to change subtly as the light and angle move, because the triangular silk fibres refract light like a prism. Polyester satin has a hard, uniform, almost mirror-like shine that stays the same from every angle.
3. The warmth test
Hold the fabric in your hands for a few seconds. Silk warms up and stays warm. Synthetics stay cool or turn clammy, because they don't breathe.
4. The burn test (the most definitive)
If you have a loose thread, this is the clearest test of all. Real silk is a protein fibre: it burns slowly, smells like burnt hair, turns to a fine black ash you can crush to powder, and self-extinguishes the moment you remove the flame. Polyester melts into a hard plastic bead, smells chemical, and keeps burning. (Do this carefully, over a sink, with a single thread only.)
5. The price
Quality mulberry silk is labour-intensive to produce, so it is never cheap. A "silk" pillowcase for €10–15 is almost certainly polyester satin. Real 22-momme mulberry silk sits in a different price bracket — for a reason.
6. The label: look for "mulberry" and a momme number
Vague wording — "silky", "satin", "silk-touch" — is a red flag. A serious listing specifies mulberry silk, a momme weight (the density of the weave; 19 to 25 is ideal for bedding) and often a silk grade (6A being the highest, long-strand quality). If a seller can't tell you the momme, be cautious.
7. Certifications
Independent certification is the simplest proof of all. An OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 label means the textile has been tested for harmful substances — something genuine silk makers can show, and cheap imitations rarely can.
What "real silk" means at Rêvery & Silk
Everything we make is 22-momme, Grade 6A long-strand mulberry silk, certified OEKO-TEX Standard 100 — exactly the checklist above, met on every piece. To feel the difference for yourself, start with our silk pillowcases or explore the full silk bedding collection.