Searches for "organic cotton pjs" rose more than 400% this fall, according to Google Trends. They keep climbing into the coldest months, when people spend the most hours in bed.
There's a reason it's the pajama drawer and not the closet. Polyester makes up 59% of the fiber the world produces, according to Textile Exchange, and sleepwear is where it hides best: the satin set that reads as silk, the "cozy" fleece, the jersey that's quietly half plastic. You sleep in them for eight hours, against bare skin, under a duvet that holds the heat in. A fabric that doesn't breathe holds the sweat in too.
Organic cotton is the opposite. It breathes, it softens with every wash, and it was grown without synthetic pesticides. The label tells you how far that goes. "Organic cotton" describes the fiber. GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, certifies the whole chain, including the dyes and finishes added after the field, which is the chemistry that actually sits on your skin.
Every set here is 100% organic cotton, with no spandex or polyester blended in. Here are the 7 best organic cotton pajamas for women, scored:
1. Isla Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Pajama Set
Coyuchi
100% organic cotton · $128
The classic long sleeve shirt and pant, in GOTS certified organic cotton from a brand that has made organic bedding since 1991. Coyuchi's license (827969, Control Union) is listed in the GOTS public register, which covers the dye house, not only the field. The best place to start if you're replacing one set.
2. Caviar Club Long Pajama Set
Printfresh
100% organic cotton poplin · Made in India · $178
For anyone who wants their pajamas to look like a gift. Embroidered caviar tins on crisp pearl poplin, with a piped, buttoned top and a full-length pant. It has the look of the satin sets that are really polyester, in a cotton that breathes.
3. Antonella Flannel Pyjama Set
Damson Madder
100% organic cotton flannel · Made in India · $180
Real flannel is woven cotton brushed until it's soft. Most "flannel" pajamas are polyester brushed to imitate it. This is the real kind, in a navy and burgundy check with bow ties down the front, and it comes with a matching drawstring bag. The winter set.
4. Organic Loungewear Set
AIZOME
100% organic cotton, undyed · $145
The simplest pajamas on the list. In the Virgin Cotton colorway, the fabric is left completely undyed, so there's no dye to react to, and AIZOME skips the chemical finish too. A boxy tee and a pant, cut unisex, so it reads relaxed.
5. Isla Organic Cotton Cami Short Set
Coyuchi
100% organic cotton · $59
The same GOTS certified cotton as the long set, cut as a cami and short for anyone who sleeps hot. At $59, it's the least expensive set on the list, and the easiest way to try organic cotton before buying more.
6. Izzy Pyjama Set
Damson Madder
100% organic cotton · $180
A chocolate and ecru stripe with frill trims and waist ties. The stripe keeps it looking pressed even when it isn't, and the shirt works open over a tank on a slow morning. Like every Damson Madder set, it arrives in a matching drawstring bag.
7. Pointelle Sleep Pant
LA Relaxed
100% organic cotton pointelle · Made in USA · $98
Knit in Los Angeles in an organic cotton pointelle, the tiny eyelet knit of old-fashioned long johns. The elastic is tucked inside a velvet-backed band with a picot edge, so no synthetic sits against your skin. Pair it with any cotton tee you already own.
What to look for in organic cotton pajamas
Three things on the tag do most of the work.
The composition line. It should read 100% organic cotton, or organic cotton blended with another natural fiber. A few percent of spandex usually means a synthetic waistband or a stretch knit. Satin that doesn't say silk is almost always polyester.
The certificate. GOTS is the one that covers the whole garment, dyes and finishes included. A brand that's certified will publish its license number, and you can look it up in the GOTS public database.
The weave. Poplin and percale are crisp and cool, for hot sleepers and summer. Flannel is brushed for warmth. Pointelle and jersey are knits that stretch without spandex.
For the holidays, see the best Christmas pajamas, with matching natural fiber sets for the whole family.
Frequently asked
For something worn eight hours a night against bare skin, they are the swap to make first. Organic cotton breathes and moves moisture off the skin, which polyester does not. A GOTS certificate also covers how the fabric is dyed and finished, which is where most of the chemistry that touches you is added.
"Organic cotton" on a label describes the fiber. GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, certifies the whole chain from field to finished garment and restricts the dyes and finishes used along the way, including formaldehyde. A GOTS garment is organic cotton, but not all organic cotton is GOTS certified.
A crisp, lightweight weave of a natural fiber. Cotton poplin and percale, linen and silk all breathe. Cotton flannel is warmer but still lets moisture move. Polyester satin and fleece trap heat and sweat, which is why they feel clammy by morning.
Cotton can shrink a few percent in its first hot wash and dry. Wash cold and line dry or tumble low, and check the brand's care notes before sizing up.
Most bamboo pajamas are bamboo viscose, a fiber made by dissolving bamboo pulp in chemical solvents and spinning it back out, usually blended with spandex. It is soft, but it is not a plant fiber in the way cotton is. Organic cotton is the simpler fabric.
Comments
No comments yet.
That didn't go through. Try again.