What is Lyocell?

What is Lyocell?

When people look ahead to the future, they generally aren’t thinking about fabrics. But luckily for you, we’re the kind of people who do exactly that. And, in our humble opinion, one fabric stands out as the “fabric of the future.” 

Which one? You guessed it: lyocell. 

This versatile and sustainable fabric has been growing in popularity lately and it deserves all the accolades it’s been getting. But what exactly is lyocell and what makes it so special?

The people ask, we answer.

Resting comfortably in the knowledge that lyocell is a superior fabric

what is lyocell?

Lyocell is a type of rayon fabric that’s commonly used in clothing, towels, specialty paper, and even medical dressings. You might be familiar with other rayon fabrics like viscose and modal. Lyocell can be considered the “third-generation” of that group. You could think of lyocell as Rayon 3: Tokyo Drift.

It’s also a fan-favorite fabric for bed sheets because of its softness, breathability, and other qualities that make lyocell eucalyptus sheets worth it. That’s not all lyocell has going for it, though. 

lyocell and sustainability

As we mentioned, lyocell is sustainable, much more sustainable than other comparable fabrics like silk and cotton. Why? 

Lyocell production uses no toxic chemicals. Plus, nearly 100 percent of the dissolving agent needed to make lyocell can be used over and over again. A big winner on the “reuse” part of “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

Even better, not only does lyocell use much less water than cotton during production, but it also doesn’t need to be washed as often since it stays clean longer. That’s saving water from beginning to end. 10 points to lyocell. 

Sustainability might not be the biggest factor to consider while choosing the fabric of your sheets, but still, lyocell blows the competition out of the water (pun intended, probably).

Cheers to sustainable sheets!

is lyocell a natural fabric?

It’s easy to get caught up in binary thinking. Cats and dogs, black and white, natural fibers and synthetics. Then, lyocell comes along and stomps on those strict boxes.

Technically speaking, the US government classifies lyocell as a “man-made” fabric because it doesn’t grow right out of the ground. This label can be deceiving, though. Just like “pineapple.” It's neither an apple nor fruit from a pine tree. What’s up with that?

Back on topic, lyocell is made out of wood, generally, wood from eucalyptus trees. The harvested wood gets broken up into little tiny pieces that get turned into wood pulp once some non-toxic chemicals are added to the mix. The wood pulp gets turned into yarn which then becomes the sheets and other lyocell items that customers love. 

the difference between Tencel and eucalyptus lyocell

You may have heard Tencel used in place of lyocell, but they’re not synonyms. Tencel is actually the brand name for eucalyptus lyocell produced by a fiber company called Lenzing. 

Think of it like squares and rectangles. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Likewise, all Tencel is lyocell, but not all lyocell is Tencel. Got it? (Sorry for the flashback to eighth-grade geometry.)

Sheets and Giggles' sheets are eucalyptus lyocell, but they’re not Tencel like most of the other eucalyptus options available for purchase. That means we have greater flexibility in our products (and our prices). 

If you’re not already a fan of lyocell, we’re pretty sure our super-soft eucalyptus lyocell sheets will convert you into one. Order a set of your new favorite sheets here. 

Can't you hear these luxurious eucalyptus lyocell sheets calling out to you?