Down Vs. Silk Vs. Wool

Down

Down is the soft undercoating of geese and ducks that helps keep them warm. It is made up of soft, delicate, fluffy clusters that look like dandelion fluff. Down traps air and creates a fluffy, puffy, airy, cloud-like feel. It is the most powerfully insulating material available.

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber created by silkworms. It’s lightweight but incredibly strong, and has a smooth, soft feel with a thinner profile. Silk is also naturally allergen resistant.

Wool

Wool is a fiber spun from the hair of animals. While sheep wool is most common, you can also find other options, such as alpaca or goat. Wool is more of a dense and structured feel than down with a flatter profile. It also has excellent moisture-wicking properties.

Down: Professionally wash

Down-filled products should be washed by a professional cleaner. Because of its delicate nature, down products need large, commercial machines to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. Professional cleaning facilities are also better equipped to dry thick duvets and pillows thoroughly, which is important in preventing mold and mildew. Most home machines are too small to accommodate down duvets and pillows. However, with the use of duvet covers and pillow protectors, down duvets and pillows should only require cleaning every 5 years or so.

Silk: Not washable

Silk-filled duvets and pillows should not be washed. Careful spot cleaning can help with spills or stains and the product must be air dried. The best way to maintain silk bedding is exposing it to sunlight on a dry day. If absolutely necessary, it can be dry cleaned with treatments suitable for silk.

Wool: Delicate wash

Wool bedding is the least sensitive to moisture of the three. It can be washed on a gentle cycle or by hand in cool water with wool detergent. While moisture is not damaging to wool, agitation can be, which is why very gentle washing is ideal. Wool duvets should be air dried flat.

Down: Lightest Weight

Down is prized for its lightweight warmth. It is more powerfully insulating than any other material - natural or man-made. This means that just a small amount of down creates a lot of warmth and insulation. Other materials can be used to create duvets that are equally warm, but more filling is required. If you like a light and floaty feeling on the body, a down duvet may be for you!

Silk: Heaviest Weight

Silk is the least insulating of the three materials, making silk duvets the heaviest of the 3 options (assuming equivalent warmth). Silk duvets settle around you while you sleep and contour to the body, which is great if you like the feeling of being cocooned.

Wool: Moderate Weight

Wool is more insulating per ounce than silk, but less than down, making wool duvets moderately weighty. They provide a bit of weight and drape on the body, but don’t hug you as closely as silk duvets.

Down: Fluffy

Down duvets are puffy, fluffy, and airy. Down is quite delicate, so it doesn’t provide a robust, full look like polyester, but rather a gentle fluffiness.

Silk: Thin and flat

The nature of silk makes for a flat, thin, and smooth appearance. If you like a uniform, crisp bed, a silk duvet might be for you!

Wool: Thick and flat

A wool duvet is thicker than a silk one but also has a flat and uniform look.

Down: Great moisture-wicking

Down is incredibly breathable and has good moisture-wicking properties, drawing moisture away from the skin and passing it through to the other side. It stands up well to moisture - after all, down comes from waterfowl! Down performs well with normal amounts of moisture, but insulating and lofting properties are reduced when wet. It is not ideal for going to bed with wet hair, very humid environments, or very excessive sweating. Hot sleepers who prefer a down duvet should opt for a very lightweight, thinner-style duvet that contains minimal fill. The more fill, the warmer the duvet. Opting for a lower fill weight may help prevent overheating and sweating.

Silk: Least moisture-wicking

Silk is not very moisture-wicking, and moreover, moisture can damage silk fill when absorbed.

Wool: Best moisture-wicking

Wool is the best of the three for moisture-wicking. It can absorb a lot of moisture without compromising the quality or performance of the fill.

Down: Highest price point

Down is the most expensive of the three materials due to its relative scarcity and high demand. Any down product will be fairly pricy, but goose down and high-loft down products even more so, as these materials are in even more limited supply.

Silk: High price point

Because of its slow, labour-intensive production process, silk bedding is fairly expensive. Mid-tier quality silk duvets and pillows are priced comparably to mid-range down products, but there is a more pronounced price difference at the higher end, with luxury silk products being more affordable than ultra high-performance down products.

Wool: Most affordable

As is the case with most materials, the price of wool bedding can vary depending on quality, source, and other factors, but it is generally more affordable than silk or down. 

Down: Best insulating properties, good temperature regulation

Down is the highest-performance material when it comes to insulation. Down insulates while allowing excess heat from the body to pass through to the outside. It has great temperature-regulating properties, especially when the right fill weight / warmth level is selected for the room temperature and your body temperature. The ambient room temperature should be colder than the temperature under the duvet to allow heat to pass through.

Silk: Least insulating and temperature-regulating

Silk is not overly breathable, so it does trap heat and moisture close to the body. In that sense, it does insulate but doesn’t regulate temperature well.

Wool: Good insulation and temperature regulation

Wool has good insulating properties. It’s not as powerfully insulating as down, so more wool fill is required to create a duvet of equivalent warmth. Also, wool maintains its insulating properties when wet! (At very cold room temperatures, like 15 degrees Celsius or lower, wool may not suffice. Down is the only material that will keep you warm enough at very cold temps). Wool fill allows excess heat to pass through making it a great temperature regulator.

Down: Soft and sinky

Down pillows are very soft, squishy, and malleable. Down is a very delicate material that compresses easily with the weight of the head. Even a very full down pillow will provide only a small amount of gentle support. Down pillows work well for those who love a super soft, sinky, and malleable pillow. Many people need more support than a down pillow can provide. Many folks who love down products but need a supportive pillow will opt for a feather pillow.

Silk: Flatter and cradling

Silk-filled pillows aren’t very common. A silk pillow will conform somewhat to your neck and head but doesn’t have a squishy or plush feel. The silk fibers tend to pack together to provide a mouldable feel without much spring-back.

Wool: Cushiony and dense

Wool pillows tend to be on the firmer side. They are more cushiony than silk pillows, but denser and less plush than down pillows. They will conform to your head and neck for comfort and support.

Down: Can be rendered hypoallergenic.

True allergies to down and feather are quite rare. Most people that experience allergy symptoms when using down are actually responding to dust and other allergens that can collect on the material. Down can be rendered hypoallergenic through the cleaning process, and proper care can prevent allergens from accumulating.

Silk: Allergen resistant

Silk naturally resists allergens, making it great for those who are extra sensitive.

Wool: Not allergenic

Wool is not an allergen. Some folks are allergic to lanolin, but not the wool itself.