OEKO-TEX® is a global certification system you can trust. A textile product with the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® label has been independently tested for harmful substances according to strict scientific criteria that go beyond legal regulations. All Mulberry Park Silks products are certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. This article explains what this means and why it matters when purchasing silk sheets, pillowcases, and accessories.

Silk: A Fabric With Unique Properties and Benefits

As a leading manufacturer of silk sheets, pillowcases, and accessories, Mulberry Park Silks is committed to educating our clients about the many benefits of silk. Silk is wonderful for hair, skin, and overall wellness. Silk has unique properties when compared to other textile products, particularly cotton, which is absorbent and can dry out hair and skin. Along with being naturally gentle and moisturizing to hair and skin, silk is temperature regulating; non-irritating to skin; hypoallergenic; and naturally resistant to mold and mites.

Mulberry Park Silks: Going a Step Further for Safety

At Mulberry Park Silks, we go a step further to ensure our fabric's safety. Along with ensuring that our silk sheets accessories meet the highest standards of beauty, comfort and color fastness, all of our silk products are certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. This means that all of our products and their components have been tested against a list of over 400 harmful substances according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. The silk items you bring into your home from Mulberry Park Silks are safe, natural, and healthy… even for a baby!

What is The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®?

The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® was developed by European textile institutes as a means to reduce the environmental footprint of the textile industry. It is a global testing and accreditation program that sets standards for the screening of chemicals and harmful substances in fabrics and other consumer textiles. Textiles can only be certified if all components meet the rigorous test criteria submitted from the raw material through the finished product.

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification means that independent labs have analyzed the product against test criteria for a variety of harmful substances including formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, chlorinated phenols, colorants, solvents, and other chemicals; these are often used in producing fabric, including silk, organic cotton, and even natural fibers. Products are categorized and tested according to their intended use:

• Items for babies
• Products that have direct contact with the skin such as sheets and clothing
• Products without direct contact with the skin such as stuffing
• Decorative tablecloths wall coverings, curtains, upholstery fabrics

To receive certification, all components and materials of textile products must comply with the test criteria, many of which are significantly more stringent than government regulations require. At that time, the product is officially certified and is issued a designation stating "OEKO-TEX® CONFIDENCE IN TEXTILES -- STANDARD 100 -- Tested for harmful substances."

How Mulberry Park Silks Products Earn their STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Certification

The process for Mulberry Park Silks' pure silk fabric to be STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified is quite rigorous and must be renewed on an annual basis. It is a voluntary process and standard around the globe for textile processing. Certification begins with our production facility submitting an application to the OEKO-TEX® Institute for testing of textile products. Once accepted for certification, a sufficient quantity of pure silk raw materials, as well as finished product samples such as a silk sheet, must be provided to the lab. The lab then determines the testing specifics based on the intended use of the product; as noted above, a textile used for bedding, or by children, would be tested differently than table linen or decorative wall hanging.

Next, an independent OEKO-TEX® lab tests the silk according to protocol and documents the process by specifying the date of the test; designation of the test sample (manufacturing batch, finishing batch, color, etc.); the person responsible for the test; and the results. Fabric is also subjected to random testing to assure quality.

Although silk fiber is naturally hypoallergenic and generally non-irritating to even sensitive skin, it is important to be certain that the silk products you bring into your home are free from contaminants. Low-quality silk may contain pesticides, fertilizer, bleach, groundwater waste, and other harmful toxins and chemicals. At Mulberry Park Silks, the silk fabric used in our bedding and accessory collections conforms to the highest standards in the textile industry. We proudly display our STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification on our packaging, website, and labels.

Understanding the Differences Between STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and GOTS

There are many different certification designations available to manufacturers in the textile industry. Along with OEKO-TEX®, one of the most common of these is GOTS or Global Organic Textile Standard. This is a different certification thanSTANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® that relates solely to organic textiles. A GOTS certification means that the fabric contains at least 70% organic natural fibers; it is not treated with bleach, formaldehyde or other toxic substances; it is colored with non-toxic dyes, and is produced according to strict social and environmental standards. The GOTS designation is frequently used for organic materials such as cotton and other natural fibers.

Both GOTS and OEKO-TEX® mean that consumers can be certain that the textiles they are purchasing are free from harmful chemicals. OEKO-TEX® certifies textiles of organic and non-organic origin. Along with silk, many other fabrics bear the OEKO-TEX® designation including cotton, bamboo, Tencel, wool, and even leather.

The Health and Wellness Benefits of Mulberry Park Silks

Along with being STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®certified, Mulberry Parks Silk products deliver significant benefits to hair, skin, and overall wellness. Knowing that all of our silk sheets, pillowcases, and accessories are entirely safe to use will give you peace of mind as you indulge in all the beauty benefits silk pillowcases and silk sheets have to offer.

Let's begin with hair. Whatever your hair type, if you wake with a head full of tangles, you can likely blame it on friction from your cotton pillowcase. Swapping your cotton pillowcase for silk will allow your hair to gently glide across the surface rather than snagging, no matter how much you toss and turn. You'll wake with hair that's smoother, silkier, and definitely tangle-free. Along with tearing at your tresses, cotton also robs hair of essential moisture especially if your hair is coarse, curly or wiry.

Silk pillowcases are also gentle on the skin. As we noted above, cotton is by nature very drying and can undo the good work of even the priciest moisturizer. In contrast, silk is protein-based and can help your skin retain its natural moisture. Silk also reduces friction on delicate facial skin, which can minimize the occurrence of sleep creases and wrinkles. At the same time, silk is hypoallergenic and non-irritating, which means it's gentle on even the most sensitive and even acne-prone skin.

Finally, silk sheets and silk bedding are breathable and regulate body temperature. One of the main reasons people love sleeping on silk is that it feels fabulous… and with good reason. Silk has the special property of being breathable and helping to regulate body temperature year-round in all conditions, making it possible to get a great night of true beauty sleep.