Is Egyptian Cotton Bedding Really Better? The Truth

Nothing feels better than slipping into crisp cotton sheets at the end of a long day. But choosing those sheets can leave you with a headache. How do you find the perfect bedding for you? Is it worth spending more on expensive bed sheets? What is Egyptian cotton and why does everyone bang on about it, anyway?

Here’s everything you need to know:

Why Egyptian Cotton bedding?

Egyptian cotton has long been considered the king (or the Pharaoh) of the bedding industry, but what you probably didn’t know is that those thick, high thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets you crave are massively overrated. There are better, and more affordable, alternatives.

Buying bed sheets with an Egyptian cotton label doesn’t guarantee high quality. All it really means is that the cotton they were made with was grown in Egypt. Historically, Egyptian cotton was prized for its thickness and durability but, sadly, modern Egyptian cotton simply doesn’t guarantee these same standards.

The Decline of Egyptian Cotton

The reality is that there are around 10 varieties of cotton farmed in Egypt and not all of this cotton is of the high quality you would expect. The Egyptian cotton industry is in decline, thanks to the steady drop of the global price for cotton in the last decade, and the Egyptian government’s decision to remove subsidies for native cotton farmers. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Egypt produced just 395,000 bales of cotton in 2017, down from nearly 940,000 bales in 2005.

Marketing Myth

Because of its scarcity, many manufacturers are choosing to cheat when making their Egyptian cotton products, meaning that the sheets you buy might not actually have ever been near the Nile at all.

A recent, high-profile, American investigation found that several large Egyptian cotton manufacturers had been passing off textiles produced elsewhere in the world as Egyptian for years. Until the investigation began, several huge American brands simply had no idea where their cotton was really coming from. What this case demonstrates is that it is massively difficult to monitor and verify a supply chain that stretches around the world, and that thinking a product is superior doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Identifying high quality cotton involves more than just knowing what country it was made in.

beddable has you covered.

When choosing the cotton of our products, first we look at is quality: how soft, thick and strong it feels. And it may surprise you to know that, Egyptian cotton isn’t always our first choice. High-quality Egyptian cotton is very scarce and that means that it is very expensive. When it comes to cost versus quality, there are certainly better options to choose.

If you’re looking for top quality sheets at fair prices, beddable has got you covered. Hand picked for their quality and style, these are sheets you’ll be delighted to slip into, night after night.