How to Buy Real Silk Online in Australia (Without Getting Burned)
Quick answer: Buying silk online safely comes down to five checks. Look for the words 100% mulberry silk (not “silky”, “satin” or “silk-touch”, which are polyester's hiding places), a momme weight around 22 (ignore thread count — that's a cotton measure and meaningless for silk), 6A grade, an OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification, and a price that makes sense — real silk cannot be made for $15. Buying from an Australian seller adds weights and dyes suited to the climate and spares you a four-week wait.
Five checks that tell you whether you're buying real mulberry silk or dressed-up polyester — before it arrives.
Buying silk online in Australia can feel like a small gamble. You order the cooling, hair-saving thing you read about, and three weeks later a static-prone “silky” square of polyester turns up instead, ready to make you sweat through a humid January. The frustrating part is that the clues were all there in the listing — you just needed to know which words to trust and which to walk past. Here are the five that matter.
1. The words “100% mulberry silk” — and nothing vaguer
Start with the fibre statement, because this is where the language games happen. Real silk is labelled plainly: 100% mulberry silk. The words to be wary of are the ones that describe a feeling rather than a fibre — “silky”, “silk-touch”, “satin”, “silk-satin”, “soft-touch”. Satin especially trips people up: it is a weave, not a material, and almost every inexpensive “satin” pillowcase is polyester woven to look the part. If a listing will not say the actual fibre, in plain words, assume there is a reason. What that fabric is really made from — and how to check what you already own — is in how to tell if silk is real.
2. Momme around 22 — and ignore thread count entirely
Here is the tell that quietly exposes a seller: if a listing advertises “600 thread count silk,” close the tab. Thread count is a measure invented for cotton — threads per square inch — and it means nothing for silk, whose threads are far too fine to count that way. Silk is measured by momme, its weight and density. A brand leading with thread count is either hoping you don't know the difference or doesn't know it themselves.
For the Australian climate, 22 momme is the sensible sweet spot: heavy enough to drape and survive frequent washing, fine enough to stay cool on a warm night. Lighter weights around 19 momme feel thin and wear out within a year; heavier 25-momme silk is lovely but warmer, better suited to a cool-climate bedroom than a Brisbane summer. What the number actually buys you is in what is momme in silk.
3. 6A grade
Silk is graded by the length and uniformity of its fibres, from A up to 6A, the highest. 6A grade means long, even, strong filaments and the smooth, consistent surface that lets hair glide rather than snag. A listing that names its grade is one paying attention to quality; one that stays quiet on it usually has a reason.
4. An OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification
You spend roughly a third of your life with your face against your pillowcase, so what is left in the fabric matters. OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is an independent certification that every component — the silk, the thread, the dye — has been tested against a list of harmful substances. For anyone with sensitive or reactive skin it is close to non-negotiable, and it is the sort of thing a serious silk brand states plainly and a cheap one omits.
5. A price that makes sense
Real mulberry silk is a labour-intensive agricultural product — mulberry leaves grown and harvested, silkworms raised, cocoons reeled by the hundred into a single continuous thread. That journey costs money. So while everyone loves a bargain, a “silk” pillowcase at $15 or $20 is telling you something true about itself: at that price it physically cannot be 100% 6A mulberry silk. A suspiciously low price is not a deal; it is the answer to the question you were about to ask.
One more: buy from someone who knows the climate
Not essential, but it helps. Check the “About” or “Shipping” page. An Australian seller chooses weights and dyes with local heat and high UV in mind, can actually help you if something is wrong, and won't leave you waiting a month for a parcel from an overseas warehouse. It is the difference between a shopfront and a drop-shipper.
Your checklist, in one line
100% mulberry silk · around 22 momme (never thread count) · 6A grade · OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 · a price that reflects real silk · ideally Australian. Tick those and you are buying the real thing. Miss two or more and, whatever the photos suggest, you are probably buying plastic.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a silk pillowcase is real before buying?
Read the fibre label for “100% mulberry silk” (not “silky” or “satin”), check for a momme weight around 22, 6A grade and OEKO-TEX® certification, and be wary of a very low price. Vague wording and thread-count claims are red flags.
Is thread count important for silk?
No. Thread count is a cotton measure and meaningless for silk. Silk is measured in momme (weight). A listing advertising a silk “thread count” doesn't understand the product.
What momme should I buy?
Around 22 momme for the Australian climate — durable and breathable. 19 is thin and short-lived; 25 is heavier and warmer, better for cooler climates.
Why is real silk more expensive?
It's a labour-intensive natural product — from growing mulberry leaves to reeling cocoons by hand. A $15 “silk” pillowcase cannot be genuine 6A mulberry silk.
Does “satin” mean silk?
No. Satin is a weave, not a fibre, and most affordable satin is polyester. Only a fibre label reading “silk” tells you it's silk.
Our mulberry silk pillowcases are 100% 22-momme 6A-grade mulberry silk, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified, and made and shipped in Australia — every box on the checklist, on purpose.
None of this requires an expert eye. It requires reading the label the way you'd read the ingredients on anything else you were about to live with — and trusting the plain words over the pretty ones.