The Leaf Score Guide to Non-Toxic Bedding covers what you don’t want in a duvet, namely toxic chemicals and synthetic materials.
What do you want in a duvet, though?
The best natural duvet materials
Regardless of which bedding set-up you prefer, choosing a duvet made with natural materials is better for:
- Breathability
- Comfort
- Durability
- All-round health.
A quality duvet can easily outlive your mattress and may last for several decades without needing to be replaced. If more people chose an eco-friendly duvet this would help to keep millions of tons of material out of landfill.
I confess, I’ve spent much of my life sleeping under synthetic duvets made with polyester and conventional cotton. More recently, I’ve upgraded my bedding and my sleep by choosing natural materials that:
- Don’t off-gas
- Have a lower carbon footprint (typically) than synthetic fills
- Support comfortable sleep and thermoregulation
- Don’t harbor dust mites to the same extent as polyester
- Are more easily recycled and upcycled
- Break down naturally when they’re truly at end-of-life.
Which materials am I talking about? Well, being vegan, I’m all about cotton, kapok, and hemp. Recycled wool and down are also options, but I’m a hot sleeper on a budget, so am happy to go with less insulating options that tend to also cost less.
If you’re looking for natural duvet materials, your best options are:
- Kapok
- Organic wool
- Organic cotton
- Hemp.
You might also want to consider:
- Recycled down
- Wild harvested ethical silk
- Virgin down and feathers.
Below, I give a quick overview of the pros and cons of each material, with links to more in-depth analyses for those who want them.
Pros and cons of kapok duvets and comforters
- Lighter than cotton
- Similar softness to down
- Hypoallergenic
- Resistant to mold
- Fast-drying
- Machine washable
- Durable (can last 20 years or more!)
- Sustainably grown and harvested (no pesticides needed)
- Thermally insulating and water-repellent
- Can be mixed with down.
- Not grown in the U.S.
- Can cost more than other duvets
- Harder to find
- Needs regular fluffing to restore loft
- Oxygen-absorbing and highly flammable.
Kapok is a silky fiber increasingly used for pillows, clothing, and duvets. It has all kinds of benefits but a few downsides too. For instance, I don’t recommend kapok comforters or duvet inserts for everyone, especially not if you smoke in bed, have candles close by, or are looking for a duvet for a toddler or small child.
Pros and cons of organic wool duvets
- Thermoregulating
- Moisture-wicking and moisture resistant
- Naturally flame-resistant
- Resistant to mold, mildew, and dust mites
- Antimicrobial
- Durable, recyclable, and biodegradable
- Can be very cozy and insulating
- Adds weight without bulk.
- Can be heavy
- Loses loft and flattens quickly
- Can be expensive, especially if well certified
- Not vegan
- May be made using toxic chemical processes
- Not always machine washable
- Can smell woolly
- Doesn’t drape like fluffier, lighter duvets.
Wool can be a fantastic material for duvets, but it’s best to know where the wool came from and how it was treated. Not all ‘organic wool’ duvets are actually organic either.
Check our top choices for wool comforters and duvet inserts.
Pros and cons of organic cotton duvets
- Soft but firm feel
- Can be less expensive than down, wool, and other duvet options
- Moisture-wicking
- Breathable
- Grown and made in the U.S. (in some cases)
- Sustainable, biodegradable material.
- Hard to find (usually just an organic cotton cover)
- Harder to clean and dry
- Can be heavy
- Prone to flattening (doesn’t maintain loft easily)
- Organic cotton certification is riddled with fraud
- Not as insulating as down and wool.
Cotton is a great material for sheets and for duvet insert casements, but you don’t usually find duvet inserts filled with cotton. Instead, cotton is a great choice for comforters to use in summer or if you live somewhere warm all year round.
Pros and cons of hemp duvets
- Sustainable, biodegradable material
- Odor-resistant
- Moisture-wicking
- Thermoregulating and breathable
- Grown and made in the U.S.
- Hemp farming doesn’t require pesticides, fertilizers, or much water.
- Hard to find
- Expensive
- Very firm, not fluffy
- Heavy and dense
- Can have a natural hemp smell, especially if wet
- Harder to clean.
Hemp is one of my favorite sustainable fibers and its use in home textiles and bedding has blossomed in recent years. That said, it’s still hard to find hemp duvets, despite their many great qualities.
If you live somewhere warm, sleep hot, or have night sweats, consider a hemp duvet.
Pros and cons of silk duvets
- Lightweight but warm
- Thermoregulating
- Moisture-wicking
- Breathable
- Biodegradable
- Durable.
- Hard to find
- Harder to clean and dry
- Fraught with ethical concerns
- Too much washing can damage the silk
- Most often harvested and processed using toxic chemicals.
Silk duvets aren’t very common, and they tend to be very pricy. You might luck out and find one secondhand though, which overcomes a lot of the ethical and sustainability issues with silk.
Pros and cons of goose and duck down and feather duvets
- Light and lofty
- Thermally insulating
- Hypoallergenic
- Resistant to mold
- Machine washable
- Durable (can last 20 years or more!).
- Can cost more than other duvets
- Fraught with ethical concerns
- Needs regular fluffing to restore loft
- Often treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals
- Feather duvets can be spiky and heavier than down.
Down is a very popular duvet fill, as is a mix of down and feathers. There’s a lot to consider when looking for a down and feather duvet, though, including the loft and fill power.
We'll also look into the difference between duck and goose down in another blog post.
Pros and cons of recycled down and feather duvets
- Light and lofty
- Thermally insulating
- Hypoallergenic
- Resistant to mold
- Machine washable
- Durable (can last 20 years or more!)
- More eco-friendly than virgin down and feathers
- Arguably less cruel than virgin down and feathers.
- More likely to have been sterilized with formaldehyde and other chemicals
- Can cost more than other duvets
- Feather duvets can be spiky and heavier than down
- Needs regular fluffing to restore loft
- Recycling down may reduce some of its natural properties.
For folks who love a down duvet but don’t have the budget or stomach for virgin down, a recycled down duvet can be tempting. Is this a good idea though? In some cases, yes! In other cases, such as where hazardous chemicals have been used for sterilization, you’ll want to steer clear of recycled feathers and down.
Final thoughts on the best natural materials for duvets
Duvets come in all shapes and sizes, with all types of fill. The best natural materials for duvets will depend, though, on how you sleep, your budget, and other factors.
And once you've chosen your duvet, check out LeafScore Essentials, to kit out your bed with organic cotton sheets and organic cotton pillow and mattress protectors.
