Is Mulberry Silk Better Than Other Types of Silk?

For almost anything you'd rest against your skin or hair, yes — mulberry silk is the finest there is. Spun by the mulberry-fed Bombyx mori silkworm, it produces the longest, smoothest, strongest and most uniform fibre of any silk, in a clean white that dyes beautifully. The wild silks have their own charms — but none of them glides like mulberry.

"Better", of course, depends on what you're asking silk to do. So here's how mulberry actually compares to the others, and where each one earns its place.

So is mulberry silk really better?

For smoothness, consistency and gentleness, it genuinely is — and that's not marketing, it's the fibre. Because the Bombyx mori silkworm eats only mulberry leaves and is raised in careful cultivation, the thread it spins is long, fine and remarkably even, with a soft sheen and almost no slubs or knots. That uniformity is exactly what lets mulberry silk be woven into the dense, glassy surface you want under your cheek at night. Wild silks, spun by moths eating a varied forest diet, simply can't match that evenness — which is why, when a fabric is meant to touch skin, mulberry is almost always the answer.

What are the other types of silk?

Mostly the "wild" silks, and they're characterful rather than inferior. Tussar (or tasar) is the everyday wild silk — golden-brown, with shorter, uneven fibres that give it a lovely rustic texture but a rougher hand and less shine. Eri is the soft, matte one, often called "peace silk" because the moth leaves its open-ended cocoon before harvest; it feels closer to a fine wool, warm and gently nubbly. And muga is the rare jewel — a naturally golden silk from Assam, prized for its lustre and strength, and usually the most expensive silk of all. Each is beautiful in its own register.

Mulberry versus tussar, eri and muga — how do they compare?

Think of it less as a ranking than a set of trade-offs. Mulberry wins on smoothness, fineness and that pure dyeable white, which is why it dominates pillowcases, fine garments and anything worn close to the skin. Tussar is coarser and less durable, but its texture and earthy colour suit furnishings and structured clothing. Eri trades sheen for softness and warmth, and appeals to anyone drawn to its gentler, moth-spared production. Muga outshines them all quite literally — that golden glow is unique — but its rarity puts it out of everyday reach. None of these is "wrong"; they're simply built for different jobs.

Is any other silk ever the better choice?

Honestly, yes — it just depends on the brief. If you want a warm, matte, wool-like drape or you care most about the moth surviving, eri may suit you better than mulberry. If you're after a heirloom textile with a natural golden sheen, muga is in a class of its own. For rustic texture and structure, tussar earns its keep. But for the specific things most people actually want silk for — a smooth, cool, gentle surface against skin and hair that lasts for years — mulberry is hard to beat, and harder still to better.

What does this mean for a silk pillowcase?

For bedding, it's mulberry, comfortably. You want the smoothest possible surface to reduce friction on skin and hair, a fibre fine enough to feel cool and liquid against your face, and the durability to survive years of washing — and that's mulberry silk's home ground, ideally woven to 22 momme. The wild silks are wonderful things; they're just not what you'd choose to sleep on.

If a smooth night's sleep is the brief, our LS Silk NZ pillowcases are 100% mulberry silk, 22 momme and OEKO-TEX certified.

It's a small lesson in not confusing "best" with "only" — tussar, eri and muga each have a place a mulberry pillowcase never will. But for the quiet, nightly business of being kind to your skin and hair, the mulberry silkworm and its single fussy diet still make the finest thread there is. Five thousand years of trying, and nothing has out-spun it.