What Your Underwear Is Actually Made Of
There's a label sewn into every pair of underwear you own. It lists the fabric content. And for most people, that label says something like 95% polyester, 5% elastane — or some variation of it.
We know this because we checked. We walked through high street shops and looked at the labels of the bestselling underwear in the UK. Almost all of it is synthetic. Not some of it — almost all of it.
Now, this isn't necessarily a scandal. Polyester is cheap to produce, easy to work with, and it holds its shape well. That's why it dominates. But it does raise a question worth asking: is it actually the right material for a garment you wear closest to your body, every single day?
How did we end up wearing plastic?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are essentially derived from petroleum. They were developed in the mid-twentieth century as a cheap, durable alternative to natural fibres, and they worked extremely well for things like outerwear, activewear, and home furnishings. Over time, as manufacturing scaled up and costs dropped, they migrated into everything — including underwear.
For a while, nobody really asked whether that was a good idea. The clothes were cheap, they didn't shrink, they dried quickly. What was not to like?
Quite a lot, it turns out — once you start looking.
What polyester doesn't do well
Polyester is hydrophobic, which means it repels water. For a waterproof jacket, that's exactly what you want. For underwear, it means sweat sits on your skin rather than being drawn away from it. The result is a warmer, more humid environment in the areas your underwear covers — which is already one of the warmest parts of your body.
Combine that with friction and heat, and you have a recipe for irritation. Textile contact dermatitis — rashes and itching caused by fabric — is a well-documented condition, and synthetic fabrics are disproportionately associated with it. Dermatologists have noted this for years; most people just haven't connected it to what they're wearing.
And then there's the question of what synthetic fabrics shed. Polyester releases microplastic fibres with every wash and every wear. These fibres have been found in human tissue, in the food chain, and — more recently — in studies looking at what happens when they sit against skin for extended periods.
So what's the alternative?
Cotton has been the traditional answer, and it's still a good one. It's natural, breathable, and well-understood. But there's a newer option that outperforms cotton on several key measures: bamboo.
Bamboo fabric — specifically bamboo viscose — has a softer, smoother fibre structure than cotton. It wicks moisture away from skin faster. It regulates temperature better. And it's naturally resistant to bacterial growth, which matters in an area of the body that tends to be warm and enclosed.
It's also, for what it's worth, dramatically more sustainable to produce than either cotton or polyester. But that's a secondary benefit for another post. The point here is simpler: bamboo underwear works better for the person wearing it.
"The most important thing a fabric can do for you is get out of the way — and let your body do what it naturally does."
We started YouBamboo because we believed bamboo was a genuinely better material. We're writing this post because we think it's time to talk more directly about why. Not just what it does for the planet, but what it does for you.
There's a label sewn into every pair of underwear you own. It lists the fabric content. And for most people, that label says something like 95% polyester, 5% elastane — or some variation of it.
We know this because we checked. We walked through high street shops and looked at the labels of the bestselling underwear in the UK. Almost all of it is synthetic. Not some of it — almost all of it.
Now, this isn't necessarily a scandal. Polyester is cheap to produce, easy to work with, and it holds its shape well. That's why it dominates. But it does raise a question worth asking: is it actually the right material for a garment you wear closest to your body, every single day?
How did we end up wearing plastic?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are essentially derived from petroleum. They were developed in the mid-twentieth century as a cheap, durable alternative to natural fibres, and they worked extremely well for things like outerwear, activewear, and home furnishings. Over time, as manufacturing scaled up and costs dropped, they migrated into everything — including underwear.
For a while, nobody really asked whether that was a good idea. The clothes were cheap, they didn't shrink, they dried quickly. What was not to like?
Quite a lot, it turns out — once you start looking.
What polyester doesn't do well
Polyester is hydrophobic, which means it repels water. For a waterproof jacket, that's exactly what you want. For underwear, it means sweat sits on your skin rather than being drawn away from it. The result is a warmer, more humid environment in the areas your underwear covers — which is already one of the warmest parts of your body.
Combine that with friction and heat, and you have a recipe for irritation. Textile contact dermatitis — rashes and itching caused by fabric — is a well-documented condition, and synthetic fabrics are disproportionately associated with it. Dermatologists have noted this for years; most people just haven't connected it to what they're wearing.
And then there's the question of what synthetic fabrics shed. Polyester releases microplastic fibres with every wash and every wear. These fibres have been found in human tissue, in the food chain, and — more recently — in studies looking at what happens when they sit against skin for extended periods.
So what's the alternative?
Cotton has been the traditional answer, and it's still a good one. It's natural, breathable, and well-understood. But there's a newer option that outperforms cotton on several key measures: bamboo.
Bamboo fabric — specifically bamboo viscose — has a softer, smoother fibre structure than cotton. It wicks moisture away from skin faster. It regulates temperature better. And it's naturally resistant to bacterial growth, which matters in an area of the body that tends to be warm and enclosed.
It's also, for what it's worth, dramatically more sustainable to produce than either cotton or polyester. But that's a secondary benefit for another post. The point here is simpler: bamboo underwear works better for the person wearing it.
"The most important thing a fabric can do for you is get out of the way — and let your body do what it naturally does."
We started YouBamboo because we believed bamboo was a genuinely better material. We're writing this post because we think it's time to talk more directly about why. Not just what it does for the planet, but what it does for you.
There's a label sewn into every pair of underwear you own. It lists the fabric content. And for most people, that label says something like 95% polyester, 5% elastane — or some variation of it.
We know this because we checked. We walked through high street shops and looked at the labels of the bestselling underwear in the UK. Almost all of it is synthetic. Not some of it — almost all of it.
Now, this isn't necessarily a scandal. Polyester is cheap to produce, easy to work with, and it holds its shape well. That's why it dominates. But it does raise a question worth asking: is it actually the right material for a garment you wear closest to your body, every single day?
How did we end up wearing plastic?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are essentially derived from petroleum. They were developed in the mid-twentieth century as a cheap, durable alternative to natural fibres, and they worked extremely well for things like outerwear, activewear, and home furnishings. Over time, as manufacturing scaled up and costs dropped, they migrated into everything — including underwear.
For a while, nobody really asked whether that was a good idea. The clothes were cheap, they didn't shrink, they dried quickly. What was not to like?
Quite a lot, it turns out — once you start looking.
What polyester doesn't do well
Polyester is hydrophobic, which means it repels water. For a waterproof jacket, that's exactly what you want. For underwear, it means sweat sits on your skin rather than being drawn away from it. The result is a warmer, more humid environment in the areas your underwear covers — which is already one of the warmest parts of your body.
Combine that with friction and heat, and you have a recipe for irritation. Textile contact dermatitis — rashes and itching caused by fabric — is a well-documented condition, and synthetic fabrics are disproportionately associated with it. Dermatologists have noted this for years; most people just haven't connected it to what they're wearing.
And then there's the question of what synthetic fabrics shed. Polyester releases microplastic fibres with every wash and every wear. These fibres have been found in human tissue, in the food chain, and — more recently — in studies looking at what happens when they sit against skin for extended periods.
So what's the alternative?
Cotton has been the traditional answer, and it's still a good one. It's natural, breathable, and well-understood. But there's a newer option that outperforms cotton on several key measures: bamboo.
Bamboo fabric — specifically bamboo viscose — has a softer, smoother fibre structure than cotton. It wicks moisture away from skin faster. It regulates temperature better. And it's naturally resistant to bacterial growth, which matters in an area of the body that tends to be warm and enclosed.
It's also, for what it's worth, dramatically more sustainable to produce than either cotton or polyester. But that's a secondary benefit for another post. The point here is simpler: bamboo underwear works better for the person wearing it.
"The most important thing a fabric can do for you is get out of the way — and let your body do what it naturally does."
We started YouBamboo because we believed bamboo was a genuinely better material. We're writing this post because we think it's time to talk more directly about why. Not just what it does for the planet, but what it does for you.
Check the label in your underwear today. Then decide if it's really the material you'd choo
There's a label sewn into every pair of underwear you own. It lists the fabric content. And for most people, that label says something like 95% polyester, 5% elastane — or some variation of it.
We know this because we checked. We walked through high street shops and looked at the labels of the bestselling underwear in the UK. Almost all of it is synthetic. Not some of it — almost all of it.
Now, this isn't necessarily a scandal. Polyester is cheap to produce, easy to work with, and it holds its shape well. That's why it dominates. But it does raise a question worth asking: is it actually the right material for a garment you wear closest to your body, every single day?
How did we end up wearing plastic?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are essentially derived from petroleum. They were developed in the mid-twentieth century as a cheap, durable alternative to natural fibres, and they worked extremely well for things like outerwear, activewear, and home furnishings. Over time, as manufacturing scaled up and costs dropped, they migrated into everything — including underwear.
For a while, nobody really asked whether that was a good idea. The clothes were cheap, they didn't shrink, they dried quickly. What was not to like?
Quite a lot, it turns out — once you start looking.
What polyester doesn't do well
Polyester is hydrophobic, which means it repels water. For a waterproof jacket, that's exactly what you want. For underwear, it means sweat sits on your skin rather than being drawn away from it. The result is a warmer, more humid environment in the areas your underwear covers — which is already one of the warmest parts of your body.
Combine that with friction and heat, and you have a recipe for irritation. Textile contact dermatitis — rashes and itching caused by fabric — is a well-documented condition, and synthetic fabrics are disproportionately associated with it. Dermatologists have noted this for years; most people just haven't connected it to what they're wearing.
And then there's the question of what synthetic fabrics shed. Polyester releases microplastic fibres with every wash and every wear. These fibres have been found in human tissue, in the food chain, and — more recently — in studies looking at what happens when they sit against skin for extended periods.
So what's the alternative?
Cotton has been the traditional answer, and it's still a good one. It's natural, breathable, and well-understood. But there's a newer option that outperforms cotton on several key measures: bamboo.
Bamboo fabric — specifically bamboo viscose — has a softer, smoother fibre structure than cotton. It wicks moisture away from skin faster. It regulates temperature better. And it's naturally resistant to bacterial growth, which matters in an area of the body that tends to be warm and enclosed.
It's also, for what it's worth, dramatically more sustainable to produce than either cotton or polyester. But that's a secondary benefit for another post. The point here is simpler: bamboo underwear works better for the person wearing it.
"The most important thing a fabric can do for you is get out of the way — and let your body do what it naturally does."
We started YouBamboo because we believed bamboo was a genuinely better material. We're writing this post because we think it's time to talk more directly about why. Not just what it does for the planet, but what it does for you.
Check the label in your underwear today. Then decide if it's really the material you'd choose, if you were choosing.
se, if you were choosing.Check the label in your underwear today. Then decide if it's really the material you'd choose, if you were choosing.
Check the label in your underwear today. Then decide if it's really the material you'd choose, if you were choosing.
Test paragraph injected via paste event.There's a label sewn into every pair of underwear you own. It lists the fabric content. And for most people, that label says something like 95% polyester, 5% elastane — or some variation of it.
We know this because we checked. We walked through high street shops and looked at the labels of the bestselling underwear in the UK. Almost all of it is synthetic. Not some of it — almost all of it.
Now, this isn't necessarily a scandal. Polyester is cheap to produce, easy to work with, and it holds its shape well. That's why it dominates. But it does raise a question worth asking: is it actually the right material for a garment you wear closest to your body, every single day?
How did we end up wearing plastic?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are essentially derived from petroleum. They were developed in the mid-twentieth century as a cheap, durable alternative to natural fibres, and they worked extremely well for things like outerwear, activewear, and home furnishings. Over time, as manufacturing scaled up and costs dropped, they migrated into everything — including underwear.
For a while, nobody really asked whether that was a good idea. The clothes were cheap, they didn't shrink, they dried quickly. What was not to like?
Quite a lot, it turns out — once you start looking.
What polyester doesn't do well
Polyester is hydrophobic, which means it repels water. For a waterproof jacket, that's exactly what you want. For underwear, it means sweat sits on your skin rather than being drawn away from it. The result is a warmer, more humid environment in the areas your underwear covers — which is already one of the warmest parts of your body.
Combine that with friction and heat, and you have a recipe for irritation. Textile contact dermatitis — rashes and itching caused by fabric — is a well-documented condition, and synthetic fabrics are disproportionately associated with it. Dermatologists have noted this for years; most people just haven't connected it to what they're wearing.
And then there's the question of what synthetic fabrics shed. Polyester releases microplastic fibres with every wash and every wear. These fibres have been found in human tissue, in the food chain, and — more recently — in studies looking at what happens when they sit against skin for extended periods.
So what's the alternative?
Cotton has been the traditional answer, and it's still a good one. It's natural, breathable, and well-understood. But there's a newer option that outperforms cotton on several key measures: bamboo.
Bamboo fabric — specifically bamboo viscose — has a softer, smoother fibre structure than cotton. It wicks moisture away from skin faster. It regulates temperature better. And it's naturally resistant to bacterial growth, which matters in an area of the body that tends to be warm and enclosed.
It's also, for what it's worth, dramatically more sustainable to produce than either cotton or polyester. But that's a secondary benefit for another post. The point here is simpler: bamboo underwear works better for the person wearing it.
"The most important thing a fabric can do for you is get out of the way — and let your body do what it naturally does."
We started YouBamboo because we believed bamboo was a genuinely better material. We're writing this post because we think it's time to talk more directly about why. Not just what it does for the planet, but what it does for you.
Check the label in your underwear today. Then decide if it's really the material you'd choose, if you were choosing.
