What is the difference between cotton and silk?
Cotton vs Silk
What is cotton?
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds.
The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. For centuries, Egyptian cotton has been considered the best in the world.
What is silk?
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors.
Silk is produced by several insects, but, generally, only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacturing.
Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk available for purchase.