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I can’t get out of bed

It’s not like I’m not injured, or sick, or even particularly tired. I’m just really, really comfortable. I started using a silk pillowcase and it’s been a game-changer, in more ways than I expected.

For many years as a beauty editor, I’ve heard about the benefits of sleeping on a silk pillowcase, but it seemed sorta gimmicky to me. I’m a huge believe in topical skincare but topical fabric? I was skeptical. It wasn’t until my colleagues at DefenAge sent me the brand’s mulberry silk pillowcase to road test that I finally understood what the hype was about.  

I am very much a pillow person. I have, at any given time, no fewer than three pillows on my side of the bed, and often as many as six, none of them decorative. I have squishy down ones and bouncy foam ones (I give hard pillows a hard pass), covered in a combination of cotton jersey and super-crisp 100% cotton covers. I make no apologies for my pillow gluttony: I am a world-class sleeper and I need to have the best gear to maintain my superior sleep status.


When the DefenAge pillowcase arrived, I pulled it from the package and realized immediately how luxe it felt. Note to self: a 100% silk pillowcase is softer than any thread count cotton! I typically stay up late, but that night, I hopped into bed early, eager to try it out.

At bedtime, I arranged the pillows with the silk on top and let my head sink right in. It felt wonderfully, well, silky against my skin. And it was cooler than the rest of my pillows, too. As I slept, I found myself searching for the silk, readjusting to make sure it was in primary pillow position at all times. But the real revelation came the next morning. See, I sleep hard—I’ve always woken with pillow creases on my face. When I was younger, the creases would be gone in a few minutes, but due to the loss of skin elasticity, my creases stick around at least until I’ve had my morning cup of coffee. But that morning? Zero creases! I actually looked as well-rested as I felt for once. As the antithesis of a morning person, this is huge: As much as I’d love to wake up and roll right into a Zoom meeting, my “pillow face” would always give me away. Now I can snag an extra half hour before meetings.

My curiosity was piqued: Was the lack of lines I saw on my skin after a night sleeping on silk a temporary thing, or is there a long-term benefit to using a silk pillowcase? I turned to my derm on speed dial (yes, I know speed dial isn’t a thing anymore, but just go with it), Dr. David E. Bank, MD, the director of The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic, & Laser Surgery in Mt. Kisco, NY, for answers. “To my knowledge, there aren’t any studies connecting silk pillowcases to anti-aging benefits, but the anecdotal evidence is there: The skin can glide more easily over silk, so it cuts down on the amount of friction, resulting in fewer lines on the skin,” Dr. Bank explained. So sleeping on a silk pillowcase can prevent the lines from forming in the first place, like the overnight equivalent of wearing a sunscreen.

Another advantage to silk: It helps your skincare products stay put: Silk is naturally less absorbent than cotton, so your anti-aging cream actually stays on your skin instead of your linens. And a regimen of active skincare plus a silk pillowcase? That just what Dr. Bank, who recommends silk pillowcases to his patients, ordered.

In short, the DefenAge 100% silk pillowcase has ruined me for all other pillowcases. But it’s also helped saved my skin. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to snooze for a few more minutes....

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