5 Best Ethical & Sustainable Organic Cotton Underwear Brands
Underwear is something you don’t want to mess around with. It’s important to wear clean materials around sensitive parts.
Let’s explore the importance of these natural fibers and some of the best organic cotton underwear brands.
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer will receive a commission if you decide to purchase, however, at no additional cost to you!
Although the market is now flooded with synthetic fabrics like rayon, viscose, and spandex, cotton is undoubtedly the best material for underwear.
The high absorbency of cotton prevents yeast infections by not allowing moisture to accumulate.
Synthetic materials can be restrictive and often chafes, breaking your skin around sensitive areas.
By being breathable, cotton underwear also prevents odor build-up.
Moisture trapping can to the build-up of bacteria which can lead to some smelly conditions down there.
However, just using cotton underwear is not enough.
What harmful chemicals in underwear should consumers be careful of?
Unfortunately today a lot of fabrics are usually heavily doused with chemicals for processing.
These chemicals can still linger in the finished product.
The first place these chemicals transfer would be to your skin in the most sensitive areas of your body.
These chemicals can easily enter your body when in intimate clothing like underwear.
Carcinogenic chemicals are often used to bleach fabric and add other properties like making the fabric wrinkle-free, pest and stain-resistant, or water repellent.
Some of these chemicals include petrochemicals which cause skin suffocation, headaches, and respiratory problems, perfluorocarbon which causes kidney failure and formaldehyde which causes lung cancer and dermatitis.
To avoid all these problems, why not opt for a greener, cleaner, more comfortable choice that has less of an environmental impact?
Why is organic cotton a better choice for underwear?
By choosing organic cotton underwear instead of synthetic materials or even conventional cotton, you are protecting the planet as well as your skin.
Pure organic cotton is hypoallergenic. Organic cotton is less processed than conventional cotton which also means less dangerous chemicals along the way.
With organic fabric, the breathability of the fabric does not allow heat to be trapped close to your body and your sensitive parts stay fresh and dry.
Read our guide on organic cotton to keep learning about the benefits and environmental impact.
List of the Top Organic Underwear Brands
Most women prefer comfort over style but with the plethora of options for cotton underwear available these days, you can have both at the same time.
Here is a list of organic cotton underwear brands for you to try.
These sustainable brands use organic materials of the highest quality for everyday wear and have an ethical supply chain.
Knickey's Fair Trade Organic Cotton Underwear
Subset works with Fair Trade certified factories to create women's underwear made with organic cotton.
They offer impeccably fitting underwear that washes and wears well. Subset's underwear is $14 a pair.
If you are not sure how to transition into organic cotton underwear, Subset offers starter sets where you can build your own order with a range of rises and coverage. In these sets, you get to choose 5 pairs of underwear (low-rise thong, low-rise bikini, mid-rise hipster, mid-rise brief, and high-rise brief) in their limited edition colors.
This sustainable brand also gives back with 1% for the Planet and is climate neutral.
Pact's Organic Cotton Underwear for Men, Women, and Children
Pact offers organic cotton options for women, men, and kids. This brand uses organic cotton to craft affordable and accessible organic basics for everyone.
This ethical brand crafts their underwear in a Fair Trade Certified factory.
Pact has a wide variety of styles in organic cotton underwear to choose from, including floral and dotted patterns as well as leopard prints.
They also have packs of 6 for all their underwear options including hipsters, high rise hipsters, classic fit bikinis, thongs, and lace hipsters. Their underwear for men and women starts at $14 per pair.
tentree’s Organic Cotton and TENCEL Underwear
tentree is an ethical brand that focuses on using earth friendly materials.
tentree offers underwear for men and women. Their underwear is crafted using a combination of organic cotton and TENCEL.
Shop women’s thongs and bikini briefs for $18, bralettes for $40, and men’s boxers for $35.
Beaumont Organic’s GOTS Certified Organic Cotton Underwear for Women
Beaumont Organic aims to create conscious clothing and organic undergarments.
Using GOTS-certified organic cotton as their primary fabric, they craft high quality underwear for women.
Their organic cotton underwear selection for women features bralettes, briefs, high waisted briefs, and more! These sustainable items range from $35-$54.
Sustain by Kat Organic Bras
Sustain by Kat creates high-quality, timeless basics made from 100% natural materials including organic cotton and linen.
Their bras are made with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton and 100% organic hemp lining.
Choose from naturally dyed and undyed bras ranging from $56-$70.
Hopefully this guide helped you discover some sustainable underwear brands and find some organic cotton undies worth trying out.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Anamika is a scientist by day and a freelance writer by night! She is a researcher with a background in Forest Sciences with strong interests in sustainability. She is currently pursuing her PhD from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and writes blogs related to sustainability and the environment in her free time. Learn more from Anamika on LinkedIn.
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