For decades, Egyptian cotton has carried a reputation as the gold standard in luxury bedding, often referred to as Egypt’s “white gold.” Yet today, with store shelves crowded by lower-cost alternatives and products marketed under questionable labels, spotting the difference between original Egyptian cotton and fake Egyptian cotton becomes a challenge. Not every label that reads “Egyptian cotton” lives up to its name. In some cases, manufacturers blend Egyptian cotton with other varieties while still marketing it as premium. In 2016, Target, a United States retailer, ended its partnership with textile giant Welspun India after discovering that around 750,000 sheets and pillowcases sold under the Egyptian cotton label were not 100 percent made from the prized fiber. That same year, the Cotton Egypt Association estimated that about 90 percent of Egyptian cotton sold worldwide was counterfeit, and overseas producers have been accused of blending low-grade lint into yarns and fabrics and marketing them as Egyptian, according to industry experts. Real Egyptian cotton Unlike standard cotton, which grows in 50 countries worldwide, including Turkey, Brazil, Pakistan, China, and India, yielding fibers of an average length of 20 to 30 millimeters, Egyptian…
Why Original Egyptian Cotton Remains Different From the Rest
September 13, 2025
By Nadine Tag
Journalist
