The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

Slip silk pillowcase review: Does the £85 beauty buy that celebs love really improve our hair and skin?

It must be doing something right if Kate Hudson and Gigi Hadid swear by it

Helen Wilson-Beevers
Monday 30 August 2021 08:00 BST
The smooth fabric gave us a good night’s sleep when we tested – and prevented our pillow face creases and morning bed head too
The smooth fabric gave us a good night’s sleep when we tested – and prevented our pillow face creases and morning bed head too (iStock/The Independent)

Established in 2004, Slip is a renowned silk pillowcase brand. 

A firm favourite of celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin (who is responsible for the Kardashians’ locks), it also makes chic silk scrunchies, turbans, hair bands and sleep masks. Plus, additional A-list approval comes from big stars like Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gigi Hadid.

Silk pillowcases are famed for being able to optimise hair and skin health. Much less absorbent than cotton, silk won’t soak up your nighttime skincare routine, meaning its hydrating benefits are fully optimised. This is why they’re often recommended for reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles too.

Smooth silk doesn’t create friction as you toss and turn which can prevent static frizz, pillow face creases and morning bed head. And Slip’s trademarked slipsilk composition has apparently been refined for more than a decade to perfect shine, durability, and softness.

Marketed as a stylish lifestyle name, we wanted to explore whether the slipsilk pillowcase really does live up to all the celebrity endorsements it receives.

Read more:

From its momme level to its beauty enhancements and machine washability, we decided to try out this luxury silk pillowcase for all the benefits it claims to have.

How we tested

We tested the pillowcase over several weeks, using the same bedding each night for consistency. We wanted to see how well it smoothed our hair and whether our skincare soaked in better. We also wanted to check out how comfortable it was to sleep on, along with how aesthetically pleasing it looked too.

Slip silk pink queen envelope pillowcase

Slip.jpeg

Buy now £85, Slipsilkpillowcase.co.uk

  • Momme: 22

Available in an extensive range of patterns, shades, sizes, and styles, you can tailor this silk pillowcase to your personal taste and the decor in your home. Colours include gold, navy, white, black, silver, charcoal, caramel, and marble effects which we think makes the shopping process much more interesting. It gives the range a covetable and collectable appeal. You can select envelope and zipper styles, while the king, queen, euro, and other size options cater for different pillow shapes.

The pillow case arrived in a magnetic closing box complete with fun branding which we’ve kept for storage purposes. As a deluxe item at an undeniably premium price, we like being able to store it in a separate place from our other pillowcases. However, the box itself isn’t recyclable.

Our tester sampled the pink silk envelope pillowcase in queen size. At 51cm x 76cm, it fits our standard pillow easily, minus any snugness constricting the silk’s flowing texture. This pink shade is a light rosy hue with an almost metallic sheen. It features embroidered Slip branding and piping-free edges, giving it a minimalistic finish.

Made from the highest-grade mulberry silk in 6A (which is the longest fibre available), its weight is an equally high-quality 22 momme. These features made us notice its supreme softness and shine.

Read more: 14 best anti-ageing night creams for a youthful glow

We instantly felt soothed by its breathable, soft fabric when sinking our head onto the silk pillowcase at night. We especially loved that the glossy tactile surface wasn’t slippery to lie on. Sometimes when waking up too warm in the night, our tester can struggle with getting back to sleep. But, with this silk pillowcase, we were comforted by the cooling temperature-controlled texture which quickly soothed us back into a snooze.

Putting its hydrating hair and skin benefits into action, the results of friction-free snoozing were clear. Instead of waking up with our usual flyaway frizz, we saw sleek smoothness. When applying our usual evening skincare routine, we felt as though it soaked into our skin sufficiently and appreciated a dewier complexion the next morning – which is probably also down to sleeping better. There was a distinct lack of pillow crease lines across our face too, letting us sport a much less crumpled morning look.

When sleeping on the light pink option, it’s easy to mark with drops of serum or rogue mascara marks. Any spots do show up. However, the pillowcase is conveniently machine washable at 30C. We also reckon it’s worth noting we regularly washed the silk, and the case withstood this well. Happily retaining both the signature softness and smooth composition, we were careful to never wash above the advised temperature or mix with darker colours. And although we didn’t dare risk the tumble dryer, our tester was still pleasantly surprised by how well the seemingly delicate silk fared in the washing machine.

The verdict: Slip silk pillowcase

This deluxe purchase is without question an investment buy at the £85 price point. But the luxury feel, elegant colour and supremely soft finish did measure up to our expectations – not to mention its surprisingly machine washable robustness. We saw noticeable skin and hair benefits and slept better thanks to the soothing nature of this comfortably cooling pillowcase. It earns extra points for how it looks in our bedroom too.

Back to top

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on skincare and other beauty offers, try the link below:

Whether you’re after a dewy glow or a matte finish, these are the best sheet masks to hydrate, brighten and soothe skin

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in