Bamboo Viscose vs Lyocell vs Modal: Key Differences | ettitude

Bamboo viscose and bamboo lyocell start from the same plant, but they're made in completely different ways. Modal sits in between. Those differences affect everything from how the fabric feels to what ends up in the water supply.

Bamboo viscose (also called bamboo rayon) is made by dissolving bamboo pulp in harsh chemicals, primarily carbon disulfide, caustic soda and sulfuric acid, in an open-loop process. These chemicals can harm factory workers and contaminate waterways. It's cheap to produce, which is why it dominates the bamboo textile market.

Modal is a second-generation rayon. It's made with a modified version of the viscose process, so it still uses carbon disulfide, and most modal is made from beech wood rather than bamboo.

Bamboo lyocell is made by dissolving bamboo pulp in an organic solvent (NMMO) in a closed-loop system that captures the solvent and reuses it. No carbon disulfide.

Our Signature sheets are made from CleanBamboo® lyocell, produced using a patented process in a closed-loop system that recovers 98% of the water and organic solvent for reuse. Our Signature sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases carry STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, SH025 285270 TESTEX. Product Class I, its most stringent class: independently tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances. www.oeko-tex.com/standard100

The raw material is the same. The process is what makes the difference.

How They Compare: Bamboo Viscose vs Modal vs Tree Lyocell vs CleanBamboo®

Feature	Bamboo Viscose	Modal	Tree Lyocell (TENCEL™)	ettitude CleanBamboo®
Process	Chemical-heavy, open-loop	Modified viscose process	Closed-loop	Closed-loop, patented
Key chemicals	Carbon disulfide, caustic soda	Carbon disulfide, caustic soda	NMMO (organic solvent)	NMMO (organic solvent)
Raw material	Bamboo (often untraced)	Mostly beech wood	Eucalyptus or beech	Bamboo
Certifications	Varies	Varies	Varies	Certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Product Class I: tested to the standard's strictest limits for harmful substances (Signature sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases); Certified B Corp (123.3)

Sources: STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, SH025 285270 TESTEX; B Lab directory (ettitude recertified Aug 2024). All CleanBamboo® data refers to CleanBamboo® bamboo lyocell.

What Is Bamboo Viscose, Exactly?

Bamboo viscose, legally labeled "rayon made from bamboo" in the U.S., starts with bamboo cellulose, a fast-growing raw material. But the manufacturing process undoes most of that good.

The bamboo pulp is dissolved in a chemical bath of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and carbon disulfide, then extruded through spinnerets to form fibers. This is an open-loop process: the chemicals aren't fully recovered. They end up in factory wastewater and, in many facilities, in surrounding waterways.

Most "bamboo sheets" you'll find on Amazon, TikTok Shop and at mass retailers are bamboo viscose. They're soft and affordable, but they're not the same as bamboo lyocell.

Is Bamboo Viscose Toxic?

The finished fabric is generally considered safe to sleep on. The concern is the process. Carbon disulfide is classified as a neurotoxin, and factory workers exposed to it face elevated risks of cardiovascular and neurological harm. OEKO-TEX® certification can verify that a finished fabric is tested for harmful substances, but it doesn't address what happened to workers and ecosystems during production.

What Is Modal?

Modal is a second-generation regenerated cellulose fiber, a variation of rayon. It's made with a modified version of the viscose process, so it still relies on carbon disulfide, but the fiber is spun to be stronger when wet. That's modal's big practical difference from regular viscose: it holds its shape better in the wash and is less prone to shrinking or stretching. It's very soft, which is why it's popular for underwear and loungewear.

Most modal is made from beech wood. "Bamboo modal" exists, but it's less common, and like bamboo viscose, it should be labeled by its real fiber.

Modal vs viscose

Both are made with carbon disulfide. Modal's fiber is processed to be stronger, especially when wet, so it generally washes better and keeps its shape longer than regular viscose. The chemistry, though, is a variation on the same process.

Bamboo lyocell vs modal

Both feel soft and smooth. The difference is how they're made. Modal uses a modified viscose process with carbon disulfide. Lyocell skips that chemistry entirely: the pulp is dissolved directly in an organic solvent, NMMO, which is captured and reused in a closed loop.

What Is Bamboo Lyocell?

Bamboo lyocell takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of harsh chemicals, the process uses NMMO (N-Methylmorpholine N-Oxide), an organic solvent, to dissolve bamboo pulp directly into a spinnable solution. The solvent is then captured, filtered and recycled back into the system.

In our closed-loop process, 98% of the water and organic solvent is recovered, separated back into clean water and solvent, and reused, up to 200 times. Lyocell is spun using NMMO, an organic solvent, instead of the carbon disulfide used to make viscose.

The resulting fiber is also structurally different: more uniform than viscose fibers. That's why bamboo lyocell fabrics tend to feel smoother against the skin.

Why Does Bamboo Lyocell Feel Smoother?

The difference starts at the fiber. Under a scanning electron microscope, CleanBamboo® bamboo lyocell is a smooth, uniform cylinder, with no grooves, no serrated edges and no fibrillation. Published microscopy studies show that conventional viscose fiber has a lengthwise-striated surface and an irregular cross-section (Zhang et al., 2018). A smooth starting fiber is one reason the finished fabric feels smooth against your skin. See the full set of images in What Does Bamboo Lyocell Look Like Under a Microscope?

SEM image of smooth, uniform CleanBamboo® bamboo lyocell fibers at 1,000x magnification

CleanBamboo® fiber at 1,000x magnification. Scale bar 10 microns.

That matters for something that touches bare skin for 6 to 8 hours every night. And CleanBamboo® fabric is breathable by design.

Our Signature sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases are certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Product Class I: tested to the standard's strictest limits for harmful substances.

How Do They Compare on Performance?

In third-party lab testing on unwashed fabric (Intertek, 2022), our Signature Sateen was cooler to the touch, wicked moisture faster and resisted pilling better than a leading bamboo viscose sateen sheet and a leading eucalyptus lyocell sateen sheet: 13% and 7% higher Q-max cool-touch scores, 43% and 47% faster wicking over 30 minutes (AATCC 197), and a pilling grade of 4.5 vs 4.0 for both (ASTM D3512, where 5 means no pilling).

In third-party lab testing on unwashed fabric (Intertek, 2022), our Signature Sateen withstood more than 10,000 abrasion rubs, vs 8,000 for a leading eucalyptus lyocell sateen sheet.

How long any set lasts still depends on how often it's used and how it's washed. Our guide to washing bamboo sheets covers the basics.

Which Is More Sustainable?

Bamboo viscose, modal and bamboo lyocell all start from plant cellulose. The processing stage is where sustainability either holds up or falls apart.

Against bamboo viscose and modal, the comparison that holds up is the process: lyocell is spun with an organic solvent in a closed loop, viscose and modal with carbon disulfide.

Against tree-based lyocell, there's lifecycle data. In a third-party lifecycle assessment by BCome (2022, per square meter of fabric, measured up to the fabric mill), CleanBamboo® Sateen fabric had a 22% lower carbon footprint, a 58% lower water scarcity impact and 42% lower fossil fuel use than fabric made from TENCEL™ lyocell, as modeled by BCome. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG; ettitude is not affiliated with Lenzing.

Comparing with cotton instead? Start with why organic cotton isn't as sustainable as most people think.

Isn't Bamboo Just Another Wood Pulp for Lyocell?

You may see the argument that bamboo pulp has no real advantage over eucalyptus, beech or other wood-based dissolving pulps used to make lyocell, since lyocell's environmental benefits come mostly from the closed-loop process itself, not the plant it starts from. That's a fair point about raw pulp chemistry in isolation. It's also an incomplete comparison.

The dissolving pulp is the input. What determines whether a fiber is actually better to sleep on is everything that happens after: how it's processed, whether the process is independently verified, and how the finished fabric performs. On all three, CleanBamboo® is measured, not assumed.

That's why the Intertek results above include a leading eucalyptus lyocell sateen sheet, not just bamboo viscose. Same fiber family, measurably different finished fabric.

So while any dissolving pulp can, in theory, be turned into lyocell, in practice the finished fabric still differs. CleanBamboo® backs that with third-party data rather than asking you to take our word for it.

What Is CleanBamboo® and How Is It Different from Generic Lyocell?

Not all bamboo lyocell is the same. "Bamboo lyocell" describes a process. CleanBamboo® is ettitude's bamboo lyocell, made using a patented process. CleanBamboo® has been made and sold at commercial scale since 2014.

What makes CleanBamboo® different from generic bamboo lyocell on the market:

Patented process: produced using a patented process in a closed-loop system that recovers 98% of the water and organic solvent for reuse
Third-party tested performance: see the Intertek results above
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Product Class I: on our Signature sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases
Certified B Corp: the highest B Corp score of any bedding brand in US & Australia (as of October 2026; source: B Lab directory). One of the highest-scoring B Corps in bedding worldwide, at 123.3, more than double the 50.9 median for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment, per B Lab

Other brands may say "bamboo lyocell" on their labels, but without independent testing or certifications, there's no way to verify what you're actually getting.

How to Tell What You're Buying

Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, which the FTC enforces, fabric made from bamboo through a chemical process has to be labeled by its real fiber, such as "rayon made from bamboo" or "lyocell made from bamboo". Only fiber made mechanically from the plant can be called "bamboo". If a label says only "100% bamboo" with no further detail, that's a red flag.

Here's what to look for:

"Rayon from bamboo" or "bamboo viscose": viscose process with carbon disulfide
"Modal": modified viscose process, usually from beech wood
"Lyocell from bamboo" or "bamboo lyocell": closed-loop lyocell process
"CleanBamboo®": ettitude's bamboo lyocell, made using a patented process

When in doubt, check for certifications. STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and B Corp are third-party verified, and you can check both: OEKO-TEX® certificates by number on oeko-tex.com, B Corps in B Lab's public directory.

The Best Bamboo Lyocell Bedding

ettitude's CleanBamboo® is a bamboo lyocell made using a patented process, with third-party Intertek test results you can read, and STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification (Product Class I) on our Signature sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases. The Signature Bamboo Sheet Set is the flagship: cool to the touch, temperature regulating and breathable by design. In a third-party lifecycle assessment by BCome (2022, measured from raw material to the factory gate), our Signature Sateen Sheet Set had a 45% lower carbon footprint and a 99% lower water scarcity impact than a comparable conventional cotton sheet set.

Cariloha's Retreat line also uses bamboo lyocell, made in a closed-loop process. Cariloha's sheets were not part of the Intertek test above.

Sources:

BCome lifecycle assessment (2022); Intertek performance testing (2022); STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, SH025 285270 TESTEX. LCA comparisons are per square meter of fabric up to the fabric mill, except the sheet-set comparison, which runs from raw material to the factory gate. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG; ettitude is not affiliated with Lenzing.

Lenzing AG, "Bamboo Fibers" research (Lenzinger Berichte), cited for the pulp-equivalence argument this post responds to.

Intertek performance testing (2022, unwashed fabric), Signature Sateen vs a leading bamboo viscose sateen sheet and a leading eucalyptus lyocell sateen sheet: Q-max cool touch, moisture wicking (AATCC 197), pilling (ASTM D3512) and abrasion.

Zhang et al. (2018), cited for the viscose fiber cross-section.

About the author: Phoebe Yu is the Founder and CEO of ettitude. She founded ettitude in Melbourne, Australia in 2014, and CleanBamboo®, ettitude's bamboo lyocell, has been made and sold at commercial scale since then. Her work sits at the intersection of materials science and sustainable manufacturing. Read her story.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between bamboo viscose and bamboo lyocell?

Both bamboo lyocell and bamboo viscose are derived from bamboo but differ in texture, quality, and production process. Bamboo viscose is made using caustic soda, a potent chemical that softens the bamboo fibers but eliminates the plant's natural benefits.
As a better alternative to viscose, ettitude developed CleanBamboo® lyocell, which is made using food-grade solvents and a closed-loop production process. This process retains the natural benefits of bamboo - hypoallergenic, breathable, temperature regulating, and moisture wicking - while minimizing the carbon footprint.

Is bamboo viscose toxic?

The finished fabric is generally safe, but the production process involves hazardous chemicals. Carbon disulfide, a key chemical in viscose manufacturing, is classified as a neurotoxin. Factory workers face health risks, and improperly managed wastewater can contaminate surrounding communities. OEKO-TEX® certification tests the finished product against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances, but it does not certify the production process.

What's the difference between modal and bamboo lyocell?

Both are soft, smooth fibers made from plant cellulose. The difference is the process. Modal is made with a modified version of the viscose process, which uses carbon disulfide. Bamboo lyocell is made by dissolving bamboo pulp directly in an organic solvent, NMMO, which is captured and reused in a closed loop. Most modal is made from beech wood rather than bamboo.

Is modal made from bamboo?

Usually not. Most modal is made from beech wood. Bamboo modal exists, but it's less common. In the U.S., fabric made from bamboo through a chemical process has to be labeled by its real fiber, so check the label for the actual fiber type.

How can I tell if my bamboo sheets are viscose or lyocell?

Check the care label and product listing for the fiber content. U.S. law requires brands to specify whether the fabric is "rayon made from bamboo" (viscose) or "lyocell made from bamboo" (lyocell). A label reading only "100% bamboo" without a fiber type is missing information the FTC requires, and the fabric is most often viscose. Look for third-party certifications such as OEKO-TEX® and B Corp as additional verification.

What is the most sustainable bamboo fabric?

Bamboo lyocell is made in a closed-loop process, which is where it differs from bamboo viscose: lyocell is spun with an organic solvent in a closed loop, viscose with carbon disulfide. In ettitude's CleanBamboo® process, 98% of the water and organic solvent is recovered, separated back into clean water and solvent, and reused, up to 200 times.

Why is bamboo lyocell more expensive than bamboo viscose?

The closed-loop process costs more to operate, and the solvents are more expensive than commodity chemicals. Bamboo lyocell also typically uses higher-grade bamboo feedstock and maintains stricter environmental and quality controls. The premium pays for cleaner production, superior comfort, and verifiable safety certifications.