Trying to understand the list of fabrics on your clothing tags can sometimes feel like cracking a secret code: In addition to cotton, linen, and polyester, you might see Tencel, lyocell, modal, viscose, rayon, bamboo, and so many more. And if you’ve bought a new T-shirt, pair of underwear, jeans, a dress shirt, or sheets in the last few years, you have likely seen both Tencel and lyocell in the mix, sometimes together and sometimes on their own.
Tencel is to lyocell, what Kleenex is to facial tissue
But what is the difference between the two? The short answer is not much. Tencel is a brand of lyocell fiber, just like Kleenex is a brand of facial tissues or Xerox is a brand of photocopy machine. But the company that makes Tencel-branded lyocell fibers — Austrian textile manufacturer Lenzing AG — also makes Tencel-branded modal fibers, and the two are similar but slightly different. To further complicate matters, clothing brands will sometimes label a product Tencel without specifying whether it’s Tencel-branded lyocell or Tencel-branded modal. In the majority of these cases, you can assume the fabric is made of lyocell. And going forward, when talking about Tencel, I’ll often just say “lyocell” because that’s really the type of fabric fibers we’re talking about. But if you want to be absolutely sure, you should get in touch with the brand and ask.
Lyocell and modal are both in the rayon family, but lyocell is more “natural”
Lyocell and modal, whether they’re Tencel-branded or not, are both part of a subcategory of rayon (a.k.a. viscose). Both are man-made fibers that start with the same basic raw material: wood pulp from beech, birch, spruce, and eucalyptus trees. And both offer healthier, more sustainable alternatives to synthetic, petroleum-based fabrics like polyester and spandex that can shed harmful microplastics.
Modal is considered “semi-synthetic,” because the wood pulp used to make it is chemically altered in the production process. This is not the case with lyocell, which is the only form of rayon that can be considered purely organic.
As with modal, the process for making lyocell involves using solvents to dissolve wood pulp into a liquid consistency. But lyocell production uses bio-solvents to liquify the wood fibers instead of toxic chemicals. The resulting liquid is forced through tiny holes in a device called a spinneret to create thin fibers, which are then stabilized with heat and a diluted version of the same solvent. Once the fibers are sturdy enough, they are spun into yarn that is woven or knit into fabric.
Tencel is known for its combo of softness and strength
Both Tencel/lyocell and modal are breathable and absorbent with a soft, comfortable texture. But lyocell is known for being stronger and more durable, resulting in fabric that holds its shape over time. According to Preethi Gopinath, associate professor of textiles and founding director of the M.F.A. textiles program at Parsons School of Design and School of Fashion, lyocell is stronger than other materials made from wood pulp, including modal, because lyocell is mostly made from the pulp of eucalyptus trees, which is stronger than the beech-tree pulp used for modal.
For this reason, it is popular in commercial settings and is often used instead of cotton in the fabric parts of conveyor belts. It is also used in medical dressings thanks to its strength and high absorbency. Lyocell is often combined with cotton or polyester to give those fabrics more strength, and it’s become a popular cotton alternative in denim manufacturing, because jeans made with lyocell — or lyocell paired with elastane or spandex, which are often found in stretch denim — aren’t as rigid and don’t take as long to break in as jeans made from just cotton. The lyocell also helps the jeans keep their structure to avoid saggy bottoms and baggy knees.
Tencel is generally more sustainable than modal
Lyocell is a newer fiber, and the production process is an improvement on previous iterations of wood-pulp-based fabric fibers like modal. Tencel-branded lyocell improves the process even more: Not only is it made using less toxic bio-based solvents, it is also made using an innovative closed-loop process in which the majority of the solvents are recovered and reused in future batches of lyocell production.
That said, modal — and especially Tencel-branded modal — is still more sustainably manufactured than traditional rayon/viscose, because Lenzing AG sources the raw materials for both Tencel-branded lyocell and Tencel-branded modal from sustainably managed forests. And because the eucalyptus and beech trees used to make lyocell and modal grow more quickly and require less water and pesticides than cotton, you could say that both fabrics are more sustainable choices than conventional cotton. However, to make a more holistic comparison of the environmental impact of each fiber, you would need to consider every single step of the manufacturing process, as well as the durability and biodegradability of the finished fabric, plus the labor practices involved in producing it.
Some products made of Tencel that we recommend
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